How much electricity does a TV use, and what does it cost?
A main TV uses a median 128 kWh a year in metered homes (ADEME) — about £34 at the price cap. Read the kWh/1000h or EnergyGuide label and work out your cost.
- Electricity per year
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- Per month
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- Per viewing hour
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- Of which standby
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Measured benchmarks (yearly cost at your tariff)
- Main TV, ADEME median (128 kWh)
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- Second TV, ADEME median (30 kWh)
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- Set-top box, ADEME median (30 kWh)
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The label’s “kWh/1000 h” figure (EU/GB Regulation 2019/2013) equals the average power in watts on a standard video loop in the default picture mode. “Vivid”, gaming modes and maximum brightness can use considerably more. Formula: kWh/yr = (on-mode W × hours + standby W × remaining hours) × 365 ÷ 1000. EnergyGuide mode: on-mode power estimated as (kWh/yr × 1000 ÷ 365 − 19 × standby) ÷ 5, following the FTC’s 5 h on / 19 h standby basis. Benchmarks: ADEME Panel Elecdom 2023-24, France (90 main TVs, 27 second TVs, 71 set-top boxes metered). Results are indicative estimates based on the values you enter. Always check your appliance labels, your tariff and the manufacturer’s data.
- In ADEME’s metering of 100 homes, the main TV used a median 128 kWh a year — about £34 at the October–December 2026 price cap or $23 at the US average.
- On EU and UK labels, kWh/1000h equals average watts: “80 kWh/1000h” means 80 W, or about 2p per viewing hour at 26.32p/kWh.
- US EnergyGuide labels assume 5 hours a day and 16¢/kWh; a 55–59-inch TV is labelled between $24 and $69 a year depending on the model.
- HDR and “vivid” or gaming picture modes can double power use, says the European Commission; standby is capped at 0.5 W.
Copy the two figures from your TV’s energy label (SDR and HDR), its measured wattage, or — in the US — the kWh per year on its yellow EnergyGuide label, then set your daily viewing time. The calculator returns the yearly, monthly and hourly cost including standby, next to measured benchmarks.
What TVs use in real homes
ADEME, France’s energy agency, metered every appliance in 100 homes for a full year (July 2023 – July 2024):
| Device | Units metered | Median | Middle half | Mean | Median cost, UK cap | Median cost, US average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main TV | 90 | 128 kWh/yr | 76–210 kWh | 153 kWh | ≈ £33.69 | ≈ $23.44 |
| Second TV | 27 | 30 kWh/yr | 13–67 kWh | 40 kWh | ≈ £7.90 | ≈ $5.49 |
| Set-top box | 71 | 30 kWh/yr | 14–61 kWh | 48 kWh | ≈ £7.90 | ≈ $5.49 |
In that panel the main TV used more than the electric oven (109 kWh) or a front-loading washing machine (72 kWh). Add the set-top box and the router (76 kWh) and the living-room corner comes to about 234 kWh a year.
Reading a UK or EU TV energy label
Since 1 March 2021, TV and monitor labels (Regulation 2019/2013, which still applies in Great Britain) show:
- a class from A to G and on-mode consumption in kWh/1000h for SDR, standard pictures;
- a second class and kWh/1000h for HDR, high dynamic range content;
- screen diagonal and resolution.
A thousand hours at 80 W is 80 kWh, so the label figure equals the average power in watts, measured on a standard video loop in the default picture mode. The European Commission notes that HDR can use twice as much energy as SDR, and that “dynamic” or gaming modes can also double the power. The label’s QR code opens the model’s EPREL sheet, including standby power.
Reading a US EnergyGuide label
US TVs carry the FTC’s EnergyGuide label instead. Its yearly cost assumes 5 hours on and 19 hours in standby per day and, since May 2024, an electricity price of 16¢/kWh. It also shows where the model sits within the cost range for its screen size:
| Screen size | Labelled yearly cost range (16¢/kWh, 5 h/day) | Equivalent kWh per year |
|---|---|---|
| 40–44 in | $13 – $51 | ≈ 81 – 319 kWh |
| 50–54 in | $22 – $51 | ≈ 138 – 319 kWh |
| 55–59 in | $24 – $69 | ≈ 150 – 431 kWh |
| 65–69 in | $27 – $110 | ≈ 169 – 688 kWh |
| 69.5 in or larger | $32 – $155 | ≈ 200 – 969 kWh |
So same-size TVs can differ several-fold. In the calculator, choose the EnergyGuide option under “I know”, type the kWh per year shown on yours and pick the US average tariff (18.31¢/kWh, EIA, July 2026) or your own rate: the cost is rescaled to your real viewing hours.
Bigger screen, more watts: a rule of thumb
According to the European Commission, TVs sold in 2020 drew an average of 1.0 W per square decimetre of screen (down from 8.8 W/dm² in 1990), while the average screen grew from 10 to 51 dm². Applying that average to 16:9 screens watched 4 hours a day:
| Diagonal | Screen area | Power at 1.0 W/dm² | Electricity per year | UK price cap | US average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 in | 51 dm² | ≈ 51 W | ≈ 74 kWh | ≈ £20 | ≈ $14 |
| 55 in | 83 dm² | ≈ 83 W | ≈ 122 kWh | ≈ £32 | ≈ $22 |
| 65 in | 117 dm² | ≈ 117 W | ≈ 170 kWh | ≈ £45 | ≈ $31 |
| 75 in | 155 dm² | ≈ 155 W | ≈ 226 kWh | ≈ £60 | ≈ $41 |
That is a market average, not your model’s figure — use the label whenever you have it.
Standby is now small
EU ecodesign rules (Regulation 2019/2021) have capped TVs since March 2021 at 0.30 W off, 0.50 W standby and 2.00 W networked standby, with networked standby disabled by default on smart TVs. Twenty hours a day at 0.5 W is about 3.7 kWh a year — under £1; at 2 W it is about £3.84. An older TV or a set-top box left on can weigh much more: ADEME’s median set-top box used 30 kWh a year on its own.
Five settings that cut the cost
- Stay in the default (or eco) picture mode — the Commission calls it the only mode with guaranteed low power.
- Turn brightness down and switch on the ambient light sensor if your TV has one.
- Save HDR for content that benefits from it.
- Use auto power-off and switch off the set-top box when nobody is watching.
- Compare labels before buying: within the same size, SDR and HDR figures vary widely between models.
For any other device, try the appliance running cost calculator or browse ADEME’s measured appliance data.
Sources
- ADEME – Panel Elecdom, annual electricity use of household appliances (open data, 2023-2024)
- European Commission – Electronic displays: energy label, facts and tips
- Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2013 – energy labelling of electronic displays (retained in Great Britain)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2021 – ecodesign requirements for electronic displays (standby and off mode)
- FTC – Energy Labeling Rule: television cost ranges, 16¢/kWh and 5 hours a day (Federal Register, 2 February 2024)
- Ofgem – Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 October to 31 December 2026)
- U.S. EIA – Electricity Monthly Update, data for July 2026