How much electricity does a TV use?
In U.S. homes that have one, a TV uses about 210 kWh a year, or 18 kWh a month. At the 2025 average residential price of 17.2¢ per kWh that is $36 a year or $3.02 a month. These are EIA estimates from its Residential Energy Consumption Survey of homes and their utility bills, not a manufacturer's label.
What decides the number
The most-used TV in a home used 210 kWh in a year, a second TV 106 kWh and a third 82 kWh. Counting everything connected to them (cable and satellite boxes, streaming devices, game consoles, sound systems), homes used 632 kWh a year. Usage depends mostly on screen size and how many hours the TV is on; standby use of boxes that never switch off adds up over a year.
TV electricity use by home
By household size
| Household size | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 member | 181 | $31 |
| 2 members | 217 | $37 |
| 3 members | 216 | $37 |
| 4 members | 216 | $37 |
| 5 members | 242 | $42 |
| 6 or more members | 263 | $45 |
By type of home
| Type of home | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 215 | $37 |
| Single-family attached | 202 | $35 |
| Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units | 200 | $34 |
| Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units | 190 | $33 |
| Mobile homes | 250 | $43 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Tables CE5.3a/CE5.3b, average site electricity consumption per household using the end use (revised March 2024).
Cost to run a TV in every state
| State | ¢/kWh | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 40.4 | $7.07 | $84.84 |
| California | 31.4 | $5.49 | $65.84 |
| Massachusetts | 30.4 | $5.32 | $63.86 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5 | $5.16 | $61.91 |
| Connecticut | 29.3 | $5.13 | $61.55 |
| Maine | 27.7 | $4.85 | $58.15 |
| New York | 26.4 | $4.62 | $55.42 |
| Alaska | 26.1 | $4.57 | $54.83 |
| New Hampshire | 24.5 | $4.29 | $51.51 |
| Vermont | 22.8 | $3.99 | $47.86 |
| New Jersey | 22.5 | $3.93 | $47.21 |
| District of Columbia | 21.9 | $3.84 | $46.03 |
| Michigan | 20.0 | $3.51 | $42.06 |
| Maryland | 19.5 | $3.42 | $41.01 |
| Pennsylvania | 19.3 | $3.38 | $40.51 |
| Wisconsin | 18.1 | $3.16 | $37.97 |
| Illinois | 17.7 | $3.09 | $37.11 |
| Delaware | 17.1 | $3.00 | $36.01 |
| Ohio | 16.9 | $2.96 | $35.49 |
| Alabama | 16.1 | $2.82 | $33.79 |
| Indiana | 16.0 | $2.79 | $33.52 |
| Minnesota | 15.8 | $2.77 | $33.24 |
| Colorado | 15.7 | $2.75 | $32.95 |
| Oregon | 15.5 | $2.71 | $32.47 |
| Texas | 15.4 | $2.70 | $32.34 |
| West Virginia | 15.4 | $2.69 | $32.32 |
| Virginia | 15.3 | $2.67 | $32.09 |
| Arizona | 15.3 | $2.67 | $32.05 |
| Florida | 15.2 | $2.66 | $31.94 |
| South Carolina | 15.1 | $2.65 | $31.75 |
| New Mexico | 14.8 | $2.60 | $31.19 |
| Georgia | 14.7 | $2.58 | $30.95 |
| Kansas | 14.4 | $2.53 | $30.32 |
| Mississippi | 14.0 | $2.46 | $29.46 |
| North Carolina | 14.0 | $2.45 | $29.40 |
| Iowa | 13.6 | $2.38 | $28.60 |
| Wyoming | 13.4 | $2.34 | $28.08 |
| South Dakota | 13.3 | $2.33 | $27.97 |
| Missouri | 13.3 | $2.33 | $27.93 |
| Nevada | 13.3 | $2.32 | $27.85 |
| Tennessee | 13.2 | $2.31 | $27.76 |
| Oklahoma | 13.2 | $2.31 | $27.74 |
| Washington | 13.2 | $2.30 | $27.66 |
| Kentucky | 13.1 | $2.30 | $27.57 |
| Utah | 13.0 | $2.28 | $27.34 |
| Montana | 13.0 | $2.27 | $27.28 |
| Arkansas | 12.9 | $2.25 | $27.03 |
| Louisiana | 12.5 | $2.19 | $26.29 |
| Nebraska | 12.1 | $2.11 | $25.31 |
| Idaho | 11.8 | $2.07 | $24.84 |
| North Dakota | 11.8 | $2.07 | $24.82 |
210 kWh a year at each state's 2025 average residential price (EIA-861), all charges included.
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