A typical TV uses between 30 and 100 watts while it's on, depending on the size and type

The amount of electricity your TV draws depends on three things: the screen size, the technology (LED, OLED, or older plasma), and how bright you have it set. A 32-inch LED TV might use 30 watts. A 55-inch OLED TV could use 100 to 150 watts. The bigger and brighter, the more power it pulls from your wall.

To find your TV's actual power use, look at the back or bottom of the set for a label that says "Power Consumption" or "Typical Power." This number is what the manufacturer measured in a standard test. Your real-world use will vary — a darker picture uses less power than a bright one, and a TV running at full volume uses slightly more than one running quietly.

Most people overestimate how much their TV costs to run. If your TV uses 50 watts and runs 5 hours a day, that's 250 watt-hours, or 0.25 kilowatt-hours per day. At the U.S. average electricity rate, that costs roughly $2 to $3 per month to operate. Even a large TV rarely costs more than $10 a month in electricity.

Key Takeaways

  • Screen size and type matter most: LED TVs use 30 to 80 watts, OLED TVs use 80 to 150 watts, and older plasma TVs can use 150 to 400 watts.
  • The power label on your TV's back or bottom tells you the manufacturer's tested consumption, which is more reliable than guessing.
  • A TV left on standby (plugged in but off) still draws 1 to 3 watts, which adds up to $1 to $3 per year.
  • Brightness settings have a real effect on power use — lowering the backlight brightness can cut consumption by 10 to 20 percent.

How to find your TV's power rating

The easiest way is to look at the physical label on your TV. Turn it around or look at the bottom edge. You're looking for text that says "Power Consumption," "Typical Power," or "Rated Power," followed by a number in watts (W). Write this number down — you'll use it to calculate actual cost.

If you can't find the label, check the manual or the manufacturer's website. Search for your TV model number (usually printed on the back) plus "power consumption" or "specifications." Most manufacturers publish this in the technical specs section. If the manual lists a range — like "50W to 120W" — the lower number is standby power and the higher is active use.

If you have an older TV and the label has worn off, you can estimate based on type and size. LED TVs use roughly 0.5 to 1.5 watts per inch of screen diagonal. A 50-inch LED TV would use around 25 to 75 watts. OLED TVs use more — roughly 1 to 2.5 watts per inch. Plasma TVs, which are now rare, used 3 to 4 watts per inch and were much more expensive to run.

The difference between active use and standby power

When your TV is on and displaying a picture, it draws its full rated power. When you turn it off with the remote, it doesn't actually shut down completely — it goes into standby mode, waiting for the remote signal to wake up. In standby, a modern TV uses 1 to 3 watts. An older TV might use 5 to 10 watts in standby.

Standby power adds up over time because your TV is in that state 20 hours a day or more. If your TV uses 2 watts in standby and runs 20 hours a day, that's 40 watt-hours per day, or about 14.6 kilowatt-hours per year. At average U.S. rates, that's roughly $1.50 to $2 per year just sitting there off.

To eliminate standby power entirely, unplug the TV or use a power strip with an on-off switch and flip it off when you're done watching. This is most worth doing if you have multiple devices in standby — a TV, cable box, sound system, and gaming console can collectively draw 10 to 20 watts around the clock, which costs $10 to $20 per year.

How screen size and type affect power consumption

Screen size is the biggest factor. A 32-inch LED TV typically uses 30 to 50 watts. A 55-inch uses 50 to 100 watts. A 75-inch uses 100 to 150 watts. The relationship isn't perfectly linear — a 75-inch TV doesn't use three times the power of a 25-inch — but it's close enough to predict.

The technology matters too. LED TVs are the most common and most efficient. OLED TVs produce their own light from each pixel, which makes them look better but costs more power — they typically use 20 to 50 percent more electricity than an LED of the same size. Plasma TVs, which you're unlikely to own now, were power hogs that used two to four times what an LED uses.

Within LED TVs, the backlight type makes a small difference. Full-array backlighting (many small lights behind the screen) uses slightly more power than edge-lit (lights around the border). The difference is usually 5 to 15 watts, not enough to drive a buying decision, but worth knowing if you're comparing two models side by side.

