Or, I mean, hear me out: buy a Kill-A-Watt for $50, plug it into the wall, and then check what the dial says when your computer is neutral vs. when it's looping your code.
Depends if your goal is to teach the maximum number of people the fundamentals of logic, or to transfer as much practical knowledge as quick as possible to the students with an aptitude for programming.
Why the fuck does the department of war get to dictate anything to a private organization?
Why does the constitution say that you have to let the government murder schoolgirls with your tools?