TV Wattage – 2024’s Most Efficient TVs Revealed [With Data]

Last updated: February 11, 2024.

How much electricity does a TV use? Find out here and see the most efficient models based on a study of over 107 of the best TVs on the market.

The following is based on a study of 107 of the best and most energy efficient TVs on the market (updated to include releases in 2024).

Key findings:

• Modern TVs use, on average, 58.6 watts when in On mode and 1.3 watts in standby mode.
• The power consumption of modern TVs ranges from 10W to 117W (0.5W to 3W on standby).
• On average, TVs consume 106.9 kWh of electricity per year, costing $16.04 annually to run in the US.
• 94% of Energy Star certified TVs are LED TVs – 89% of these are direct-lit LED TVs, while 11% are edge-lit.

Screen size and resolution have a considerable impact on how much electricity a TV uses. The average, most common and lowest TV wattage is listed by size and resolution, below.

The most energy efficient TV models by size and resolution are also listed below.

And a useful calculator is provided, which will help you estimate how much electricity your own TV uses, based on your own specific usage.

TV wattage

On average, modern TVs use 58.6W when on and 1.3W on standby. Per year, TVs use 106.9kWh of electricity, which costs $16.04 on average in the US.

The most common TV wattage in the study was 117W when on and 0.5W when on standby. Per year, the most common TV consumes 206kWh of electricity, which costs $30.90 to run (at 15 cents per kWh).

Older TVs, e.g. CRT and plasma TVs, were less energy efficient. Modern LCD and LED TVs are considerably more efficient, with LED TVs being most efficient.

Note: the wattage listed here refers to the actual power consumption of a TV. The power rating of a TV, also referred to as the manufacturer’s listed wattage, is higher than its typical power consumption. This is because a TV’s power rating is the maximum power consumption expected under normal operating conditions. The power rating of modern TVs can reach 250W, and older models like plasma TVs can reach more than 350W.

94% of Energy Star certified TVs are LED TVs. 89% of these are direct-lit LED TVs, while 11% are edge-lit.

TV wattage varies considerably with screen size and resolution. So let’s take a look at how they impact how many watts a tv consumes.

How many watts does a TV use?

As mentioned, on average, a TV uses 58.6 watts when on, and 1.3 watts on standby, with the most common TV wattage being 117 watts while in On mode and 0.5 watts consumed in standby mode.

The TV that uses the lowest amount of watts is the Sceptre – E18, at just 10 watts while on and 0.5 watts on standby.

Screen size, resolution and other factors impact the amount of watts a TV uses. The following tables break down the average TV wattage by screen size and resolution. 

Briefly, to summarize:

• As expected, the average TV wattage consumption increases with TV size and screen resolution.
• On average, a 55 inch TV uses 77 watts while on and 1.4 watts on standby.
• On average, 4K (2160p) TVs use 80 watts while on and 0.6 watts on standby.

The table below lists the average wattage for popular TV sizes, along with the most common and lowest wattage. The amount of watts used on standby is also included.

This table demonstrates that, as expected, TV wattage increases with TV size.

On average, 75 inch TVs use 114.5 watts while on and 2.6 watts on standby. The most common 75 inch TV consumption is 117 watts while on, with standby mode consuming 3 watts.

The lowest wattage recorded for 75 inch TVs is 87.3W (0.5W on standby).

But how does screen resolution impact the amount of watts a TV uses? 

The table below shows the average, most common and lowest TV wattage for different screen resolutions (in both On and Standby modes).

As you can see, the amount of watts a TV uses increases with screen resolution. 

On average, full HD (1080p) TVs use 33.3 watts while on and 0.5 watts on standby.

The most common full HD TV consumption is 31.1 watts while on, with standby mode consuming 0.5 watts.

The lowest full HD TV wattage is 14.5W (0.5W on standby).

Now that we know how many watts a TV uses, let’s take a look at how much electricity a TV uses over time.

How much electricity does a TV use?

The amount of electricity a TV uses over time is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

On average, a TV uses 106.9 kWh of electricity per year. The most common annual TV consumption is 206 kWh.

The TV that uses the lowest amount of electricity per year, at 19.6 kWh, is the Sceptre – E18.

As a result, this low watt TV is a great option for solar.

Related: see how you can turn any TV into a solar powered TV, and get a summary of results for all electrical units measured as part of this study here: TV Electricity Usage – Most Cited Study [Results Snapshot].

