# broken TV. How much elec. does it use?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broken-tv-how-much-elec-does-it-use/252587>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 28, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broken-tv-how-much-elec-does-it-use/252587 "2004-06-28T18:21:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broken-tv-how-much-elec-does-it-use/252587/1 "2004-06-28T18:21:19Z")

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My TV is on the fritz and we already spent $100 we don’t have on getting it fixed once. Not having a TV at all isn’t an option, because I have a little kid, and mommy sometimes _needs_ a Teletubbies tape break.

What’s happening is that the TV won’t turn on sometimes. It isn’t following a pattern and sometimes it won’t turn on for several days but other times will turn right on. So what I do instead of turning the TV off when we are done watching, is switch it to the DVD input (AV1 it’s called) and the screen is black and silent.

Is the TV still sucking energy at the same rate with no sound and no picture? Am I going to take a big hit on my electricity bill? Or can this work for the time being until we can afford a new TV?

Thanks,

Twiddle

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broken-tv-how-much-elec-does-it-use/252587/2 "2004-06-28T18:36:35Z")

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> [@Twiddle](#):
>
> Is the TV still sucking energy at the same rate with no sound and no picture? Am I going to take a big hit on my electricity bill? Or can this work for the time being until we can afford a new TV?

Your typical TV uses about the same amount of power as an average light bulb (about 75 watts or so). The demand will drop somewhat if the sound is muted and only a black screen is displayed, but for the most part, the power draw remains fairly constant. I wouldnt’ worry about the bill, as it’s not going to be any higher, on average, than with a working TV, unless there is a problem causing an abnormally high draw. If your TV feels much hotter than usual, this may be the case; it’s unlikely, however.