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There is no single price for keeping a TV on all day: the cost depends on its actual on-mode wattage and the electricity rate on your bill. Multiply the TV’s watts by 24 hours, divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours (kWh), then multiply by your price per kWh.
Calculate the cost of running your TV continuously
Use this formula for a TV that stays on for 24 hours:
Daily cost = TV watts × 24 ÷ 1,000 × electricity price per kWh
To estimate a full year, multiply the daily cost by 365. The conversion works because a watt measures power, while a watt-hour measures energy over time: the U.S. Energy Information Administration explains that one watt-hour is the energy used by one watt for one hour.
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A hypothetical TV drawing 100 watts continuously would use 2.4 kWh in a day: 100 × 24 ÷ 1,000. At an assumed electricity price of $0.20 per kWh, that is $0.48 per day, or about $175.20 over 365 days. These figures illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a typical-TV wattage or a universal electricity rate.
Find the two inputs for your estimate
TV power draw
Use the on-mode power draw for your specific TV, if available in its documentation or a measurement that applies to your setup. Consumption can vary with model, screen size, picture settings, and displayed content, so a generic wattage may produce a misleading estimate. ENERGY STAR describes its on-mode criteria and measurement approach, but a standardized result is not necessarily the draw in every viewing setup.
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A compatible plug-in electricity monitor can help measure power at the outlet. Check the monitor’s electrical rating and compatibility with your TV; measuring is optional if you have a suitable documented wattage.
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Use the per-kWh price relevant to your bill. DOE FEMP’s 2024 TV cost guidance used 11¢/kWh, described as the average electricity price at federal facilities as of July 2024. That is a dated federal-facility assumption, not a current universal residential rate.
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Why a TV’s annual energy label is not a 24-hour estimate
Standardized annual energy figures account for time in more than one operating mode; they do not assume the TV displays content every hour of the year. DOE FEMP’s example schedule allocates 1,825 hours per year to active use and 6,935 hours to standby. For a continuous-on estimate, use on-mode watts for all 24 hours instead of treating that mixed schedule as nonstop viewing.
DOE FEMP’s 2024 examples use the same 11¢/kWh assumption and standardized typical-use approach. Their annual figures are useful for comparing those examples, but they should not be substituted for a 24-hour-on calculation.
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| DOE FEMP example category | Annual energy | Example annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Best Available model | 133 kWh | $15 |
| ENERGY STAR model | 168 kWh | $18 |
| Less-efficient model | 235 kWh | $26 |
These values are DOE FEMP’s 2024 examples under its stated typical-use assumptions and 11¢/kWh cost assumption; they are not predictions for every TV or a continuous-use scenario.
Account for standby and connected equipment separately
Standby is not the same as active display. If your TV is on for part of the day and in standby for the rest, calculate each mode separately: multiply each mode’s watts by the hours spent in that mode, add the watt-hours, divide by 1,000, then multiply by your electricity price. ENERGY STAR distinguishes passive standby from network-connected active standby, with criteria that depend on the specification and test method.
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A cable or satellite box, game console, and other connected equipment are separate electrical loads. Include them only if you want the cost for the whole entertainment setup rather than the TV alone. Historical EIA household data reported in an article published around 2018 combined televisions and related equipment, including peripherals; its 7% and $103-per-home-per-year figures are not a TV-only estimate and should not be read as current household costs. EIA’s 2015 context also cited around 15–20 watts of standby draw for some set-top boxes, not TVs; that historical figure is neither universal nor a current value for every box.
Estimate a mixed daily schedule
When the TV is active for some hours and in standby for others, calculate the energy mode by mode:
- Write down the watts for each mode you want to include, such as active display and standby.
- Multiply each mode’s watts by the number of hours spent in that mode.
- Add the mode totals and divide by 1,000 to convert watt-hours to kWh.
- Multiply the resulting kWh by your electricity price per kWh.
For a TV-only figure, do not add the wattage of a box or console. To compare two TVs or schedules fairly, use the relevant on-mode watts and hours, the same local electricity price, and the same rule for whether external devices are included.
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