A modern TV is one of the cheaper things to run in your home. At today’s average US electricity price of roughly 18 cents per kWh, a typical 55-inch LED TV watched five hours a day costs about $2 a month and around $25–$30 a year. Bigger screens, brighter picture modes and older plasma sets cost more — sometimes several times more — so it’s worth knowing where your set falls.
Quick answer: TV running cost by screen size
These estimates assume 5 hours of viewing per day (the same assumption the federal EnergyGuide label uses) and $0.18 per kWh. Wattages are typical figures for recent LED/LCD sets; your exact model may differ.
| TV type and size | Typical power while on | Cost per hour | Cost per month | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-inch LED | ~35 W | 0.6¢ | ~$0.96 | ~$11.50 |
| 43-inch LED | ~60 W | 1.1¢ | ~$1.64 | ~$19.70 |
| 55-inch LED | ~80 W | 1.4¢ | ~$2.19 | ~$26.30 |
| 65-inch LED/OLED | ~110 W | 2.0¢ | ~$3.01 | ~$36.10 |
| 75-inch LED | ~150 W | 2.7¢ | ~$4.10 | ~$49.30 |
| Older 50-60″ plasma | ~300 W | 5.4¢ | ~$8.21 | ~$98.60 |
Key takeaway: for most households, the TV adds just a few dollars a month to the bill. The biggest swings come from screen size, picture settings and how many hours it’s on.
How to calculate what your own TV costs
You only need three numbers: the TV’s wattage, how many hours a day it’s on, and your electricity rate.
The formula: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day × price per kWh = cost per day
Worked example for a 65-inch TV drawing 110 W:
- 110 W ÷ 1,000 = 0.11 kW
- 0.11 kW × 5 hours = 0.55 kWh per day
- 0.55 kWh × $0.18 = about 10 cents a day
- × 365 days = 200.8 kWh, or about $36 a year
Where to find your TV’s wattage
- The EnergyGuide label. New TVs sold in the US carry a yellow EnergyGuide label showing estimated yearly energy use in kWh and an estimated yearly cost. It’s often on the box or the manufacturer’s website (search your model number plus “EnergyGuide”). Divide the yearly kWh by 365 and by 5 to get approximate watts while on.
- The back of the TV or the manual. The rating plate lists a maximum power figure. Real-world use is usually lower than this number, so treat it as a ceiling, not an average.
- A plug-in power meter. An inexpensive watt meter between the TV and the outlet shows exactly what your set draws with your settings — the most accurate option.
What rate to use
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average US residential electricity price was about 17.3 cents per kWh in 2025, and the EIA’s October 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook expects it to average about 18.2 cents in 2026. Rates vary widely by state, so check the “price per kWh” on your own bill — our guide on how to read your electric bill shows where to find it, including delivery charges.
A quick note on the label: the EnergyGuide’s yearly cost has been based on older, lower electricity prices (many labels printed in recent years say 12 cents per kWh; a 2024 federal update moved the figure to 16 cents). If your rate is higher, your real cost will be higher than the label says. Multiply the label’s kWh figure by your own rate instead.
What makes a TV use more (or less) electricity
Screen size
Power use rises with screen area. Going from a 55-inch to a 75-inch TV nearly doubles the screen area, and in the table above it nearly doubles the running cost too — from about $26 to about $49 a year at the same viewing time.
Display technology
- LED/LCD (including QLED): the most common and generally efficient for the size.
- OLED: efficiency depends heavily on what’s on screen. Dark scenes use less power; bright, mostly white content uses more. Over a typical mix, many OLEDs land in a similar range to LED sets of the same size.
- Plasma and CRT: older technologies that draw much more. A big plasma that’s still in use can cost $80–$100+ a year at five hours a day.
Picture mode and brightness
This is the setting most people never touch, and it can matter more than you’d think. “Vivid,” “Dynamic” or store-demo modes push the backlight to maximum. HDR content can also drive brightness up.
Illustration: if a bright picture mode raises a 65-inch TV from 110 W to 150 W, that’s an extra 40 W. At 5 hours a day: 0.04 kW × 5 × 365 = 73 kWh, or about $13 more per year at $0.18/kWh. Your own numbers will differ by model, but the direction is the same.
Hours of viewing
Cost scales directly with time. A household that keeps the 65-inch set on 8 hours a day uses 0.11 kW × 8 × 365 = 321 kWh a year — about $58 instead of $36. A TV left on as background noise all day is the most common reason TV costs creep up.
