Off-the-Grid: How Many Watts and Amps Does a TV Use
TVs are not used anymore for just “watching a TV” – they are used for “watching TV,” but also for media streaming, gaming, as communication devices, part of security systems, etc. – it is vital to know how many watts and energy in general they require.
Regardless of whether You are worried about your electric bill or you want to watch TV during power outages, we bring You the TV wattage comparison chart taking into account TV sizes and technologies.
Updated: October 24, 2022.
TV Types, Technologies, and Power Consumption
The most popular modern TVs are LED, LCD, and OLED (QLED) flat-screen TVs – they feature rather low power consumption, great contrast, broad color range, etc.
The following comparison chart lists some of the most popular TV sizes and TV technologies (even ancient ones):
| Screen Size (Inches) |
LED | OLED | LCD | CRT | Plasma |
| 15 | 15 | – | 18 | 65 | – |
| 17 | 18 | – | 20 | 75 | – |
| 19 | 20 | – | 22 | 80 | – |
| 20 | 24 | – | 26 | 90 | – |
| 21 | 26 | – | 30 | 100 | – |
| 22 | 30 | – | 40 | 110 | – |
| 24 | 35 | – | 50 | 120 | – |
| 30 | 38 | – | 60 | – | 150 |
| 32 | 41 | 57 | 70 | – | 160 |
| 37 | 44 | 66 | 80 | – | 180 |
| 40 | 50 | 72 | 100 | – | 200 |
| 42 | 57 | 75 | 120 | – | 220 |
| 50 | 72 | 89 | 150 | – | 300 |
| 55 | 80 | 98 | 180 | – | 370 |
| 60 | 88 | 107 | 200 | – | 500 |
Few Notes:
– these values are just general guidelines. In order to know the actual power consumption of your TV, check the label on the back of the TV that you have – that is the best and most accurate way of finding out how many watts your TV use.
– old technologies like CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), Plasma, and similar consume much more power than LED, LCD, and OLED TVs, and if you have any of these, replace them with newer, energy more efficient models. And recycle them properly.
– actual power consumption can be significantly increased with various add-ons, like an external hard drive (use SSD instead of “classic” SATA hard drive), USB memory stick, enabled Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, networking over UTP connection, external speakers, etc. Even different TV models of the same technology and the same size, from the same brand, can differ in energy requirements significantly – technology advances rather quickly, and TVs from 5 years ago required more power just for “working,” but they also had fewer add-ons.
– the standby power of modern TVs is in the range of 0.
5 to 2 watts, practically negligible if the TV is used on a daily basis. If the TV is not going to be used for a longer period of time, unplug it from the power outlet, just in case.
– the number of TVs also plays an important role in determining the final energy bill and maximum power consumption, although if you have only LCD/OLED TVs, you should be more worried about your AC unit and not your TVs.
How Many Watts Does a 32-inch LED TV Use?
32-inch LED TVs are very popular, especially for children, guests, and dorm rooms. They are fairly cheap, lightweight, relatively compact, and easy to carry, even when going camping or fishing.
Their consumption may vary significantly even among the TVs of the same technology and brand:
- 32” LED: 30 – 55 watts, but generally around 40 watts,
- 32” OLED: around 55 – 60 watts,
- 32” LCD: 50 – 85 watts, but on average, around 65-70 watts.
For example, old 32” CRT TVs require up to 150-200 watts (even more if the screen brightness is increased), with an average consumption of around 170 watts.
However, these values significantly depend on the sound and light settings, networking, resolution, and similar.
Also, our Boat, Camping, RV and Household Appliances Wattage Charts article, 27″ Television is rated at 500 watts – that is the so-called “Worst Case Scenario” for safety reasons.
How Much Does It Cost To Run 32″ TVs
For calculating energy requirements, we will assume the following:
- 32″ LED TV: 40W On, 1W Standby,
- 32″ OLED TV: 55W On, 1W Standby,
- 32″ LCD TV: 70W On, 1W Standby,
- 32″ CRT TV: 170W, 2W Standby.
If the TV is On for 8 hours per day and in Standby mode for 16 hours per day, then:
- 32″ LED TV: 40W * 8h + 16h * 1W = 336 Wh
- 32″ OLED TV: 55W * 8h + 16h * 1W = 456 Wh
- 32″ LCD TV: 70W * 8h + 16h * 1W = 576 Wh
- 32″ CRT TV: 170W * 8h + 16h *2W = 1392 Wh
For a month, that would be:
- 32″ LED TV: 336 Wh * 30d = 10.
