On this page, you will find out how many watts a TV draws.
In many ways, the TV hasn’t changed a whole lot since its invention. We still gather around them to watch the news, get lost in a movie, or cheer live sporting events. Of course, you’ll now find television sets in all shapes and sizes from 50 inch OLED smart screens to compact RV appliances. In any case, we use these devices for hours every single day so it’s useful to know the power consumption. Knowing this allows you to work out how much electricity it uses or the best way to run your screen off-grid.
Below we will discuss and test TV wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a TV?
The average TV uses between 30 and 80 watts.
The exact number depends on the size and model of your TV. For example, a 50 inch LED flat screen draws around 80W while a 24 inch television uses less than 30W.
You will rarely see even the largest screens use more than 120W which means you can assume TVs are relatively low powered devices. You will notice the difference between different appliances. This comes down to two things – the size and the technology.
In simple terms, the bigger the TV the higher the power consumption. Plus a higher resolution also increases the wattage. A 720p draws less than a 1080p, and a 4K screen is higher still.
You should also consider the type of television. Modern LED TVs use fewer watts than older LCD, CRT, and Plasma sets.
How to Find Out Your TV Wattage
Due to the variations above, it is important to work out how much power your TV uses. There are 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a television.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the television’s specifications. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the back of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your TV to get instant information.
I used one to test my LG 42-inch TV which gave a live reading of 53W when streaming Netflix.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your TV you can use this to find the maximum running watts. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
TV Wattage and Screen Size
Let’s take a look at the average power consumption of LED TV sizes. Below is a table to help you quickly find the rough wattage of common TV sizes
| TV Screen Size | Power Rating (Watts) |
| 19 inch | 15 – 20 |
| 24 inch | 15 – 25 |
| 32 inch | 20 – 30 |
| 40 inch | 30 – 40 |
| 43 inch | 35 – 50 |
| 50 inch | 60 – 80 |
| 65 inch | 70 – 90 |
| 75 inch | 90 – 115 |
As you can see, the power ratings vary between different TVs. So you should take the time to check your own appliance.
TV Wattage Examples
Next, you can find a list of common brand TVs and their power rating.
Samsung TV Power Ratings
| Model/Size | Power Consumption* |
| Samsung LED 720p 24 inch | 21 |
| Samsung LED 1080p 32 inch | 38 |
| Samsung Smart 4K TV, 43 inch | 72 |
| Samsung Smart 4K TV, 50 inch | 87 |
| Samsung Smart 4K TV, 65 inch | 135 |
*Power consumption will increase by around 20% when in HDR mode.
LG TV Power Ratings
| Model/Size | Power Consumption* |
| LG LED HD 720p, 32 inch | 26 |
| LG LED HDR 4K, 43 inch | 67 |
| LG OLED HDR 4K, 48 inch | 74 |
| LG OLED HDR 4K, 55 inch | 104 |
| LG OLED HDR 4K, 65 inch | 109 |
*Power consumption will increase by around 20% when in HDR mode.
Sony TV Power Ratings
| Model/Size | Power Consumption* |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 720p 32 inch | 32 |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 4K, 43 inch | 60 |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 4K, 50 inch | 86 |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 4K, 55 inch | 97 |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 4K, 65 inch | 129 |
| Sony Bravia LED HDR 4K, 75 inch | 160 |
*Power consumption will increase by around 20% when in HDR mode.
Other Popular TVs
| Model/Size | Power Consumption* |
| Panasonic 43″ 4K UHD TV | 60 |
| Phillips 43″ 4K Ultra HD LED | 55 |
| Phillips 50″ 4K Ultra HD LED | 70 |
| SHARP 24″ Smart HD LED TV | 21 |
| SHARP 32″ Smart HD LED TV | 31 |
| TCL Roku 40″ Smart HD LED TV | 75 |
| TCL 40-inch 1080p LED Roku | 55 |
| Insignia 32-inch HD 720 | 35 |
| Insignia 40″ LED – 1080p HDTV | 67 |
How Much Electricity Does a TV Use?
You can use TV wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your TV.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a TV drawing 60W would use 60Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 60W TV running for 1 hour uses 0.06kWh.
In reality, you might use a TV for 3 hours a day. This means an average 50 inch LED TV uses 180Wh or 0.18kWh electricity a day. That’s 5.4kWh a month and 65kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $0.027 a day or $9.855 a year to watch TV for 3 hours a day on a 40 inch LED TV
How Much Electricity Does a TV Use on Standby?
When you power off your TV with the remote it will still use power. This is because it does not completely switch off, your TV is in standby mode. This means it still draws a small amount of electricity so you can switch it on remotely.
Virtually all TVs use about 0.5 watts when switched off. This is the listed standby power rating on 90% of televisions.
I tested my TV to double-check this number and it actually gave a reading of 0.1W when on standby.
To completely stop your TV from using electricity you must turn it off at the main switch or unplug it from the outlet.
Using a TV Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your TV in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, truck, or similar, the information above is important. It enables you to pick the correct power products and know how long they can run.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator to generate electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your TV. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To watch TV, you will need at least 100W of power capacity. This should give you enough capacity to easily run most small to mid sized televisions. If you want to run anything larger or add a games console you should increase to 300W or more.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the TV for the required amount of time. As we already know, a TV could use about 60Wh electricity an hour. This is the equivalent to 5Ah on a 12V battery. You could reduce this further, by 50%, when choosing a smaller screen under 30 inches.
In addition, you can now buy 12V camping specific TVs designed to be used in RVs and campervans from batteries.
How Many Watts Does a TV Use Summary
I hope you now have a better understanding of how many watts a TV uses.
We all love watching our favorite programs. Personally, I never like missing the big game wherever I am in the world. So being able to run my TV screen is a must. As you now know, the power consumption increases dramatically as screen size and resolution grow. The good news is that technology is constantly evolving. Modern TVs consume a lot less electricity than older versions, so don’t be afraid to upgrade to save in the long run.
