How much does a 55-inch TV cost to run?
At the current price cap, a 55-inch TV costs about 2.6p per hour of viewing, or around £38.43 a year with typical use.
TV (55-inch LED)
- An hour
- 2.6p
- A day used
- 10.5p
- A week
- 73.7p
- A month
- £3.20
- Energy a year
- 146 kWh
100 W for 4 hours a day, every day, at 26.32p per kWh.
Excludes the daily standing charge, which you pay whatever you use.
How it compares
Yearly cost with typical use, at your unit rate.
55-inch TV running costs
At 26.32p per kWh, with typical use of 4 hours a day, every day.
| Period | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour of viewing | 0.1 kWh | 2.6p |
| Per week | 2.8 kWh | 73.7p |
| Per month | 12.2 kWh | £3.20 |
| Per year | 146 kWh | £38.43 |
How the cost varies
Efficient LED TVs to bright or older models, for an hour.
| Energy use | Per hour of viewing | Per year (typical use) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 1.3p | £19.21 |
| Typical | 2.6p | £38.43 |
| Higher | 5.3p | £76.85 |
Entertainment appliances compared
Yearly cost with typical use, at 26.32p per kWh.
| Appliance | Per hour | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming PC | 9.2p | £72.05 |
| TV (55-inch LED) (this page) | 2.6p | £38.43 |
| Games console | 5.3p | £27.45 |
Ways to spend less
- Brightness makes the biggest difference. An eco or standard picture mode uses less than vivid mode.
- Turn it off at the wall or use a standby saver if lots of devices are plugged in around it.
- Bigger and brighter screens, especially HDR, use more power.
How we calculate this
We take a typical 55-inch TV at 100 watts, used 4 hours a day, every day, and multiply the energy it uses by the Ofgem price cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh.
One hour of viewing uses about 0.1 kWh. Use the calculator above with your own appliance’s power and how you use it for a closer figure.
Questions people ask
How much does a 55-inch TV cost to run a year?
With typical use (4 hours a day, every day), about £38.43 a year at the current price cap, or £3.20 a month.
How much does a TV cost to run per hour?
A typical 55-inch LED TV uses about 0.1 kWh an hour, so around 2 to 3 pence at the current price cap.
Does leaving the TV on standby cost much?
Modern TVs use very little on standby, usually under 1 watt. Older TVs and set-top boxes can use more.
Does this include the standing charge?
No. The standing charge (54.83p a day under the current cap, about £200.13 a year) is a fixed daily cost for being connected. It does not change with how much you use any appliance.