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Cost to run a TV box

A TV box drawing 40 W costs 1.05p for each hour of running at 26.32p/kWh. Used 5 hours a day, every day, that comes to £1.60 a month.

An hour of running costs

1.05p an hour

That is 0.04 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £1.60 a month and £19.21 a year.

On the label or in the manual.

Standby, thermostats and off-peak use

A thermostat switches it on and off to hold a temperature. 100% if it runs flat out.

Drawn while plugged in and not running.

Electricity price

26.32p/kWh in the United Kingdom

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.
Running cost, energy and emissions by period
PeriodCostEnergyCO2e
An hour of running1.05p0.04 kWh8.7 g
A day, on average5.26p0.2 kWh43 g
A month£1.606.08 kWh1.3 kg
A year£19.2173.0 kWh15.9 kg

How we calculated this

Energy is power multiplied by time: 40 W running for an hour uses 0.04 kWh.

The starting use for a TV box, 5 hours a day, every day, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.

Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.

Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.

What drives the cost

A TV box draws 40 W while it is on, and many are left on around the clock, which turns a small draw into a real cost. At 5 hours a day, every day, a TV box costs £19.21 a year; leave it on all day and it costs several times that.

Also called: set-top box, cable box, streaming box, satellite receiver.

What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US

For a TV box used as typical (5 hours a day, every day), at each country’s published average electricity price.

CountryElectricity priceAn hour
United Kingdom26.32p/kWh1.05p
United States (average)18.19¢/kWh0.73¢
Ireland€0.4042/kWh€0.016
Germany0,3869 €/kWh0,015 €
France0,2561 €/kWh0,01 €
Spain0,2669 €/kWh0,011 €
Italy0,2966 €/kWh0,012 €
Netherlands€ 0,2558/kWh€ 0,01

Compared with similar appliances

ApplianceTypical powerAn hourA year, typical use
TV box40 W1.05p£19.21
LED or LCD TV79.5 W2.09p£44.06
DVD player40 W1.05p£2.47
Wi-Fi router10 W0.26p£23.06

How to spend less on it

  • Check whether it has a deep-sleep or eco mode and turn it on: some boxes keep drawing power in standby, so a lower-power mode is worth using.
  • Switch it off at the wall when you go away for a few days.

Questions

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

At 26.32p/kWh, a TV box drawing 40 W costs 1.05p for every hour of running at full power.

How much does a TV box cost to run a year?

Used 5 hours a day, every day, it costs about £19.21 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £1.60 a month.

Should I turn the TV box off at night?

If it stays on around the clock it draws 40 W all day and night, which costs £19.21 a year at 26.32p/kWh, far more than the hours you use it. Turning it off, or using its lowest-power mode, saves most of that.

Sources

  1. How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “TV box (40 W)”

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Your prices

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Pick where you live for your local prices.

Electricity

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Gas

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.

Default Ofgem, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026.