Most flat-screen TVs sold today pull between 50 and 120 watts while you watch: a typical 55- to 65-inch LED set runs around 60 to 120 watts, smaller 32-inch models draw 30 to 50 watts, and big or bright OLED screens can climb past 150 watts. Unlike a fridge or a power tool, a TV is solid-state electronics, so there is no startup surge to plan around. The number that matters for backup power is the steady running wattage.
The short answer by size
Screen size is the biggest single driver of how much power a TV uses. A bigger panel has more pixels and a larger backlight to light up, so watts climb with the diagonal. The figures below are typical running watts for modern LED/LCD sets at normal brightness. Your exact model could land a bit higher or lower, and the nameplate sticker on the back usually lists a maximum rating that is well above what the set actually pulls day to day.
| TV size | Typical LED/LCD running watts | OLED / bright models |
|---|---|---|
| 24 inch | 20–35 W | — |
| 32 inch | 30–50 W | — |
| 43 inch | 45–80 W | up to ~100 W |
| 50 inch | 55–100 W | up to ~120 W |
| 55 inch | 60–120 W | ~90–130 W |
| 65 inch | 80–150 W | ~100–160 W |
| 75 inch and up | 110–200 W | ~150–230 W |
If you only remember one number, use 100 watts as a safe planning average for a mid-size modern TV. It overshoots most efficient LED sets and leaves room for a brighter picture.
What actually drives the wattage
Two TVs of the same size can draw very different power. A few things explain the spread:
- Brightness. The backlight (or the pixels themselves on OLED) is where most of the power goes. Turning brightness down or using a darker picture mode can cut consumption noticeably. Brightness often changes power use more than jumping up one screen size.
- HDR content. High dynamic range pushes the panel to peak brightness for highlights, so an HDR movie can pull meaningfully more than the same set showing standard daytime TV.
- Panel type. LED/LCD is the most efficient mainstream option. OLED is usually a bit higher on bright, full-screen content, though it can be very efficient on dark scenes because black pixels switch off. QLED and full-array local dimming sets sit in the upper LED range.
- Age and tech. Old plasma sets were power-hungry, often 150 to 400 watts for a large screen. Old CRT tube TVs were also thirsty for their size. If you are running a decade-old set, assume the high end.
- What is on screen. A bright sports broadcast draws more than a dim, mostly-black film.
There is no startup surge
This is the part that matters when you size backup power. A motor-driven appliance like a fridge or a sump pump spikes hard for a fraction of a second when it kicks on, so you have to plan for both running watts and starting watts. A TV does not do this. It is electronics, not a motor, and it powers on smoothly to its running draw. You can size a power station to a TV using its running wattage alone, with no surge headroom required. (For appliances that do surge, see running watts vs starting watts.)
One small note: when a TV is “off” it still sips standby power to listen for the remote. ENERGY STAR sets keep that under about 1 watt, so it barely registers on a battery. If you want every last watt-hour during an outage, switch the TV off at a power strip instead of leaving it in standby.
Turning watts into backup runtime
Backup batteries are rated in watt-hours (Wh), which is just watts multiplied by hours. A TV that draws 100 watts uses about 100 watt-hours for every hour you watch. Drop to a 60-watt LED and that is 60 watt-hours per hour. If you are fuzzy on the unit, our guide to what a watt-hour is breaks it down.
To estimate runtime, divide the usable capacity of your power station by the TV’s running watts. Real batteries deliver roughly 85 to 90 percent of their rated capacity once you account for inverter losses, so the table below already trims for that.
| Power station | 60 W TV | 100 W TV | 150 W TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 Wh | ~7–8 hrs | ~4–4.5 hrs | ~3 hrs |
| 1000 Wh | ~14–15 hrs | ~8.5–9 hrs | ~5.5–6 hrs |
| 2000 Wh | ~28–30 hrs | ~17–18 hrs | ~11–12 hrs |
So a common 500Wh portable battery runs a modest LED TV for the better part of a movie night, while a 1000Wh unit can cover most of a day of casual viewing on an efficient set. Want to plug in your exact TV and battery? Run the numbers in our runtime calculator. If you are still choosing a battery, the sizing calculator works the other direction and tells you how big a unit you need for a target number of hours.
Don’t forget the soundbar and streaming box
A TV rarely runs alone. The extras are small, but they add up over a long outage:
- Streaming sticks and boxes. A Roku stick pulls about 2 to 3.5 watts; an Amazon Fire TV Stick runs roughly 3 to 6 watts. Tiny, but they draw whenever the TV is on.
- Soundbars. Most compact soundbars use 15 to 40 watts at normal volume. A bigger setup with a powered subwoofer can pull more during loud scenes.
- The router and modem. If you are streaming rather than watching over-the-air, your internet gear needs power too, usually 10 to 30 watts combined. That is its own line item to plan for, and it is the difference between a quiet TV night and no stream at all.
Add it up: a 65-inch LED at 110 watts, a 25-watt soundbar, a 4-watt streaming stick, and 20 watts of networking gear is about 160 watts total. That whole entertainment setup, internet included, is covered in detail in how long a power station runs a TV and internet. And if your concern is just staying connected, whether your WiFi works during a power outage walks through what it takes to keep the network alive.
Frequently asked questions
How many watts does a 55-inch TV use?
A typical 55-inch LED/LCD TV runs around 60 to 120 watts at normal brightness, with many landing near 80 watts. A 55-inch OLED tends to sit a little higher, roughly 90 to 130 watts on bright content. For backup math, 100 watts is a safe planning figure for this size.
Does a TV have a startup surge like a fridge?
No. A TV is solid-state electronics with no motor, so it powers on to its running wattage without the brief spike that compressors and pumps produce. You can size a battery or inverter to a TV using running watts alone.
How long will a power station run my TV?
Divide the station’s usable capacity by the TV’s watts. A 500Wh unit runs a 100-watt TV for about 4 to 4.5 hours; a 1000Wh unit runs the same TV for roughly 8.5 to 9 hours. An efficient 60-watt set stretches those times by more than half.
Is an OLED TV less efficient than an LED?
On average, yes, especially on bright, full-screen content where an OLED may pull somewhat more than a same-size LED. The gap narrows on dark scenes because OLED pixels switch off completely. For outage planning, assume the higher end of the range for an OLED.
How do I find my TV’s exact wattage?
Check the label on the back of the set or the spec sheet; both list a power rating, though it is usually a maximum rather than typical use. For a real reading, a plug-in watt meter shows live draw while you watch. The measured number is almost always lower than the nameplate.
Sources
- RTINGS — OLED and LED TV Power Consumption and Electricity Cost
- ENERGY STAR — Televisions (efficiency and standby specs)
- EnergySage — How Many Watts Does a TV Use?
- SoundbarExperts — How Much Power Does a Roku Use?
- Amazon — Fire TV Stick technical specifications
