There’s no denying the appeal of a giant TV.
Whether you’re upgrading for movie nights, sport, or immersive gaming, 75-inch and 85-inch TVs are fast becoming a common sight in living rooms.
But while these big screens deliver on impact, they also raise an important question: how much more energy do they use? With energy bills remaining a concern for many households, it’s worth knowing what kind of power draw you’re signing up for.
To help you make the right decision on getting a 75-inch or 85-inch TV, we’re taking a look at the power consumption for different types of models. We’ll break down the differences in energy usage between standard and super-sized TVs, explore real-world costs, and share tips on how to cut your TV’s power consumption.
Why bigger TVs use more power
As TVs increase in size, so does their energy consumption. For LED and mini-LED models in particular, larger screens require more advanced backlighting, leading to higher power usage. Features like higher brightness levels for HDR, advanced processors, and higher refresh rates also contribute to increased energy demands.
For instance, the Samsung QN90D – a 75-inch mini-LED TV we praised for its exceptional brightness and wide viewing angles – delivers stunning visuals but does so with a notably high power draw. According to Samsung’s spec sheet, the 75-inch QN90D has a maximum power consumption of 300W, while the 85-inch model pushes that even further to 375W.
Similarly, the Hisense 75U8N – another 75-inch mini-LED TV known for its bright HDR performance – is rated for up to 350W of power consumption, according to its Amazon retail listing. Its vibrant visuals and high peak brightness contribute to that figure, putting it in line with premium large-screen competitors like the QN90D.
When stepping up to 85-inch models, the energy demands increase again.
The Samsung QN900D, an 85-inch 8K TV packed with AI-powered processing and a super-bright mini-LED panel, has a maximum rated power consumption of 475W, per Samsung, making it one of the most power-hungry consumer TVs currently available.
In comparison, a standard 55-inch LED TV typically consumes around 100–120W under normal usage, illustrating the substantial gap in energy requirements.
Energy consumption comparison: 55-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch
The bigger the TV, the more power it’s likely to draw – but just how much more?
While wattage varies depending on the model, panel technology, and picture settings, we can look at averages across screen sizes to get a clearer picture of how energy use scales.
According to Watts Guide, a typical 55-inch LED TV consumes around 111 watts during use, while a 75-inch model averages approximately 178 watts, which aligns closely with figures from Eco Cost Savings, putting a 55-inch TV at 77 watts and a 75-inch TV at 114.5 watts.
Meanwhile, Energy Cost Cutting estimates that an average 85-inch TV will usually use between 160 to over 200 watts, depending on its features and brightness levels.
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That’s a noticeable jump: moving from a 55-inch to a 75-inch TV could increase your energy use by around 50%, and stepping up to 85 inches raises it further still. And these aren’t just marginal gains: they represent a significant increase in power drawn over hundreds of hours of viewing across a year.
TV display technology matters too. OLED TVs, for example, use self-emissive pixels, meaning they can be more efficient when displaying dark content like movie scenes. However, they can also draw more power than mini-LED and LED TVs during bright or colourful scenes.
TVs with mini-LED backlights, such as Samsung’s QN90D series, tend to be brighter overall and may use more energy as a result. High refresh rates (up to 120Hz and beyond) can also increase energy demands, especially on premium sets.
How much will it cost?
While a giant TV can transform your living room into a home cinema, it’s worth knowing what that extra screen real estate means for your electricity bill. Even though the cost per hour might seem small, the numbers can build up, especially if you’re watching several hours a day.
Let’s assume you watch five hours of TV per day and pay the UK average of around £0.30 per kilowatt hour. Your usage will look something like this:
- A 55-inch TV at 111 watts: around £60.77 per year
- A 75-inch TV at 178 watts: around £97.64 per year
- An 85-inch TV at 210 watts: around £114.98 per year
That’s a significant jump – more than quadruple the cost of running a typical 55-inch TV.
Of course, your actual consumption may be lower depending on brightness settings, usage habits and whether energy-saving modes are turned on.
Still, if your household is already energy-conscious, it’s not insignificant. For perspective, running a high-end 75-inch TV daily could cost about the same annually as a mid-tier Netflix or Disney+ subscription, and an 85-inch 8K set could rival the yearly cost of both combined.
A 75-inch or 85-inch TV can completely transform your home viewing experience, especially coming from a more modest TV size.
Whether you’re diving into a new game, streaming a 4K HDR movie, or watching live sport, the sheer size and extra clarity offers an experience that smaller screens simply can’t match.
As we’ve seen, the jump from a 55-inch to an 85-inch model (and beyond) can increase your electricity use significantly, potentially adding more than £100 per year to your energy bill depending on the model and how long it’s used each day.
Bigger panels, brighter backlights, and high-end processing all contribute to this rise in energy demand – especially if you opt for a feature-packed flagship model.
That said, for many people, the benefits far outweigh the cost. The best large-screen TVs on the market – such as the Samsung QN90D, LG G5 OLED, or Hisense U8N – offer exceptional brightness, contrast and detail.
And with many models now offering advanced energy-saving settings, you don’t necessarily have to compromise too much on performance to reduce power usage.
In the end, while 75- and 85-inch TVs do use more energy than their smaller counterparts, it’s entirely possible to enjoy their advantages without a significant hit to your wallet, especially if you take a few proactive steps like limiting brightness by watching in a light-dimmed environment, or enabling energy saving or eco modes that automatically limit power consumption.
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