When reporting on the amount of electricity a TV uses annually, Energy Star and manufacturers typically assume 5 hours in On mode (daily), and 19 hours (daily) in either standby-active, low mode (standby while connected to a network, if this is available) or standby-passive mode. This is the assumption used below.

The following table shows how much electricity TVs use per year by screen size.

The amount of electricity a TV uses increases with size. However, there is one expectation. The study shows that, on average, 75 inch TVs are slightly more efficient than 70 inch TVs.

75 inch TVs use 203.36 kWh of electricity per year, on average.

The most common 75 inch TV consumes 206 kWh, with the lowest consumption being 165.7 kWh.

These figures are for annual consumption, next let’s briefly take a look at hourly consumption.

How much electricity does a TV use per hour?

On average, in On mode, TVs use 0.0586 kWh of electricity per hour.

75 inch TVs use 0.1145 kWh of electricity per hour, on average, when On.

On average, when in On mode:

• 70 inch TVs use 0.1091 kWh of electricity per hour (p/h).
• 65 inch TVs use 0.0947 kWh of electricity p/h.
• 55 inch TVs consume 0.077 kWh of electricity p/h.
• 50 inch TVs use 0.0705 kWh p/h.
• 43 inch TVs consume 0.0478 kWh p/h.
• 40 inch TVs use 0.0341 kWh p/h.
• 32 inch TVs use 0.028 kWh p/h.
• 24 inch TVs use 0.0198 kWh p/h.
• 19 inch TVs use 0.0165 kWh of electricity per hour.

To work out how much electricity your TV uses per hour, simply use the following formula:

Hourly electricity consumption (in kWh) = TV wattage x 1 (i.e 1 hour) / 1,000

For example, the most common 55 inch TV uses 82 watts when in On mode. Using the formula, this works out at 0.082. So, the most common 55 inch TV uses 0.082 kWh of electricity per hour.

But what about when a TV is off?

How much electricity does a TV use when off?

If a TV is unplugged or disconnected from the power source, it will use no electricity.

However, all TVs, in the study of 107 of the most energy efficient TVs, use electricity on standby.

TVs use 0.5 to 3 watts of electricity when on standby.

Most TVs in the study use 0.5 watts on standby, with the average being 1.3 watts.

Get details about the cost to run a TV in Standby mode, here.

TV power consumption calculator

Use this TV power consumption calculator to estimate how much electricity your TV uses per hour, day, week, month and year, based on your own usage.

Simply enter your daily usage, for each mode, to see how much electricity your TV consumes.

And enter your TV’s wattage (found on the back of your TV), or its actual power draw, if tested, which will be lower. Then do the same for Standby mode.

Using your TV’s wattage will show the maximum expected power consumption under normal operating conditions. While using your TV’s actual consumption will result in a more accurate estimate, however, actual consumption figures are not readily available.

The calculator is pre-populated with how many watts TVs use on average, in both On and Standby modes.

The results assume a continuous draw for each mode.

Next, let’s put the power consumption results into perspective.

Do TVs use a lot of electricity?

TVs can use a lot of electricity.

Older TVs, such as CRT and Plasma TVs, consume a lot of electricity compared to modern, more efficient TVs.

However, even these TVs consume a relatively high amount of electricity over time.

On average, a modern efficient TV uses 58.6 watts at max power draw. This is equivalent to a standard 60W light bulb. However, larger TVs consume 3 to 4 times this amount of electricity.

Due to their high usage, TVs tend to consume a considerable amount of electricity every year. 

The most common TV wattage consumption recorded in the study is 117 watts while in On mode, with 0.5 watts being consumed in standby mode. The estimated annual electricity consumption is 206 kWh.

The electricity used annually (206 kWh) by the most common TV wattage is equivalent to:

• Running a typical efficient compact refrigerator for 1 year.
• Running a standard washing machine for 6 months.
• Boiling a kettle 2,922 times. 

Ultimately, depending on usage and wattage, TVs can use a considerable amount of electricity.

But how much electricity does your TV use? Let’s take a look at how you can test the actual power consumption of your TV.

Testing how much electricity a TV consumes

There are a number of ways to test how much electricity a TV actually consumes.

The safest and easiest way is to use an energy monitor or wattmeter.

Unlike using a multimeter, this method doesn’t require access to exposed live cables. As a result, it minimizes the risk of electric shock.

