To understand these types of questions we must again return to how magick works.

The 2 main aspects in work are your attention and your energy. Where you direct your attention, towards that your energy flows. 

When you direct your attention to a certain rune formula, that rune formula is made alive by your energy. 

In this context, runes take energy from your personal energy. 

But that energy is not lost, you are producing energy all the time, all day long. Your energy is flowing out regardless if you use runes or not. 

Runes just put a filter, a prism onto the flow of your energy.

Energy passes through this rune formula and then it works to manifest the intention that is hidden in the rune formula. 

So runes dont give or take energy, runes add a filter to our energy.

Then, the energy with the intent is working in the world to make changes. 

You can say that with the use of runes you program the energy to hold a certain program. 

Then, the stronger your energy is, the stronger this program is.