Generally no, they do not draw a lot of power. Commercial systems offer larger variety of cameras including Point-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ). For example something like the AXIS Q8685–E PTZ Network Camera can draw a maximum of 204 watts, still quite low when you consider a normal household appliance like a microwave may draw upwards of 900 watts. Whereas an residential camera like the Arlo runs off batteries. Even when plugged into the wall it draws less than 10 Watts.