How much does it cost to run a television in the UK?
Price updated 9 July 2026 · Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep)
A typical television (90 W) used 4 hours a day, every day costs about £2.86 a month (£34.31 a year) at 26.11p/kWh.
Modern LED and OLED televisions are far more efficient than the plasma and CRT sets they replaced. A typical mid-size LED TV draws 40–90W, with big 65-inch and 4K OLED models reaching 120–160W at high brightness. Because sets are on for hours the total adds up, but it is modest next to heating or laundry. Screen size and brightness are the main drivers, and standby power on a modern set is very small.
Work out your own cost
About £2.86 a month · £34.31 a year
Uses about 131 kWh a year. Prefilled with the Ofgem cap of 26.11p/kWh — edit any box for your own figures.
Cost by model power
The same television can vary a lot between models, so here is the range from a low-power to a high-power example.
| Model | Power | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-power model | 40 W | 1.0p | 4.2p | £1.27 | £15.25 |
| Typical model | 90 W | 2.3p | 9.4p | £2.86 | £34.31 |
| High-power model | 160 W | 4.2p | 17p | £5.08 | £60.99 |
What changes the cost
- Screen size and technology (OLED and larger screens use more)
- Brightness / picture mode
- Hours watched per day
- Standby is small on modern sets
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