TL;DR: Discover how different TV types, sizes, and settings impact energy consumption and your monthly bill. Learn practical ways to lower energy costs without sacrificing your viewing experience.
- Television Type: Plasma TVs consume the most energy, while OLEDs are the most efficient.
- Television Size: Larger TVs generally use more electricity, but type also matters.
- Settings: Features like brightness sliders, power saver mode, and sleep timers reduce energy use.
- Energy Star Rating: TVs with higher ratings are more energy-efficient.
- Usage: Turn off TVs when not in use to save energy.
- Save on Energy Plans: Compare rates at EnergyPricing.com to cut electricity costs.
Whether gearing up for game day or binge-watching your favorite show, electricity is powering your programming. As a result, your viewing party or evening television ritual can slowly but surely raise your monthly energy bill.
How much electricity does a TV use? Can you lower that rate without sacrificing resolution, brightness, and screen size?
A lot of factors, including screen size and screen type, impact how much electricity your TV uses per month. In this guide, we’ll explain which types of TVs pull the most energy and which use the least. Keep reading to learn how to strike an affordable balance and lower your monthly electricity rate.
What Determines How Much Electricity a TV Uses?
As technology and manufacturing improve, larger, more advanced televisions are hitting the market at lower prices. Believe it or not, energy consumption is improving, too.
Ever wonder how much electricity a TV uses per hour? Older CRT televisions often pull as much as 200 watts! In contrast, LED, LCD, and OLED televisions average between 30 and 90 watts per hour.
With that said, some new TVs are more energy-efficient than others. You can determine how efficient (or power-hungry) your TV is by considering the factors below.
Television Type
The most common types of contemporary televisions on the market include plasma, LED, and OLED TVs. Plasma TVs consistently have the highest overall energy requirements. In contrast, LED or OLED televisions tend to have some of the lowest.
With that said, energy usage varies between models, and some features may increase (or decrease) energy requirements.
Let’s compare how much electricity a 65 inch TV uses by television type on average:
- Plasma: 100 – 300 watts per hour
- LED: 120 – 200 watts per hour
- OLED: 50 – 200 watts per hour
What about LCD televisions? Today, this term is often interchangeable with LED. LED refers specifically to the backlighting used in modern LCD televisions.
Backlit TVs are thinner than traditional fluorescent LCDs. As a result, modern LED-lit LCD televisions pull considerably less electricity than older LCD TVs.
With that said, OLED televisions don’t require backlighting at all. As a result, they are generally considered to be the most energy-efficient option. Since individual diodes can turn off and on independently, OLEDs are more versatile and power-friendly overall.
With that said, size may be an additional factor.
Television Size
As a general rule, the larger the TV, the more energy it requires. The bigger the picture, the higher the wattage.
However, there is a lot of variation between different types of TVs. A plasma TV will always have higher energy requirements than an OLED TV. That’s the case even if they’re the same size. However, a smaller plasma TV requires less energy than a larger plasma TV.
One of the easiest ways to reduce your monthly energy bill is to opt for a smaller television. The only exceptions to that rule are CRT televisions, which are power-hungry at any size. That’s why CRT technology is generally considered obsolete.
Television Settings
The more modern your television, the more likely you are to have access to power-saving settings.
Power-saving settings may include:
- Brightness sliders: The dimmer your TV, the less energy you use while it’s on.
- Power Saver Mode: Typically, this setting will automatically adjust your brightness based on your desired energy level. It may also adjust other picture settings to help you strike a balance between power and picture clarity.
- Sleep Timers: TVs consume the most power when they’re on. If you often fall asleep with the TV on, a timer can ensure you don’t consume excess energy at night.
- Ambient Light Sensors: Some advanced televisions can automatically adjust screen brightness based on the perceived brightness in the room. Thus, your screen will only be as bright as it needs to be, saving you energy during the daytime or in brighter rooms.
- Standby Mode: When not in use, standby mode can reduce electricity consumption by lowering brightness and image quality.
Remember, a TV that is on draws a lot more power than a TV that is off! One of the best power saving “settings” is to simply shut your television off when it’s not in use!
Energy Star Rating
A TV’s energy star rating is a government-backed rating that reflects the appliance’s efficiency. On average, a TV with an Energy Star label is about 25% more efficient than similar TVs. The more stars a TV has, the more efficient (and less expensive) it will be to use.
Televisions with an Energy Star designation are also more likely to offer the energy saving features listed above.
Amount of Usage
When plugged in, your TV will consume power, even if it’s turned off.
How much electricity does a tv use when off? The average television consumes about 6 watts per hour when turned off. Energy star rated televisions consume about 3 watts per hour when turned off.
However, your TV will always use more energy when turned on. The more you use it, the more energy it will consume, whether you’re watching or not.
Consider how much electricity a TV uses in 24 hours—potentially 2,400 watts. Based on the national average, that could cost you an additional $0.30 per day. That’s $9.00 per month you could be using for groceries, gas, or other costs of living.
To save money on your energy bill, turn off your TV when you’re done watching it. Easy!
Lower Your Energy Rates without Watching Less TV
If you live in a deregulated state, there may be an even easier way to save money on electricity. Visit the energy marketplace at EnergyPricing.com to compare plans. You can switch to a more affordable plan in under two minutes. That leaves you plenty of time to catch up on your favorite shows!