08 kWh - 32″ OLED TV: 456 Wh * 30d = 13.68 kWh
- 32″ LCD TV: 576 Wh * 30d = 17.28 kWh
- 32″ CRT TV: 1392 Wh * 30d = 41.76 kWh
08 kWh
If we assume the price of electric energy of 0.15 $US per kWh, then:
- 32″ LED TV: 10.08 kWh * 0.15 $US/kWh = 1.512 $US per month
- 32″ OLED TV: 13.68 kWh * 0.15 $US/kWh = 2.052 $US per month
- 32″ LCD TV: 17.28 kWh * 0.15 $US/kWh = 2.592 $US per month
- 32″ CRT TV: 41.76 kWh * 0.15 $US/kWh = 6.264 $US per month
And if we calculate the annual electric cost of running 32″ TVs of various technologies, then:
- 32″ LED TV: 1.512 $US * 12 = 18.144 $US
- 32″ OLED TV: 2.052 $US * 12 = 24.624 $US
- 32″ LCD TV: 2.592 $US * 12 = 31.104 $US
- 32″ CRT TV: 6.264 $US * 12 = 75.168 $US
So, switching from a 32″ CRT TV to a 32″ LED TV can save ~57 $US per year.
Again, this depends on the individual TV model and turned On features (WiFi, Bluetooth, wired networking, external HDD, external sound system, etc.
), setting of sound and lighting, TV resolution, etc.
How Many Watts Does a 55-inch LED TV Use?
55-inch LED TVs are very popular models as the main TVs in many homes, with 60-inch and even larger models becoming more and more popular as well.
Again, their consumption may vary, but generally:
– 55″ LED: 60 – 90 watts, on average 80 watts,
– 55″ OLED: 90 – 120 watts, on average 105-110 watts.
For short, in order to find out the maximum power consumption of your TV, check the label on the back of the TV.
How to Power TV in an Emergency?
In the case of emergency, LED, LCD, and OLED TVs may be powered using power generators, power stations, and using inverter/deep cycle battery combinations.
Power generators burn chemical fuel (gas, diesel, propane gas, natural gas, etc.) and generate electric power. 1000-2000 watts power generators are compact, lightweight, and portable units that MUST operate outside since they emit fumes containing dangerous CO2 and poisonous CO.
However, most 2000W power generators may power 100W TV sets for 10+ hours easily with powering a few more devices alongside.
For more about this topic, feel free to check our What Can You Run on a 2000 Watt Generator? article.
Power stations feature built-in lithium-ion batteries and may be used indoors safely.
Also, they are practically maintenance-free units, requiring the users just to charge them regularly. On the other hand, energy stored in the onboard batteries is rather limited when compared with the chemical energy of fuels like gas, diesel, propane, and similar.
For example, one of the most popular portable power stations is Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500 (Amazon link, link opens in the new window), which is able to store 518 Wh of energy, and with an energy efficiency of 85%, it is able to provide 100W for 4h and 20 minutes.
And it can be easily recharged using Jackery SolarSaga 100W Portable Solar Panels.
For more on this topic, feel free to check our Best Solar Panel Kits – 100 Watts, 200 Watts, 400 Watts Kits article.
Power inverters connected to deep-cycle batteries may provide energy for TV sets (and other devices) for longer periods of time and may operate indoors.
If deep-cycle batteries are not available, one may use car batteries instead, but be very careful not to discharge it below, for example, 50% – deep discharge applications may shorten the operating life of starting/cranking batteries significantly and may prevent the battery from cranking the engine when semi-discharged.
With efficiencies around 85-90%, cheap 300-500W inverters may power 100W TV sets easily.
If you have, for example, a 100Ah 12V deep cycle battery (battery group 31 or perhaps battery group 27), such a battery may provide power for such a TV set for at least 10 hours.
Note: when calculating how much a deep cycle battery may power a power inverter, always check the battery’s constant power discharge chart.
For example, a very popular deep-cycle WindyNation BAT-NSAP12-100 battery may provide 118.8 watts of power for 10h at 77°F (25°C) down to 10.8 volts.
Long Story Short: If You wonder how many watts a flat-screen TV uses, just check the label at the back of your TV for the exact value, or use our chart for general value.
