How Much Electricity Do Smart TVs Use? (Solved)

It differs quite a lot how much electricity your smart TV will use depending on the technology, size, and age.

Let’s start with some data on how much power smart tvs use:

Brand	Model	Screen size	Power Consumption
LG	CX	48 inches	178 watts
LG	E9	55 inches	187 watts
LG	C9	65 inches	171 watts
Samsung	Q60T QLED	43 inches	110 watts
Samsung	Q70T QLED	55 inches	160 watts
Samsung	Q80T QLED	65 inches	265 watts
Sony	X950H	49 inches	72 watts
Sony	A9F	55 inches	184 watts
Sony	A9G	65 inches	149 watts
Vizio	V-Series	43 inches	120 watts
Vizio	M-Series Quantum	55 inches	124.44 watts
Vizio	OLED 65	65 inches	168.81 watts

You may have forgotten how plasma and LCD TVs were advertised as the better choice than the old and traditional Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) technology of cumbersome TVs.

These TVs consumed less power and space but were more expensive.

With CRT obsolete, and the shift to LED TVs, did you know there’s a lot to know about the power consumption of smart TVs?

How Much Electricity Do Smart TVs Use?

Smart TVs consume about .05 watts of power on standby mode. When turned on, the average TV will use 0.265 kilowatt-hours per hour. It is important to completely unplug your TV if you are trying to save power.

Here are the things you need to know about smart TV and your electricity:

How Much Electricity do Smart TVs Use?

On standby mode, smart TVs use 0.5 watts of power.

When on, a smart TV consumes on the average 157 watts of power.

How Much Does it Cost to Have a TV Running for 24 Hours?

Power consumption depends on the wattage or amount of power it consumes in an hour.

Let’s take the Samsung Q80T QLED 65-inch smart TV as an example.

The Q80T uses around 265 watts of power in an hour.

If you leave it on for 24 hours, this smart TV will consume 6,360 watts or 6.36 kilowatt-hours.

So if you are charged $.12 cents per Kilowatt hour, that means running the Q80T for 24 hours will cost you around $.76 cents.

Can you Reduce the Amount of Electricity Smart TV Uses?

There are several things you can do to lower the amount of electricity your smart TV uses.

These involve changing backlight settings, lowering of sounds, and even using the built-in time of the smart TV.

Does Leaving your TV on Use Electricity?

Leaving your TV on for long periods of time will increase your electricity bill for sure.

Many users will leave their TV on at night or when they are away because they like the ambient noise or to simulate someone being home.

However, even if you aren’t watching your TV, leaving it on all the time will not only use up a lot of electricity, but it also could damage your TV or overheat it over time.

Do Smart TVs use Electricity When Turned Off?

When you turn off your smart TV using your remote or the power button, your TV enters a mode called “standby”.

This is not technically “off” because the TV is still plugged into the wall and therefore consuming a small amount of electricity to remain on standby.

For your remote control or smart home to turn your TV back on quickly, it needs to be in standby mode so that the remote can signal the TV.

While standby mode consumes only 0.5 watts of power in an hour, this can accumulate, especially if you intend to leave it off for long periods.

That is why it is recommended to unplug all appliances, rather than just “turn them off” with your remote, in order to keep your power consumption at a minimum when away.

Quickly scan our article that talks about Is A Smart TV The Same As Apple TV?

Do Bigger TVs use More Electricity?

The power efficiency of a smart TV depends on the quality of components used, but not necessarily the size of your TV.

For example, a small Smart TV that uses a lot of apps that are running at the same time will use more power than a larger non-smart TV.

Manufacturers have their own component sets, which can be more efficient in power consumption over other brands, but mostly you will want to keep an eye on how much of your Smart TV you are using all at once.

Does Wi-Fi Consume More Electricity than Ethernet in my Smart TV?

Using your Wi-Fi with your smart TV consumes less power than using the Ethernet connection.

Although the difference is minimal, you should not hesitate to use a wired connection with your smart TV as this provides a more stable connection.

After all, your smart TV was meant to be in one place, unlike your laptop, which was designed to be more portable and, therefore, more connected to Wi-Fi.

So go ahead and use that Ethernet connection.

Does Using High Resolution use More Power?

Your smart TV requires more power to process data to give you the best images on your screen.

Thus, the higher or better the settings you use for your smart TV, the more power it consumes.

Your TV is going to consume much more electricity and energy, giving you high resolution or 4k than regular settings.

Four Ways to Save Energy when Using your Smart TV

1. Turn Off your Smart TV When not in Use

When you turn off your TV through the remote control, your screen and speakers shut down, and your smart goes into standby.

Standby mode only means your TV is ready for use anytime with the flick of a switch, and still uses minimal power.

If you want to turn off your smart TV when going out or for a prolonged vacation, you need to completely unplug it. Unplug your smart TV when not in use, especially when you’ll be out for a few days.

If you are not out that long, you can also invest in a smart plug that you can program to cut power when you need to.

Since these come with apps and connect to your Wi-Fi, you can turn it off remotely in case you need to stay outside longer.

2. Reduce the Backlight Level

The power consumption of a smart TV is not at all different from other electronic devices, such as laptops and mobile phones.

So the brighter your screen is, the more power the smart TV consumes.

Lower your backlight, especially when in dark places. Not only does it reduce eyestrain, but you also reduce power consumption.

You can also use presets for the screen of your smart TV.

These presets were made to make your TV adaptable to different lighting conditions and viewing usage.

3. Adjust the Contrast of Your Smart TV

Using the right amount of contrast also lets your smart TV consume less power.

One thing you may notice when you buy a smart TV is that showrooms use the most optimal setting for contrast to entice customers to buy.

Using these settings consumes more power in the long run.

You can opt for standard contrast settings instead so you can save on power.

4. Use the Timer on Your Smart TV

Smart TVs have a built-in timer that lets you turn off your TV after a particular time.

That function comes in handy if you are one of those who like watching TV before going to bed but end up sleeping without turning off the TV.

When that happens, your smart TV continues using electricity unnecessarily.

Having a timer, or sleep mode, lets you set your TV to switch off so you can save electricity in the long run.

Sources:

Five Power-Saving Tips For Your Home TV

Does Your Big Screen Tv Equal Big Power Consumption?

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