Standby power
When a TV is “off” but plugged in, it still draws a little power so it can respond to the remote. ENERGY STAR’s criteria for certified TVs cap passive standby at 0.5 W, and “active standby” (for sets that can be woken by an external signal such as a network connection) at 3 W.
- 0.5 W × 19 hours × 365 days = 3.5 kWh a year → about 62 cents
- 3 W × 19 hours × 365 days = 20.8 kWh a year → about $3.75
So standby is small for a single TV, but “quick start” or always-connected features can make it noticeably bigger. Our explainer on whether unplugging appliances saves money covers how standby adds up across the whole house.
Don’t forget the rest of the TV setup
The screen is only part of the picture. Soundbars, AV receivers, cable or satellite boxes and game consoles each draw their own power, and some boxes stay fairly active even when “off.” A streaming stick typically uses only a few watts. If your entertainment center has several devices, measuring the whole power strip with a watt meter gives you the real total.
7 easy ways to cut your TV’s running cost
- Switch from Vivid/Dynamic to Standard, Cinema or an energy-saving mode. Often the single biggest saving, and many people find the picture looks more natural.
- Turn on the light sensor or auto-brightness setting (names vary by brand), which dims the screen in a darker room.
- Use the sleep timer if you fall asleep with the TV on.
- Turn off “quick start” or instant-on if you don’t need it, to reduce standby draw.
- Put the TV and its add-ons on a smart power strip so the soundbar, console and set-top box shut off together.
- Turn the TV off instead of leaving it on in the background — swap in a radio or smart speaker if you just want sound.
- Retire an old plasma. Replacing a 300 W plasma with an ~80 W LED of similar size saves roughly 0.22 kW × 5 × 365 = 401.5 kWh a year — about $72 at $0.18/kWh. That alone rarely justifies buying a new TV, but it’s a real bonus if you’re upgrading anyway.
When you do shop for a new set, compare the EnergyGuide labels: two TVs of the same size can differ meaningfully in yearly kWh. ENERGY STAR-certified models meet efficiency requirements for both on-mode and standby power.
How the TV compares with other home appliances
Even a large TV is modest next to the real energy hogs. Heating and cooling, water heating and clothes drying usually dwarf it. If you’re hunting for bigger savings, our breakdown of what uses the most electricity at home shows where your money really goes, and our pillar guide on how to lower your electric bill lists the changes with the biggest payoff.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to leave a TV on all day?
For a 55-inch LED TV drawing about 80 W, 24 hours costs 0.08 kW × 24 × $0.18 = about 35 cents a day, or roughly $10.50 a month if it’s on around the clock. A 65-inch set at 110 W would be about 48 cents a day.
Do OLED TVs use more electricity than LED TVs?
It depends on the content. OLEDs use less power on dark scenes and more on bright ones. On a typical mix of shows, many OLEDs use a similar amount to LED TVs of the same size. Check the EnergyGuide label for the specific models you’re comparing.
Is it worth unplugging the TV when I’m not using it?
For a single modern TV, usually not by much: standby on an ENERGY STAR model is capped at 0.5 W, or about 60 cents a year. Unplugging matters more if several connected devices are drawing standby power together. A smart power strip makes this easy.
How many kWh does a TV use per month?
At 5 hours a day, a 55-inch LED uses about 12 kWh a month and a 65-inch about 17 kWh, based on the typical wattages above. Multiply by your rate to get the cost.
Does a bigger TV always cost more to run?
Generally yes, because power rises with screen area. But a newer, efficient large TV in Standard mode can use less than an older, smaller set — especially a plasma — or one left in Vivid mode.
The bottom line
Running a modern TV costs most US households roughly $1 to $5 a month, depending on screen size and viewing habits. You can trim that further by switching off Vivid mode, enabling auto-brightness and turning the TV off when nobody’s watching. Savings vary by model, habits and your local electricity rate — so check the EnergyGuide label and your own bill to get your real number.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Short-Term Energy Outlook, October 2026; Electric Power Monthly); ENERGY STAR key product criteria for televisions; Federal Trade Commission EnergyGuide labeling rules for televisions.
Figures in this guide are estimates based on typical US prices at the time of writing. Savings vary by home, climate and utility rates — check your own bill before making a purchase.
Written by The Daily Economy editorial team with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Read our editorial policy.