Regardless if you are worried about your electric energy bill or you want/need to power your TV during a power outage, having a newer TV may help significantly – if you still have a plasma or even CRT TV, recycle it and get a new, much more energy-efficient LED flat-screen TV.
|
For the most up-to-date offers and prices, feel free to check the following Amazon links:
Note: Amazon links open in the new windows, feel free to check them for the most up-to-date offers and prices.
|
How Many Watts Does A TV Use?
Hanna Kielar
5 – Minute Read
PUBLISHED: Oct 8, 2022
If you’re thinking about getting solar panels, you might have questions such as, “How many watts does a TV use?” This is a common part of figuring out your electricity consumption – and where you might reduce it. Even if you’re not considering solar, knowing your appliances’ power consumption can be a first step toward managing your electricity use and securing a lower utility bill.
Let’s explore what you should know about TV wattage and where it fits into the money you can save by powering your favorite shows with solar energy.
Types Of TVs: LCD, LED, OLED And Plasma
Most modern TV models fall into one of two main categories: LCD and OLED. An updated form of LCD TVs called LED TVs are known for using less energy. In fact, 94% of ENERGY STARⓇ-rated TVs are LED-based.
Then there’s the plasma TV, which has been discontinued. While plasma TVs have picture quality that’s often superior to LCD TVs, they also use considerably more electricity than other types of televisions.
|
|
Pros |
Cons |
|
LED LCD TVs |
|
|
|
OLED TVs |
|
|
|
Plasma TVs |
|
|
OLED TVs are a new, super-thin TV that offers deeper colors and sharper contrast than LED TVs while simultaneously being nearly as energy-efficient.
The OLED is also one of the most expensive types of televisions.
Powered By The Sun
Tap nature’s energy for your purposes. Let us know you’re interested in solar.
Talk To A Solar Advisor
Watts For A TV Vary By Screen Size And Type
The wide variety of TV choices makes it hard to know exactly how much power a TV uses. For example, a huge difference will exist between a small LED TV and an older cathode-ray tube (CRT) TV.
Black LED TV
CRT TV
However, we can look at common TV types and sizes so you’ll have an idea of how much power your TV might use and determine which type of television is most energy-efficient.
|
Energy Comparison |
24-inch TV |
50-inch TV |
|
LED |
24 – 28 watts per hour |
50 – 60 watts per hour |
|
LCD |
36 – 44 watts |
75 – 90 watts |
|
OLED |
Not available in this size |
70 – 80 watts |
|
CRT |
75 – 95 watts |
Not available in this size |
|
Plasma |
Not available in this size |
150 – 200 watts |
Information sourced from Renewablewise.
com.
Let’s start on the smaller end of the spectrum. A 24-inch CRT TV consumes 75 – 95 watts of electricity per hour, while an LED TV the same size will consume roughly just a third of that energy amount. Stepping up to a 50-inch TV, a plasma-screen TV consumes 150 – 200 watts. A similarly sized LED TV uses 50 – 60 watts.
Where And How To Find Your TV’s Wattage
If you look on the back panel of your TV, the wattage should be listed clearly next to the brand, model number and power rating. Since 2011, the U.S. government has mandated EnergyGuide labels for many appliances to give consumers an idea of their operating costs.
If your TV doesn’t have its wattage listed, look for its voltage and maximum amperage – often listed as Amps Max. Multiply volts times amps, and you’ll have your wattage.
How To Determine The Kilowatt-Hours Your TV Uses
Your energy bill will likely tell you the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) you use per day or month. If you want to get a good idea of how much it costs to run your TV, determine its wattage and multiply this number by the average amount of time you use it every day.
For example, consider an LED TV rated for 55 watts. Let’s say you watch it for an average of 3 hours daily. Multiply 55 times 3, and you have 165 watt-hours, or 0.165 kilowatt-hours, daily.
Knowing how many kWh your appliances use can be helpful in determining how many solar panels you might need for your home.
How Much Does A TV Cost To Run Each Year?
You can estimate the cost to run your TV by multiplying your daily TV usage in hours by the wattage and then multiplying that number by the average cost of electricity in your area. The average cost of running a TV for U.S. households is $16.04 per year, according to Eco Cost Savings data.
Considering Standby Mode
The power button of your remote control might not actually turn your TV off, especially if it’s a smart TV. It might just put it in standby or sleep mode, where it then consumes phantom power. Your TV might also enter standby mode if you don’t use it for a certain amount of time, which you can likely set to your preferences.
