How Much Does It Cost to Run a Television in California? (2026)
Modern LED and OLED TVs are efficient, but screen size matters. A 43 inch LED draws around 50 watts while a 75 inch OLED can pass 200 watts at high brightness.
A typical television (100 W) costs $0.035 per hour, or about $4.17 per month at 4 hours a day in California. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 50 W | $0.017 | $0.069 | $2.08 | $25.36 |
| Typical 100 W | $0.035 | $0.14 | $4.17 | $50.72 |
| High 200 W | $0.069 | $0.28 | $8.34 | $101.44 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 4 h/day ≈ 146 kWh per year.
One hour of a television (0.10 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 2.0hours of a fridge
- 2.2hours of a laptop
- 10hours of Wi-Fi
- 11hours of an LED bulb
In California, with electricity at 34.7¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical television costs $0.035 per hour and about $50.72 per year at 4 hours a day. That is about 89% more than the national average for the US ($2.20 per month), because electricity in California costs 34.7¢ per kWh against 18.3¢ nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 28.8 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a television
- Turn down the backlight or brightness. This is the single largest factor in TV power draw.
- Turn off the quick start or instant on feature, which keeps the TV half awake.
- Use the built-in power saving or eco picture mode for everyday viewing.
- Switch the TV off rather than leaving it on as background.
In standby it draws about 0.5 W, which adds roughly 4 kWh ($1.52) per year if it is never unplugged.
Is an efficient television worth it?
55 inch TV rated G on the 2021 label, about 80 W: about 117 kWh a year. 55 inch TV rated A or B, about 30 W: about 44 kWh. The difference is worth $25.36 a year in California.
- Replacing one that still works pays back in 23.7 years.
- When yours needs replacing anyway, the extra cost of the efficient model pays back in 5.9 years.
Usage assumed: 4 hours a day. Typical prices: $600.00 for the efficient model, $150.00 more than a basic one. Work it out with your own prices
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to leave the TV on all day?
A 100 W TV on for 24 hours uses 2.4 kWh. Check the daily figure above and multiply by six.
Do OLED TVs use more power than LED?
At the same size and brightness, OLED typically uses a little more, especially on bright scenes.
Does a TV in standby use much electricity?
Under a watt on most current models, unless quick start is enabled.
Compare with
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
- Smart Speaker3 W typical
- Streaming Stick or Box4 W typical
- Soundbar25 W typical
- Home Projector250 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz