Cost of running a Plasma tv against LED or OLED tvs

Posted 4th Jun 2022

So with the cost of electricity going north at an alarming rate im on a mission to look at what is using the Power and what i may be able to have some control over. Anyway i looked at my 8 yr old Panasonic 37 inch Plasma TV and found it consumes 230watts and the latest 43 inch LED TVs use around 70watts so i did a thumbnail calculation of cost based on TV being used 6 hours a day 350 days of the year (holiday 15 days) .
Based on 30p per kilowatt (thinking of what it may be in october )

230watt x 6hr x 350 days x 0.30pence = £144.90
70watts x 6Hrs x350 days x0.30 pence = £44.10

so a saving of £100 per year
Cost of a new LED 43 inch TV around £279 (LG 75 at Currys) so break even after 2yrs 8 months.
Hope my maths are right but that is how it looks to me

Misc

New Comment

Groups

28 Comments

sorted by

4th Jun
Is the lg 75 a 75” tv or model number?

as the calculation would be off if calculating for a 43” tv..
Author
4th Jun
Model number 43UP75
4th Jun
If you go from a plasma to a very low end LED (LCD) you might find the picture isn't as good despite the 4k HDR capabilities, particularly on SD / older content. Not having either of these TV's I of course couldn't comment on which has a better picture. But it's worth thinking about if you're switching based purely on savings that will take a few years to begin.
4th Jun
Which 37 pio? Don't forget that plasmas use variable energy consumption, not a static level. I used the same logic to swap my 60 kuro 9g to 65 oled
4th Jun
Payback time is shorter if you shift the ancient had-its-day tech to a purist who still reads 20-years-old specialist mags talking about deep blacks in (s)low res
4th Jun
Used kuro prices held for a decade until oled swung supply and demand massively as everyone migrated.
4th Jun
Are you certain the plasma consumes 230W, and thats not just the maximum rating for the built in power supply? For example I have a Panasonic 42" Plasma TV which the specs state:-

Rated Power Consumption - 195 W (The maximum rating for the power supply)
On mode Average Power Consumption - 95 W (The actual average energy usage)

However when actually turned on/calibrated it typically fluctuates anywhere between 85W to 130W depending on the screen contrast/brightness etc (Checked with an energy monitor)

I am currently debating upgrading for the same reason as yourself, but just not sure if the calculations will make it worth it or not. (edited)
Author
4th Jun
Thats interesting, im just going on the label on the back of the TV. If that is correct and averages 95w then i wont bother changing it as the picture is still as good as when i bought it.
Author
4th Jun
Here is the spec
manualslib.com/man…=71
4th Jun
I found the full specs for your TX-P37X10B in this Panasonic brochure:-
manualslib.com/man…=43

Rated Power Consumption - 230 W
On mode Average Power Consumption - 189 W

So it might be worthwhile upgrading for you?

For comparison my model is a TX-P42X60B which is a few years later than yours:-
panasonic.com/uk/…tml
So I guess Panasonic was able to reduce the power usage a fair amount in that time. (edited)
5th Jun
Can you get yourself a power monitor that would read the exact power usage for the time period? Could be a Smart device, or a basic plug in with its own display. This would take into account the fluctuations of warm up, on standby, bright colours, internet connection etc, and allow you to apply a more accurate set of figures to your calculation
7th Sep
These are the maximum power ratings for the TVs. In practice they consume a lot less. Also this energy does not disappear, but gets mostly transformed into heat - so in the winter months the TV is an extra room heater, that saves a bit on your heating bill. So it will take many years for a new TV to pay for itself.
5th Nov
Got to agree with you here! I recently gave my good tv to my dad as the usb went on his and I picked up a cheap cheap Samsung plasma and my goodness it heats up the room that I don’t need the heating on!! 😁
17th Oct
if you have a plasma you have to go oled in my experience as led just doesnt look as good
5th Nov
The rating on the back is probably for the startup current? my G20 46 is about 170 Watts on a energy monitor and keeps my toes warm
5th Nov
I have 14 year old plasma. am going to get LG C2 when that drops price. Plasma is like a bloody heater right now and my smart meter is like 1/3 of the way out when its on. It never drops!
5th Nov
Sorry Jungle what do you mean 1/3 of the way out? I’ve not got a smarter but as I posted above mines like a radiator too! Lol