The standby mode allows the TV to:
- Resume its functions faster than turning it on
- Make automatic updates
- Record scheduled shows
In standby mode, your TV will consume 5% or less of the power it uses while on. But that’s just a few dollars saved over the course of a year.
If you’d still rather turn your TV and other entertainment devices off completely at night, consider plugging them into a smart power strip. You won’t save a huge amount of electricity, but the savings can add up over the years.
How Much Power Does A TV Use Compared To Other Appliances?
If you’re looking for ways to save on your energy bill, your TV probably isn’t the place to start even if it’s an older, less-efficient plasma TV. The U.S. Energy Information Administration noted in a 2015 study that HVAC units typically account for 51% of all energy consumed each year per household, on average. Your TV and peripherals don’t use a lot of electricity or cost a lot to run, in comparison.
It’s not easy to reduce heating and cooling costs. Getting a new air conditioner, sealing ducts, updating insulation and investing in other fixes can be expensive and might require professionals.
Washing clothes and heating water are other major sources of power consumption. They’re also a relatively easy and inexpensive way to trim your energy consumption.
If your home doesn’t already have an ENERGY STAR-certified washing machine, dryer and hot water heater, these could make a dent in your power bill. The upfront costs can be high, but the long-term reduction in electricity usage could also be significant.
The Bottom Line: TV Power Consumption Probably Isn’t Driving Your Electric Bill Up
If you’re thinking about solar panels and evaluating how to cut your energy consumption, don’t expect changing how much you watch TV to have a major impact. That’s because a TV doesn’t use a lot of electricity.
Since heating and cooling costs are the biggest percentage of the electricity bill that most Americans receive, consider starting there.
Your washer, dryer and hot water heater also cost far more to run than your TV.
Ready to embark on a journey to greater energy independence and a lower electricity bill? Let’s talk.
Consult A Solar Advisor
Get An Estimate
Considering solar? Run the numbers to see if it all adds up for you.
Calculate Your Savings
How much electricity a TV consumes per hour and per month
When buying a blue screen, they usually take into account its capabilities and size, and not how much electricity it takes. And in vain, because the numbers can be quite impressive.
For decades, television has been the main entertainment source in the home. Find out how many watts your TV costs and cut costs.
Measuring the electricity consumption of the TV
The amount of electricity consumed can be measured by yourself. It will be a laborious, but interesting and most productive process. For him, you need a device for instantaneous measurement of power readings – a wattmeter.
The best option is household, local, which must be plugged into a power outlet. He will measure, remember the power, and some models will even help you calculate the cost of electricity at a given price.
If you don’t want to bother, you can simply open the book with the technical characteristics of a particular model. Manufacturers always indicate how much electricity a TV consumes at maximum power and in standby mode. The amount of the electricity bill will depend on the type of TV set and how long it is on. Approximate time of watching TV by a person is 5 hours a day, for 30 days – 150 hours. Let’s consider different options.
- Don’t miss : How much electricity your computer uses
CRT TVs
These are well-known bulky models with a kinescope. Among their advantages is an extremely long service life, so they are still preserved in some families. But such television receivers cannot please with economy. They consume 60 to 100 watts per hour.
That is, in the worst case scenario, we can consume 0.5 kW in one day. A month of TV viewing will result in 15 kW. Add to this the round-the-clock consumption of 2-3 W per hour in standby mode. Only 16.44–17.16 kW per month.
LCD and LED TVs
LCD panels are slowly leaving the market, but have not completely lost their positions. How much power an LCD TV consumes depends on the size of the screen. Small, up to 32 inches – average 40-55 watts per hour and 1 watt in standby mode. Thus, 6.72–8.97 kW will run up in a month. LED panels, in fact, are a modern subtype of LCD, which consumes about 40% less electricity. The standby mode for most is 0.3 watts. Pretty big screen at 49inches takes 100-150 W / h. Total: 15.22–22.72 kW/month.
Plasma TVs
Plasma TVs are considered by some to be the pinnacle of technology: high quality color reproduction, rich picture. But, unfortunately, these models cannot boast of their energy efficiency. A modern panel over 42 inches consumes approximately 150-190 watts per hour and 0.
5 watts in standby mode. It is easy to calculate how much electricity is required for such a TV per month – 24.36–28.86 kW. The advantage is that different images can consume different amounts of electricity, while manufacturers indicate the maximum.
