How long will a power station run a TV?

A TV is an easy job for a power station. There's no motor, so there's no start-up surge. How long it lasts depends on your screen size and how bright it is.

How many watts does a TV use?

We pulled ENERGY STAR's list of certified TVs (183 models) and looked at the watts each one reported in the federal test. Here's the middle of each size group. Some groups are small (9 to 34 models), so treat these as a guide:

Screen size	Typical watts (ENERGY STAR certified)	Middle half of models
32 inch	about 32 W	30–35 W
43 inch	about 63 W	60–72 W
50 inch	about 68 W	65–73 W
55 inch	about 96 W	84–106 W
65 inch	about 119 W	112–127 W
75 inch	about 148 W	139–165 W

These are efficient, certified TVs measured at their test settings. Older TVs, very bright picture modes and HDR use more. Champion's wattage chart lists 80 to 400 W for a 32 to 55-inch TV. Our calculator uses 150 W as a middle-of-the-road figure.

Your own number beats any chart. Plug your TV into the station while the grid is on, and read the watts on the station's display.

How long will a power station run a TV?

Hours = station Wh × 0.85 ÷ TV watts

The 0.85 allows for the energy lost turning battery power into 120 V AC.

Power station	60 W TV	100 W TV	150 W TV	300 W TV
300 Wh	about 4 hours	about 2.5 hours	about 1.7 hours	under 1 hour
500 Wh	about 7 hours	about 4 hours	about 3 hours	about 1.4 hours
1,000 Wh	about 14 hours	about 8.5 hours	about 5.5 hours	about 3 hours
2,000 Wh	about 28 hours	about 17 hours	about 11 hours	about 5.5 hours

Worked example

You have a 55-inch TV that draws 100 W and a 1,024 Wh station.

• Usable energy: 1,024 × 0.85 = 870 Wh
• Run time: 870 ÷ 100 = about 8.7 hours

BLUETTI's own estimate for its 1,024 Wh Elite 100 V2 is 8.9 hours for an 85 W TV. That's a little lower than our formula gives (about 10 hours), which suggests that station loses a bit more than 15% in real use. Treat any run-time figure, including ours, as an estimate.

Don't forget everything else plugged in

The TV is rarely alone. Add up what's on at the same time:

Item	Watts
TV (55 inch)	85–105 W
Streaming stick or box	usually small; check its label
Wi-Fi router and modem	10–20 W (Champion)
Soundbar	varies; check its label
Game console	can be more than the TV; check its label

Say the TV, router and streaming box total 125 W. On a 1,000 Wh station, that's 1,000 × 0.85 ÷ 125 = about 7 hours.

What about a small camping TV?

Champion lists a portable or camping TV at 50 to 150 W.

Worked example: movie night at a campsite

A 24-inch camping TV draws 50 W, and you watch for 4 hours.

• Energy: 50 × 4 = 200 Wh
• Plus AC losses: 200 ÷ 0.85 = about 235 Wh

A 300 Wh station covers it, with a little left for phones. A 500 Wh station covers two nights.

Will a small power station run a TV at all?

Check the continuous watts. It must be above your total. A 300 or 500 W station runs any normal TV. A big screen plus a game console might push past 300 W, so check.

Look for pure sine wave AC output, which is what TVs and other electronics expect.

How to make it last longer

• Turn the brightness down or use an energy-saving picture mode. Bright and HDR modes draw more.
• Watch on a smaller screen. A 32-inch TV uses about a third of a 55-inch.
• Turn off what you aren't using, like a soundbar or console.
• Switch the TV fully off, not just to standby, when you're done.
• Use a laptop or tablet on the station's USB-C port. It uses far less than a big TV.

In a power outage

A TV is great for news and keeping kids calm, but it's not the priority. If the battery is limited, save it for the fridge, a CPAP, lights and phones first. See what size power station for home backup.

If you recharge from a gas generator, run it outdoors only, 20+ feet from the house, away from windows and doors. Read our carbon monoxide guide.