How Many Watts Does a Monitor Use?

Monitors display visual content to their users. There is a wide variety of monitors available in the market. It ranges from sizes to models and manufacturers. However, the greater dilemma is its power consumption. 

There are also some things you need to understand about the power consumption of monitors that will ultimately make a lot of difference in whether or not you decide to go with one, especially in terms of choosing one. To reduce the power consumption, you must determine how much you’re already consuming. 

In this article, we’ll provide an in-depth review of the power consumption of different monitors. Firstly, we’ll look at different types of monitors and their power consumption. Then we’ll illustrate different monitor modes that affect electricity consumption. 

Types of Monitors

To get an idea of why some PC monitors use more power than others, we’ll have to consider the material they are made from. Here are 4 types of monitors.

CRT Monitors

CRT or Cathode Ray Tube monitors are huge and bulky in size. They are made of a vacuum tube with heaters, circuits, and electron guns. They’re no longer used because of their power consumption and manufacturing costs. The average power consumption of a typical 19-inch display is about 100 watts. 

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Monitors

LCD monitors are the most popular type of monitor. These monitors use transparent electrodes and polarizing filters. Also, these monitors provide better quality and are much easier to manufacture. In addition, they are thin and light. Hence, the average power consumption for this type of monitor is about 22 watts for a 19-inch display. 

LED (Light Emitting Diode) Monitors

LED monitors are the latest technology in the market. Similar to LCD, LED monitors are also flat and thin. However, it consists of a slightly curved display that utilizes LED technology. They consume much less power than LCD and CRT monitors. For a typical 19-inch display, the power consumption is about 20 watts. 

Plasma Monitor

As compared to LED and LCD, Plasma monitors utilize gas-filled technology. The gas-filled cells are placed between two parallel glass surfaces, and the screen lights up with the help of ultraviolet radiation. However, they are much more costly than LCD and LED monitors. For a 19-inch display, the power usage is around 38 watts. 

Operating Modes of Monitors

The number of watts a monitor uses also depends on its operating mode. There are a total of three modes that an average monitor has. However, keep in mind that the power consumption may vary depending on the model and the manufacturer. Let’s look at the three operating modes. 

1. Active Mode: Active Mode refers to the full load on the monitor. In other words, the monitor is on and functioning. 
2. Standby Mode: This mode reduces its power consumption to save energy. A monitor usually enters this mode after 20-30 minutes of no activity. 
3. Shutdown Mode: In this mode, the monitor is off except for its power light. Only the red LED light appears, indicating it is in Shutdown Mode. However, it still consumes between 0 to 5 watts unless you switch off the power source. 

Now that we’re familiar with the monitor technology and its power usage, let’s have a look at the final summary of the power consumption of each type of monitor.

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap. The article has provided a brief guide on how many watts a monitor uses. As long as you keep your monitor on standby, you aren’t consuming much power compared to other household equipment. Additionally, you can save a lot more by fixing the heating, cooling, and lighting issues with your monitor. 

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