Simply plugging an energy monitor directly into an outlet, and then plugging your TV into the energy monitor, will show you how much electricity your TV actually uses.

If you want to find the amp draw specifically, here’s the method to see how many amps a TV uses.

The energy usage will be displayed in real-time on the device itself or via an app.

The energy monitor I use (i.e. this Kasa Smart Plug / Energy Monitor) shows the results in an app.

Let’s use this energy monitor to test how much electricity a 21.5” LG (M2232D) TV consumes.

For context, the TV manufacturer’s listed power specs are: 30W (On mode), and 0.4W (Off / standby mode).

Here are the TV electricity usage test results:

• Off mode: 0.28W to 0.39W, with 0.34W being the most common. The TV’s max wattage in standby mode was not reached.
• On mode with only the settings screen displayed: 15.9W.
• On mode with only the settings screen displayed, but this time with the “Super” Energy Saving setting On: 15.7W. Just 0.2W was saved turning this setting on while showing the settings screen.
• On mode displaying this website (connected to a laptop via HDMI) with energy saving mode active: 22.7W.
• On mode, streaming YouTube with the energy saving mode deactivated: 26.4W.
• On mode, streaming YouTube with but this time with the energy saving mode activated: 18W. In this instance, the energy saving mode reduced the TV’s power consumption by nearly 32%.

The test results show that the TV didn’t reach the manufacturer’s listed maximum power consumption figures. But they came close, as expected.

As demonstrated in these test results, the amount of electricity a TV uses varies depending on the settings. For example, the higher the brightness, the more electricity the TV consumes.

See the key TV settings changes, along with other energy saving tips, that’ll help you reduce the amount of electricity your TV uses.

But there’s only so much that can be done to reduce a TV’s energy usage, so next let’s take a look at the most energy efficient TVs on the market.

Energy efficient TVs

Based on a study of 107 of the most energy efficient TVs on the market, the table below lists the lowest wattage TVs by size.

At just 10 watts, the TV that uses the lowest amount of watts is the 17 inch Sceptre – E18.

All TVs listed above are Energy Star certified.

Related: Turn Any TV Into A Solar Powered TV: The Easy 5 Step Solution.

FAQs

When doing research into the most energy efficient TVs, I came across a lot of frequently asked questions. I’ll briefly answer these with results from the study.

The authoritative source for TV power consumption insights

You, like many leading organizations already do, can trust the data presented on this webpage.

The results from this study have been cited by/in:

• Various scientific papers published by bodies such as Association for Computing Machinery, and International Journal of Advanced Business Studies.
• Mainstream publications and web portals, such as MSN, The Standard, Metro, The Sun, Daily Star, Mirror, and LADbible.
• Many leading manufacturers and specialist retailers, such as Power Sonic, Bluetti, and Unbound Solar.

Many other companies also use this study’s results.

Results appear, unfortunately without citation, on websites from brands such as Jackery (solar generator brand), Anker (part of Anker Innovations with Soundcore, EUFY & NEBULA), Now Power (Texas utility provider), Payless Power, Nature’s Generator, and Gadgets Now by The Times Of India. 

So you can trust our research, calculations, and unbiased analysis, just like so many others do.

Eco Cost Savings: the authoritative source for power consumption and sustainability insights.

TV wattage data

The data used for this study of the most efficient TVs can be seen below.

Note: energystar.gov was the source for most of the data.

Final thoughts

While the average wattage for modern TVs is quite low, the amount of electricity TVs consume is high due to their regular usage.

The energy efficiency of TVs has improved substantially over the years. However, TV size and resolution has increased substantially too. And as a result, the amount of electricity TVs consume remains considerable.

I hope that by listing the most energy efficient TVs you can make a smarter choice, lower your electricity bills and reduce your carbon footprint.

Get details about the cost to run a TV, here, and get a summary of all TV electricity usage results, here, (this covers TV power ratings, amp draw, and more).

If you’re using your TV along with a connected device, your overall consumption will be higher – check out the posts below to see how much electricity modern games consoles consume:

James F

James F (not to be confused with ECS co-founder James) is our lead author, content & website manager. He has a BSc. in Digital Marketing, and a Diploma in IT. He became a qualified electrician while studying electrical engineering part-time.

From wind and solar photovoltaic installers, James F worked with many certified energy practitioners and energy consultants before joining the core ECS team. He also helped build the most downloaded energy saving app while working with a leading utility company.

Read more about James F or connect directly on LinkedIn, here.