These days, most people prefer to buy at least a 50-inch TV for their living room, and the days of a 32-inch set being considered impressive are very far behind us.
However, they continue to be made and in high numbers. Indeed the 32-inch TV is outliving some of the much larger screen sizes such as the 40-inch and 70-inch that are now being phased out.
And that’s because they’re a really versatile TV – not for the den but for the smaller rooms as a secondary screen – your kitchens, your kids’ bedrooms – even RVs, where they remain a fantastic fit.
But how much extra energy are you using when you have one of these TVs in your home? And if you do install one in your RV, how much power is it draining from the battery? Let’s take a look.
Wattage of 32 Inch LED TVs
The typical wattage of a 32-inch LED TV is 28 watts. The exact wattage will vary depending on the model of TV, including how bright the display is and the resolution of the screen. When in standby mode, a typical 32-inch TV will use around 0.5 watts.
So, how does that pan out over typical weekly, monthly, and yearly use?
Well if we work with the estimate that most households use their TV for 3.25 hours per day then that’s a total of 637 watt-hours per week when the TV is being watched, and an extra 76 watts of power just for being on standby mode, for a total of 713 watt-hours per week.
Over the course of a month, that becomes 3,090 watt-hours or 3.09 kilowatt-hours. Yearly it’s 37 kilowatt-hours.
With an average electricity cost of $0.14 per kilowatt-hour, that means that a typical 32-inch LED TV will cost you $5.18 per year to run – not a huge sum at all.
Yet you could reduce this further – if you completely switch off the TV when it’s not being used, instead of leaving it on standby, you can reduce the number of kilowatt-hours used by 4 each year, saving you $0.56.
Wattage of 32 Inch OLED TVs
There are no 32-inch OLED TVs that you can buy. The smallest OLED TV you can buy is LG’s 42-inch C2 model. You can however buy a 32-inch PC monitor and use it as a TV – these use around 57 watts of power.
OLED displays work differently from typical TVs. Normal TVs light up an image using LED lights either around the screen, or on the back panel. OLED displays instead use an individual light for every pixel – calling them self-lit pixels. Each one can turn on or off. This makes blacks much darker since there’s no light bleeding through from an illuminated part of the screen.
This also means they use around twice as much power as the equivalent 32-inch TV, but the picture is pretty incredible. Obviously, a 32-inch OLED PC monitor doesn’t have a TV tuner, but if you connect a PC then you can use it to watch streaming apps. Though you’ll need to factor in the cost of running the PC as well.
How many volts does a 32-inch TV use?
The number of volts used by a 32-inch TV depends on your electrical mains, rather than the TV itself. So TVs in the US will use 120 volts, as that is the standard power supply from the mains. However, you can buy specialist low-voltage TVs designed for cars and RVs – these use 12 volts.
If you’re buying your TV from a typical US retailer, most will use 120 volts, but if you’re specifically looking for one for your RV then make sure to search for a 12-volt option. They’ll have limited features and will likely be less bright than a regular TV, but they can run from an RV battery rather than needing a shore connection.
How many amps does a 32-inch TV use?
With a typical 32-inch TV using 28 watts, you can calculate that it will use less than a quarter of an amp – 0.23 to be specific.
To calculate amps, simply divide the number of watts (28) by the voltage (120). Low voltage (12V) TVs, therefore, use 2.33 amps.
This means that, if you’re planning on using a battery to run your TV, provided it can supply more than 2.33 amps of power (which pretty much all can) then it will be fine. Then, you just need to check how many watt-hours the battery could provide, and work out how long it can sustain the TV from that.
Does A Bigger TV Use More Electricity?
Bigger TVs use more electricity. TVs consume power to process the image on the screen and to illuminate it using LED lights. The bigger the screen, the more LEDs are needed to create a clear image.
Larger TVs also typically have a higher resolution, which means a higher power draw is needed to render the detail, and they often come with extra features which can enhance your viewing experience at the cost of extra power.
Read more: How Much Electricity Does A TV Use?
What Size TV is Good For An RV?
When buying a TV for an RV, you ideally want a low-voltage screen that isn’t too big or heavy, otherwise, it could be damaged while you travel. 32-inches is the perfect size as a compromise between power draw and quality.
Most TVs for RVs are smaller than 32-inches – expect to see many low voltage TVs that are PC monitor-sized, around 19-24 inches. But 32-inch options are available.
You don’t want anything bigger since they won’t look great on a 12-volt connection, and they could easily become damaged while you drive around.
Best 32-Inch TV for RV
This 32-inch TV from Free Signal is a great low-voltage option with a high-definition picture and 3 HDMI powers, meaning you can add a DVD player or games console (provided you can power them – you may need a shore connection for these).
It can be mounted onto the wall of your RV for extra security and to keep it from using a lot of space, or there’s a stand that you can use for displaying it on a kitchen unit if you prefer. It also comes with an AC power brick if you want to use it at home.
The Bottom Line
32-inch TVs use much less electricity than larger TVs, making them a good option for children’s bedrooms, the kitchen, or the garage. If you’re looking for a 32-inch TV for your RV, be sure to choose a low-voltage DC-powered model.
You can find the exact wattage of any TV by checking the label on the back, but on the whole, you can expect a 32-inch TV to draw around 28 watts.
32-Inch TV Wattage FAQs
Expect an LG TV to use 27-30 watts. The exact watts used by a 32-inch LG TV will depend on the features that it has, but 32-inch TVs don’t tend to have a lot of extra features compared to bigger TVs.
Sony 32-inch TVs us 28 to 32 watts. Sony doesn’t make many 32-inch TVs anymore, focusing instead on the larger screen market. However, their limited options are still powered by the Bravia Engine, which means they use slightly more power for a better picture.