TVs are appliances we often leave running for hours at a stretch without giving much thought to it, but the reality is your TV is consuming energy, both while it’s running and in standby mode. That consumption, no matter how big or small, is reflected in your power bill. But does leaving your TV on the entire time, 24 hours a day, really add that much? The answer is, generally, no, because modern TVs don’t consume that much power. As surprising as it may sound, having a 55-inch TV turned on 24 hours a day will generally cost you about $0.43/day, or $12.9/month, using an electricity rate of $0.18 per kWh.
Of course, the numbers above are not absolute, but an estimate, assuming the TV’s power consumption is 100W. Your TV could have a higher or lower rating, and the electricity rate may be different, too. As for your TV’s wattage, it’s heavily influenced by the screen size and underlying display technology. Older TVs consumed more electricity, while newer ones are relatively power efficient. There are also other factors which impact the TV’s power consumption, like the kind of content you’re streaming, brightness levels, whether you’re utilizing the TV’s built-in Energy Saving mode, and more. But it’s easy to calculate how much it will cost to have your TV on 24 hours a day.
It depends on the TV, but the cost is usually low
The cost of running an LED TV is different from a Plasma TV or an older CRT TV, since each has a different power consumption. Similarly, the bigger the TV, the more power it uses, since its display is one of the most power-intensive components. On average, modern TVs consume 50-200W, and if you know your TV’s power rating and the electricity rate, the job is almost half done. All that’s left is the calculation.
For instance, let’s consider a 65-inch TV with a power rating of 120W being used in an area where electricity costs $0.2 per kWh. First, we need to find out the TV’s consumption, so divide its power rating by 1000, then multiply that figure by the number of hours you’re using the TV. In this case, it comes out to be 2.88 kWh. Multiplying this by the electricity charges gives us $0.576, which is the per-day cost of running the TV if you leave it on for 24 hours. In case you don’t know your TV’s power consumption, look it up in the TV’s manual or on the manufacturer’s website. It should be easy to find. Electricity rates differ from state to state, but those, too, are easy to find.
If you want even more accuracy, use a smart plug to monitor the TV’s power consumption. This way, the cost will also factor in the minor fluctuations in power consumption resulting from streaming quality, brightness levels, and other features.
Tips to reduce your TV’s power consumption
As you can see, having a TV on for the entire day won’t necessarily burn a hole in your pocket, but it’s still one of the appliances that drives up your power bill. Fortunately, it’s not that tricky to save money here. All it takes are some minor changes, and you should notice your TV’s contribution to the power bill go down.
If you do plan to run the TV 24 hours a day, it’s unlikely you’ll be around the whole time watching it. In this case, lowering the brightness and contrast will reduce its power consumption without impacting your overall experience. Apart from that, reverting the Picture Mode to “Standard” if it’s currently set to “Vivid” or “Dynamic” is a smart option. Similarly, enabling Energy Saver or Eco Mode can do the trick, but it only works if your TV has that feature.
You also can’t ignore your TV’s standby mode, since it’s still using some power. While modern TVs consume as little as 0.5W to 2.5W in standby mode, it’s still wasted power. So, unplugging the TV from the power source at night or when leaving the house will save you money over time. Lastly, if you’re planning to upgrade TVs, consider getting one that’s Energy Star certified, since these are energy-efficient options that consume less power.