TV energy ratings and running costs: why your new TV is rated G

Quick answer: TV labels show kWh per 1,000 viewing hours, and that number equals the set’s wattage. A current 55-inch TV draws 77-80W in standard viewing, which is about £30 a year at four hours a day and 26.11p/kWh. Most new TVs rate E to G because the scale was reset in 2021, not because they guzzle power.

Why is my expensive new TV rated G?

The 2021 label reset hit TVs harder than any other product. The Energy Saving Trust notes that a product rated A on the old scale could land at F on the new one, and TV makers had leaned on the old scale’s inflation for years.

The result reads strangely in a showroom. We pulled the official EU/UK product information sheets for four current sets from the EPREL energy label database (checked August 2026), and every one of them sits between E and G. That includes premium 2025 models. A G rating on a TV is normal and tells you almost nothing; the kWh number underneath is the part worth reading.

What do the label numbers mean?

TV labels show energy per 1,000 hours of viewing, in two rows: SDR (standard dynamic range, ordinary telly) and HDR (high dynamic range, the punchy mode used for films and games). Both are on every current label.

There’s a shortcut hiding in the units: kWh per 1,000 hours is numerically the same as watts. A set listed at 77 kWh/1000h draws 77W. From there, cost is watts x hours x 26.11p / 1,000. HDR is the figure people miss: on the sets below it draws 1.5 to 2.6 times the SDR power.

OLED vs LED: which uses more electricity?

Here are the four sets we checked, straight from their official EPREL information sheets:

The surprise is how close OLED and LED now are in ordinary viewing: LG’s 55-inch OLED draws 77.4W in SDR against 80W for Samsung’s budget 55-inch LED. Panel technology matters less than it used to. Size and brightness drive the bill, not the OLED-vs-LED choice. The 42-inch set draws a third less than the 55s; the bright 65-inch flagship draws the most, and its 222W HDR figure is the biggest number on any of the four sheets.

One more thing the sheets settle: all four sets guarantee eight years of software updates, with spare parts for eight years on the LGs and seven on the Samsung, so an efficient set bought now shouldn’t be forced into retirement early. Running cost is a reason to pick a size, not a reason to replace a working TV.

What does a TV cost per year?

Assume four hours of viewing a day, 1,460 hours a year, at 26.11p/kWh. One worked example in full: the 55-inch LG in SDR draws 77.4W, so 77.4 x 1,460 / 1,000 = 113 kWh, and 113 x 26.11p = £29.51 a year.

On the same basis: the 42-inch OLED costs about £19.80 a year, the 55-inch Samsung LED £30.50, and the 65-inch OLED £32.25. Watch mostly HDR film and games on that 65-inch set and it rises to around £85. For scale: four hours of telly a night for a whole year costs about the same as 45 hours of tumble drying. A TV upgrade is rarely an energy decision. It just shouldn’t be an energy surprise either.

Add a games console and the numbers change more than people expect; we cover that pairing in TV and games console electricity costs.

Does standby cost anything?

Barely, any more. All four EPREL sheets list standby at 0.5W, which is 0.5 x 24 x 365 / 1,000 = 4.4 kWh, or £1.14 a year. Networked standby (the mode that lets the TV wake on voice or an app) is listed at 2W, about £4.57 a year.

A modern TV on standby costs pennies; the older set-top boxes and soundbars around it are usually the worse offenders. Our guide to energy vampires ranks the usual suspects.

How to pick a cheap-to-run TV

• Buy the size you will actually sit the right distance from; the jump from 55in to 65in adds more consumption than any settings change saves.
• Compare the SDR kWh/1000h figure between shortlisted sets; it’s the number that reflects everyday viewing.
• Leave automatic brightness control on. It dims the panel to the room and it’s why the lab figure is often higher than real use.
• Treat the HDR figure as your ceiling: it’s what film nights and consoles draw.

Ratings on this scale work the same way across products; if you’re curious how the letters translate elsewhere, our guides to washing machine ratings and BFRC window ratings cover the other labels you will meet, and our appliance running-costs roundup puts TVs alongside everything else in the house.

FAQs

How much does it cost to run a TV per hour?

About 2p an hour for a current 55-inch set in standard viewing (roughly 80W x 26.11p/kWh), and 3p to 6p an hour in HDR. Call it 8p for a four-hour evening.

Are OLED TVs expensive to run?

Not especially. In standard viewing the 55-inch OLED we checked draws slightly less than a budget LED of the same size. OLEDs pull ahead of LEDs mainly in HDR, where the 55-inch figures we checked were nearly 60 per cent apart (191W vs 121W).

Why do TVs have two energy classes?

One for SDR and one for HDR, because the modes drive the panel at different brightness. The SDR class is the headline letter; the HDR class is usually G on current sets, whatever the brand.