How Many kWh Does a Satellite TV Receiver / DVR Use?
Satellite TV Receiver / DVR energy cost calculator — see your exact daily, monthly, and yearly electricity cost.
US national average. Edit for your local rate.
Daily Energy Use
0.60
kWh / day
Monthly Cost
$3.39
Yearly Cost
$41.24
Satellite TV Receiver / DVR — Cost Breakdown
| Period | kWh Used | Cost ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Per Hour | 0.0250 | $0.0047 |
| Per Day | 0.60 | $0.11 |
| Per Month (30 days) | 18.00 | $3.39 |
| Per Year (365 days) | 219.00 | $41.24 |
Running a satellite DVR all day uses about the same energy as running a ceiling fan on low for 8 hours.
3 Ways to Cut Your Satellite TV Receiver / DVR Energy Bill
- 🌱
Enable the power-saving standby mode — some DVRs draw 15–20W even in standby; low-power mode cuts this to 5W.
- 💡
Reduce the number of simultaneous recording tuners active if you rarely record multiple shows at once.
- ⚡
Unplug during extended vacations — the DVR's hard drive and processor run 24/7 even when no recordings are scheduled.
Satellite receivers are electronics with a hard drive — the drive spins up with a minor surge, but overall draw is stable and low.