Calculating your TV's monthly and yearly cost

The math is straightforward. Take your TV's power rating in watts, multiply by the hours you watch per day, multiply by 30 for a month, then divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours. Then multiply by your electricity rate per kilowatt-hour.

Here's a real example: a 55-inch LED TV rated at 70 watts, watched 5 hours a day, in a state where electricity costs $0.13 per kilowatt-hour. Daily use is 70 watts × 5 hours = 350 watt-hours = 0.35 kilowatt-hours. Monthly is 0.35 × 30 = 10.5 kilowatt-hours. Cost is 10.5 × $0.13 = $1.37 per month, or about $16.50 per year.

Your actual electricity rate varies by state and utility. You can find it on your electric bill — it's usually listed as "rate per kWh" or "per kilowatt-hour." Rates range from about $0.10 in Louisiana to $0.22 in Hawaii. If you're unsure, $0.12 to $0.15 is a reasonable middle estimate for most of the country.

Why brightness settings matter more than you think

Most TVs have a brightness or backlight setting in the menu. Lowering this setting reduces power consumption noticeably — typically 10 to 20 percent. A TV set to maximum brightness might use 100 watts, but the same TV at 50 percent brightness might use 80 to 90 watts.

This is especially true for LED TVs with full-array backlighting. The backlight is the single biggest power consumer in an LED TV, and dimming it directly reduces how much power the backlight needs. OLED TVs show less improvement from brightness adjustment because each pixel makes its own light, but you'll still see 5 to 10 percent savings.

The trade-off is picture quality. A dimmer TV looks less vibrant, especially in a bright room. But if you watch in a darker room or don't mind a less bright picture, lowering brightness is the easiest way to cut your TV's power use without replacing it.

Comparing TV power use to other household devices

A TV is not a major power consumer compared to heating, cooling, water heating, or refrigeration. But it's worth context. A typical TV uses 30 to 100 watts. A microwave uses 600 to 1,000 watts while running. A hair dryer uses 1,200 to 1,800 watts. A window air conditioner uses 500 to 1,500 watts continuously during summer.

Where a TV adds up is that it runs for hours every day, while a microwave or hair dryer runs for minutes. A refrigerator runs 24/7 but uses only 150 to 800 watts depending on size and age. Over a year, your TV probably costs $10 to $40 to run, while your refrigerator costs $100 to $300.

If you're trying to lower your electric bill, focus on heating, cooling, and water heating first — those three account for about 60 percent of household electricity use. Replacing an old TV with a new efficient one will save you a few dollars a year, but it's not a major lever for reducing your overall consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does leaving a TV on all day cost a lot?

A 50-watt TV left on 24 hours a day uses 1.2 kilowatt-hours per day, or about 36 per month. At $0.12 per kilowatt-hour, that's roughly $4.30 per month or $52 per year. It's not nothing, but it's less than most people expect. Turning it off when you're not watching saves that money.

Is it bad for a TV to turn it on and off a lot?

No. Modern TVs are designed to handle frequent on-off cycles. Turning your TV off when you're not watching it is better for both the device and your electric bill. The old advice about leaving devices on to extend their life applied to older technology and is not true for modern TVs.

Do smart TVs use more power than regular TVs?

Not significantly. A smart TV uses the same amount of power to display a picture as a non-smart TV of the same size and type. The smart features (apps, internet connection) add a small amount of power draw, usually 1 to 5 watts, but this is negligible compared to the backlight or display itself.

What's the difference between watts and kilowatt-hours?

Watts measure power at a moment in time — how much electricity the TV is drawing right now. Kilowatt-hours measure energy over time — how much total electricity it used. A 50-watt TV running for 20 hours uses 1 kilowatt-hour. Your electric bill charges you for kilowatt-hours, not watts.

Can I use a power meter to measure my TV's actual power use?

Yes. A plug-in power meter (also called a kill-a-watt meter) costs $15 to $30 and plugs between your TV and the wall outlet. It displays real-time watts and can calculate kilowatt-hours over time. This is the most accurate way to measure your TV's actual consumption, especially if you want to compare settings or models.