Appliance running costs

How much electricity does a TV use?

Most modern TVs draw somewhere between about 30 W and 250 W while switched on. Smaller LED-LCD sets sit at the low end; large, bright screens and HDR viewing push towards the top. There is no single representative wattage, so this page uses 100 W only as an editable example.

How many watts does a TV use?

Example: a 100 W TV used 4 hours a day uses 0.400 kWh per day, about 12.2 kWh per average month and 146.1 kWh per year. At $0.180/kWh that is $0.07 per day, $2.19 per month and $26.30 per year. The 100 W is an example, not a figure for every TV — enter your own below.

Your inputs

TV power (your own watts)

Typical example — replace this 100 W example with your appliance’s actual rating for a better estimate.

Hours switched on per day

Duty cycle while switched on

Leave at 100% for a steady load; standby is not included unless you enter it.

Standby draw while switched off

Applies only to the 20 h a day the appliance is switched off, not to the idle part of the duty cycle.

Electricity rate

Use the total variable rate from your bill, including delivery charges per kWh.

Scenario: hours per day

$2.19

per month (30.44-day average month)

0.400 kWh per day at 100 W

Estimate using typical assumptions

Per day: $0.07
kWh / month: 12
kWh / year: 146
Per year: $26.30

Average power across 24 hours

17 W

Daily energy spread evenly over 24 hours. Includes standby draw during switched-off hours when entered.

Cost per running hour

$0.018

While the appliance is actually drawing power.

Effective duty cycle

100%

Share of switched-on time at rated power.

Method

100 W = 0.1 kW
0.1 kW × 4 h/day = 0.4 kWh/day active
0.4 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 0.072 USD/day
0.072 × 30.436875 days = 2.191 USD/month
0.4 kWh × 365.2425 days = 146.097 kWh/year
146.097 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 26.297 USD/year

Monthly figures use a 30.44-day average month, 365.24-day average year.

Assumptions

Electricity rate of 0.18 USD/kWh (editable).
Calculations use a year of 365.2425 days and an average month of 365.2425 ÷ 12 = 30.436875 days, so twelve average months equal one year exactly. Displayed values are rounded to 365.24 and 30.44 days, and the rounded figures do not multiply out exactly.
Rated power is treated as real power in watts, not volt-amps.

What can change the result?

Screen size — larger panels need more backlight or more emitting pixels
Display technology (LED-LCD, mini-LED, OLED)
Brightness, picture mode and HDR content
Hours watched per day

$2.19/mo · 12 kWh/mo

Typical TV wattage — and what the number means

What the figure represents: On-mode power while showing a picture — the figure on the TV's energy label or spec sheet, or what a plug-in meter reads. This is not the power supply's maximum rating.

Rated or typical power is what a label or spec sheet lists. Your watts is the value you enter in the calculator. Actual energy use (kWh) is watts × time — which is why the same TV can cost very different amounts in different homes.

Illustrative bands to orient you, not measured averages. Use your own model's figure where you can.
Type	Approximate power	Note
Small LED-LCD set	about 30–60 W	Illustrative range, normal settings
Mid-size LED-LCD set	about 60–120 W	Illustrative range, normal settings
Large or bright HDR set	about 120–250 W	Illustrative range, bright/HDR settings

What changes how much electricity a TV uses

Screen size: power rises with screen area.
Technology: LED-LCD, mini-LED and OLED behave differently; OLED draw depends on picture content.
Brightness and picture mode: vivid, HDR and maximum-brightness settings draw the most.
Usage: hours watched per day set the daily, monthly and yearly energy.

A TV's draw is set mostly by screen area, display technology and how bright the picture is. A small LED-LCD set can run on a few tens of watts, while a large, bright screen in a vivid or HDR picture mode can draw several times as much. OLED draw also depends on what is on screen: bright, white-heavy scenes take more power than dark ones.

Use the on-mode power from your TV's energy label, spec sheet or a plug-in meter if you have it. The 100 W default is an example for a mid-size set at normal settings, not a figure that applies to every TV.

Electricity use at different usage patterns

All rows use 100 W at $0.180/kWh, with no standby added. Only the usage changes.

Generated by the same energy engine that powers the calculator above.
Hours per day	kWh per day	Per day	Per month	Per year
2 h/day	0.200 kWh	$0.04	$1.10	$13.15
4 h/day	0.400 kWh	$0.07	$2.19	$26.30
6 h/day	0.600 kWh	$0.11	$3.29	$39.45
8 h/day	0.800 kWh	$0.14	$4.38	$52.59

Electricity use across the wattage range

From 30 W to 250 W, each used 4 hours a day.

Same engine, same rate; only the wattage changes.
Power	kWh per day	Per day	Per month	Per year
30 W	0.120 kWh	$0.02	$0.66	$7.89
100 W	0.400 kWh	$0.07	$2.19	$26.30
250 W	1.00 kWh	$0.18	$5.48	$65.74

The change that matters most: use an energy-saving picture mode

Brightness drives most of a TV's power draw. Switching from a vivid or maximum-brightness mode to a standard or energy-saving mode is modelled here as the 100 W example dropping to 75 W for the same viewing hours.

Both rows computed by the same engine at $0.180/kWh.
Scenario	kWh per year	Cost per year
TV example above	146	$26.30
Use an energy-saving picture mode	110	$19.72 — saves $6.57/yr

Where these numbers come from

ENERGY STAR publishes on-mode power for each certified TV model; values vary widely with screen size and technology, which is why the calculator is editable.
Manufacturer energy labels and spec sheets list on-mode power per model — use your own TV's figure when available.
The 100 W default and the size bands above are SnapEnergyLab examples, not measured averages.

Worth knowing

Standby draw while the TV is off is not included in the figures on this page; modern sets typically draw well under a few watts in standby.

Worth knowing

Soundbars, streaming boxes and game consoles are separate loads with their own wattage.

Your next decision

Other appliances

Electricity cost tools

Defaults come from the published default registry and the formulas are documented in the methodology.