At the Ofgem cap rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a television rated 100W costs about 10.5p a use and £38.43 a year when 4 hours a time, once a day.
| Per hour of running | 2.6p |
|---|---|
| Per use | 10.5p |
| Per day | 10.5p |
| Per year | £38.43 (146 kWh) |
Calculated at 26.32p per kWh, the capped electricity unit rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026 on a standard variable tariff paid by direct debit. Electricity carries no VAT in that period, so this is the full unit price. The 54.83p daily standing charge is not included, because you pay that whether or not anything is switched on.
Two things worth knowing about that figure. The cap limits the unit rate, not your bill, so using more still costs more. And it is a Great Britain average: the actual capped rate is set per region, so your own rate could move these numbers either way. It is on your bill.
Television has no thermostat cycling it on and off, so the running cost is simply the rated power multiplied by the time it is switched on. Short bursts of high wattage cost less than people expect.
Figures for television run from about 30W to 250W. Screen size and panel type set the draw. A 43 inch LED sits around 60W to 80W; a 65 inch OLED can pull well over 150W on bright content. OLED draw varies with what is on screen, because black pixels are simply off, so a dark film costs less to watch than a bright sports broadcast.
Turn down the backlight, which is the single biggest setting. Shop demo or vivid picture modes are deliberately bright and can double the draw compared with a calibrated mode.
Assuming standby is the problem. Modern sets draw well under a watt on standby; the viewing is the cost.
Annual running cost against the appliances closest to it, on the same assumptions. The ordering surprises people: short bursts of very high wattage usually cost less than something modest left on for hours.
| Appliance | Per year |
|---|---|
| Games console | £43.23 |
| Air conditioner | £41.45 |
| Television | £38.43 |
| Hair dryer | £24.02 |
| Microwave | £20.49 |
Across a year, a television on these assumptions is about 5.8% of a typical annual electricity bill of £658.00 at these rates.
The figures here use the capped rate. If you are on a fixed tariff, or you want to add several appliances together, put your own unit rate into the energy cost calculator on the homepage.