TV Energy Usage

How Many Watts Does a TV Use?

Since their introduction to society in the 20th century, TVs have been a mainstay in people's homes. Families gather around the television to experience entertainment, educate themselves on various topics and keep up with the world's latest news stories. The medium of television has proven to be a beloved way for people to relax and pass the time. And with the advent of home video games in the 1980s, the use of television sets has only expanded. 

Today, people use TVs to stream the latest shows and movies in excellent picture quality. But televisions are doing more than providing entertainment value. Your television draws power every second it's on, which means you should consider your TV power consumption every time you pay your electric bill. How much power does a TV use? Continue reading to learn how much electricity a TV uses across the different types of television sets available. 

TV Electricity Usage

How much electricity does a TV use in a day? The answer to this question can vary widely, depending on a few factors. 

You measure a TV's daily energy use in wattage, or the amount of electricity it draws based on how often you use it and how much your energy supplier charges you per kilowatt-hour. The following four factors will affect how many watts a TV uses:

• How much time it spends "turned on"
• The TV's type and size
• The price you pay your electricity company per kWh

With these variables in mind, you can better determine how much energy a TV uses over a set period. First, you should learn more about the different types of televisions and how much power they draw. Please remember that the following wattages listed are generalized since every TV is different. Use the following information to get closer to understanding your TV's power consumption. 

LED TV Wattage

LED stands for "light-emitting diode." LED TVs use this technology to provide excellent picture quality with low power consumption. Today, most consumers use LED TVs to watch movies, tune in to their favorite shows and play the latest video games. Most LED screens range from around 30 to 60 inches, but recently, people have started buying larger LED TVs reaching upward of 85 inches. LED technology allows for these massive screen sizes, thanks to their inexpensive design and efficient energy performance. 

A 32-inch LED TV will consume around 50 watts of electricity. On the other end of the size spectrum, you can expect a 50-inch or larger LED TV to consume 100 watts at the most, with many modern LED TVs using much less energy. Compared to plasma, LCD and OLED TVs of similar sizes, you'll find LED TVs are significantly more efficient, which makes them a popular product. 

LCD TV Wattage

LCD screens use tiny lights called pixels that manipulate the colors of green, blue and red to create moving images. These pixels get the electrical power needed to emit light using liquid crystals, which is where the term LCD comes from. LCD TVs grew in popularity during the late '90s and early 2000s because the technology allowed the TVs to be slimmer, letting people mount their televisions on walls for the first time. 

Besides these advantages, LCD TVs also provided consumers with a more energy-efficient television option over the outdated cathode-ray tube variety. However, they are slightly less energy-efficient than LED TVs of similar sizes. A 30-inch LCD TV uses about 60 watts of electricity. Larger LCDs like a 50-inch model will use around 150 watts. 

Plasma TV Wattage

Plasma TVs use a different type of technology than LEDs and LCDs. Plasma is an electricity-conductive gas. As the plasma receives energy, the particles begin moving and colliding which causes the release of light photons. This technology allows plasma TVs to have a slim form factor like LEDs, but plasmas differ considerably from LED TVs in their wattage used. 

Plasma TVs produce incredible images with deep blacks and crisp color contrast, but they use a lot of energy in the process. In 2009, the California Energy Commission banned the sale of TVs that do not meet efficiency standards when powered on and displaying a picture. To put this information into perspective, a 42-inch plasma TV can consume nearly 500 watts of electricity. This level of energy use puts plasma TVs in a similar realm of power consumption as that of many household refrigerators. 

OLED TV Wattage

OLED stands for "organic light-emitting diode" and is one of the latest progressions in television technology. Many viewers agree that OLED TVs provide the best picture quality available, but they do this at the expense of slightly increased power consumption over their LED predecessors. 

For perspective, a 65-inch OLED TV will consume nearly 120 watts of electricity compared to a 65-inch LED, which will use close to 90 watts. It may seem like a minuscule difference at first, but this increase in energy consumption will add up over your TV's lifetime.

Energy-Efficient TVs

Using an energy-efficient TV can help lower your monthly energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint. Often, modern TV packaging will display how much energy the TV uses in a year under a specific set of parameters. If you want to be even more energy-conscious, you can buy Energy Star-certified TVs that can help keep your TV power consumption low while still giving you excellent picture quality. 

Here are some energy-efficient TVs for you to consider. 

1. Maximum Energy Efficiency and Versatility

The Sceptre E185BV-S LED TV is the option for you when you want to save as much as possible on your energy bill. With its low weight and portable design, you can easily move it around your house for use in the living room, bedroom or guest room. Plus, its size makes it a viable option as a desktop computer monitor, so you can use it for work and leisure. Here are some of the specs.

• Screen size: 18 inches
• Energy usage: Around 20 kWh per year
• Highlights: Extremely lightweight and portable, weighing just over three pounds
• Perfect for: People looking for the lowest energy consumption possible in a TV

2. High-Definition Images and Energy Efficiency

When choosing your TV, you have various levels of quality to choose from. These include 4K, UHD, FHD and 1080p, which all refer to television resolution. In today's market, 4K TVs are near the top of the list for quality. But these televisions are also some of the most expensive and may use more energy than you'd like. 

For a TV that doesn't sacrifice image quality for excellent energy efficiency, choose the VIZIO D40-D1. It has a refresh rate of 60 Hz with 1080p resolution, so you know you're getting outstanding picture quality without cranking up the energy usage. Here are some things to note about the VIZIO D40-D1.

• Screen size: Ranges from 24 to 50 inches
• Energy usage: Depends on the chosen screen size, but each will use less than most 4K equivalents
• Highlights: Has Wi-Fi capabilities
• Perfect for: People who want a balance of image quality and energy efficiency

3. Best Energy Efficiency With Top-of-the-Line Picture Quality

Today's advances in television technology have led to products that combine some of the best image quality with impressive energy performance. With the TCL Class 5-Series 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR Roku Smart TV, you get everything you want in a modern TV. Experience superior image quality, a slim form and smart capabilities while using the same wattage as most standard HD TVs of the same size and far fewer than other 4K models on the market. 

Here are some of the highlights of this TV at a glance.

• Screen size: 55 inches
• Energy usage: Comparable or less energy consumed compared to the same size TVs of 4K and lower resolution
• Highlights: Full gamut of smart features, Dolby Vision HDR for deep blacks and crisp colors
• Perfect for: Individuals and families who want the best-quality, energy-efficient TV

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