Eco – economical and environmentally friendly
Knowing how much electricity a TV consumes, you can not only learn how to save, but also make your own, important contribution to solving global environmental problems. The world is setting new standards for electricity consumption and manufacturers are striving to meet them. Therefore, before buying a TV receiver, it will not be out of place to take an interest in the environmental characteristics of the selected model.
Consumption class
The most economical TVs have the highest energy efficiency class – A. But many other household appliances have long been impressive with A +, A ++, A +++ markings. The more pluses – the less consumption. From January 1, 2017, the A++ sticker will also appear for TV, and from January 1, 2020 – A+++.
That is, according to the forecasts of the European Commission, next year new, energy-efficient models will appear.
- How much electricity does the refrigerator consume
Eco modes
Most modern TVs have eco modes. Their essence is to reduce unnecessary brightness of the image. Optimizing the settings according to the lighting can be done manually or automatically. The latter option is possible thanks to special sensors that analyze the surrounding space.
Presence sensors
The function to turn off the idle TV is quite common, but the presence sensors are quite an interesting novelty. They recognize the movements of bodies and faces sitting in front of the screen. If no viewers are detected, the image is turned off.
- How much electricity does the air conditioner consume
Saving Tips
- Install the appliance in a location with even lighting. Then the brightness and contrast settings can be set to a minimum, which will save up to 5% of electricity.
- Standby mode is called “vampire”. The above calculated how much electricity a TV consumes without performing its main function. Unplug the appliance.
- If the model has eco-functions, use them.
How much electricity does a TV use – Funduk
09/05/2018
When buying a new TV, almost all users pay attention to its diagonal, resolution, sound capabilities, network and smart functions. But at this moment, almost no one thinks about how much electricity the TV consumes. But they can be really impressive!
So that the meter and electricity bills do not come as a surprise to you, calculate how much you will have to pay before buying. How to do it? About this – in a new review of the online store Funduk.ua.
How to find out how much electricity the TV consumes per hour?
The most accurate calculation of energy consumption for each device in the house can be done using a wattmeter.
It must be inserted into the socket with the device, and then see the indicators on the display. In some models, you can even set the electricity tariff to see the total amount at once, and not the watts. There is only one minus for such a device – it is used extremely rarely, but it is not cheap.
The second way is to open the technical documentation of the selected model, which indicates how much electricity the TV consumes in standby mode, in working condition and at maximum power.
It is difficult to focus purely on these figures, since they must be additionally multiplied by the number of hours that the device will work. If you are not going to unplug the device every time you do not use it, you will have to sum up the two indicators:
-
Energy spent in idle mode;
-
Energy expended during active work.
If you do not want to do it yourself, there is a third option – to take ready-made indicators that we have already calculated.
How much electricity does a CRT TV use?
CRT televisions are rare, but they are still in use in Ukraine, and are even sold in stores. However, we do not recommend using them. And not only because of the harm to the eyes, but also because they consume a record 60-100 watts per hour (depending on the diagonal). As a result, for a month of average TV consumption, you will need about 16-17 kW.
How much electricity does a plasma TV consume
No less economical are, in fact, “plasmas”. For an hour of active work, a 42-inch panel “eats” 150 watts, and in idle mode it needs about 0.5 watts. As a result, in a month you will spend even more energy than with a CRT model – up to 25 kW.
True, it is also worth considering the fact that plasmas are very good in terms of their visual and technical characteristics, so it is quite possible that their advantages will outweigh this drawback.
How much electricity does an LCD TV use?
LCD panels with conventional backlight consume significantly less power than plasma during active operation – about 50-60 W for the same 42-inch model.
But in idle mode, they require twice as much power – 1 watt. But even so, for a month of use, no more than 10 kW accumulates.
How much electricity does an LED TV use?
Light-emitting diode (LED) backlit televisions have almost completely replaced their conventional LCD counterparts from store shelves, and this is due not only to higher picture quality, but also to lower power consumption. A model with the same diagonal “eats” about 40-45 W, due to which about 7-8 kW is consumed per month.
How much electricity does an OLED TV use?
The power consumption of OLED displays is one and a half times lower than LCD models, and is approximately equal to LED TVs. That is, for a compact panel, you will get all the same 7-8 kW. But that’s in theory. Since, firstly, manufacturers produce large diagonals with such panels; and secondly, the power consumption of these devices is highly dependent on their panel brightness level. So carefully read the documentation of the specific model you have chosen.