How many watts does a TV use?

A typical TV uses between 30 and 200 watts of power, depending on its size and type, not including the power used by a cable set-top box or streaming device.

TV Energy Use

The amount of energy a TV uses depends on several factors:

• Type of TV: LED/LCD TVs are generally more energy-efficient than older plasma or CRT models.
• TV Screen Size: Larger TVs consume more power. For example, a 32-inch LED TV might use around 30–50 watts, while a 65-inch model could use 100–200 watts.
• TV Usage: The total energy used also depends on how many hours per day the TV is on.

Television Example Calculation 

If you have a 55-inch LED TV that uses 100 watts and you watch it for 4 hours a day:

• Daily energy use: 100 watts × 4 hours = 400 watt-hours (0.4 kWh)
• Yearly energy use: 0.4 kWh × 30 days x 12 months = 144 kWh

Television Annual Cost Estimate 

If electricity costs $0.17 per kWh, the national average as of April 2025:

• Annual cost: 144 kWh × $0.17 ≈ $24.50 per year

According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), there are about 285 million televisions in U.S. households and as of a few years ago, they consumed roughly 35 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually. That adds up to around $4.5 billion per year and a dozen large (500 MW) coal-burning power plants’ worth of electricity annually; about 4 percent of total residential power consumption.

TV Set Top Box Energy Use

Another significant energy drain associated with home televisions is the set-top box receivers. Most of us subscribe to some form of pay television or streaming service, which equates to approximately 160 million set-top boxes (including DVRs). Many of these devices are owned and installed by cable, satellite, or phone providers. And since these devices are always-on, most of their energy usage occurs when people are not actively watching or recording content.

Set Top Box Example Calculation 

If you have older an Comcast PACE set-top box:

• Daily energy use: 32.5 watts × 24 hours = 780 watt-hours (0.78 kWh)
• Yearly energy use: 0.78 kWh × 30 days x 12 months = 280 kWh. The CableLabs site lists 270 kWh / year, so we’ll use that.

Set Top Box Annual Cost Estimate 

If electricity costs $0.17 per kWh:

• Annual cost: 270 kWh × $0.17 ≈ $45.90 per year - almost twice the energy use and cost of the TV!
• By contrast, a newer AppleTV device listed on the CableLabs site uses 95% less electricity with an annual usage of only 15 kWh, which equates to $2.55 per year, a $43/year savings.

TV + Streamer + Receiver Energy Use -
Adding it all up

In my house, my 2 TV’s, streaming boxes and receiver use about 5% of my household electricity use. The chart below shows consumption for one of the TV’s for a single day; the TV + AppleTV box + receiver uses about 240 watts when on, and the same devices average about 20 watts while in standby mode.

How to save money

The NRDC has a guide to reducing energy use of “energy vampires” like your TV set top box.

As shown in the examples I’ve shared above, newer streaming devices like the AppleTV use much less energy than old set-top boxes, so you can trade in your old set top box for a newer model.

A simple, though less convenient, method is to put your TV and set top box on a plug strip, and turn off the power there when you’re not watching TV or recording to a DVR.