Model
Emerson ATSC-PM81331
Rank #1 means 0 of the 172 television models we track cost less to run each year; the 99th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 99% of those models.
What does the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 cost to run per year?
The Emerson ATSC-PM81331 runs for about $3 a year, landing it in the very bottom slice of the cost table at rank #1 of 172 television models we track. Size-adjusted, this model beats 99% of television models we track on efficiency, a standout even among the class's efficient models. Its on-mode draw of 9.3 W is the number ENERGY STAR measures directly and the one this running-cost figure is built from.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Clear Tunes ATSC-PM81331 at $3/yr runs a little cheaper and the Clear Tunes CT-1514S at $4/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A television typically stays in service for somewhere around 7 years; over that span, the Emerson ATSC-PM81331's $3/yr adds up to roughly $21 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs. At rank #1 of 172, it is one of the single cheapest television models we track to run, in the top one percent on cost.
Also sold as: Clear Tunes ATSC-PM81331.
By the numbers
The Emerson ATSC-PM81331 normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $3/yr, here is what the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 costs about $30. That is roughly $320 less than the class median, which would run closer to $350 over the same ten years.
How the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 compares
The television class we track runs from $3 to $117 a year. At $3/yr, it runs about $32 a year cheaper than the class median of $35, and it is the cheapest television to run in the class among the models we track.
What drives its running cost
At 13.23 in, the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 is a small television for its class, which spans 13.23 to 114.4 in with a median of 55 in, at the small end of the class, capacity itself is doing a lot of the work to keep that figure down, separate from how efficient the unit actually is. Its on-mode power draw of 9.3 W (the class spans 9.3 to 343.5 W) is the direct input into the running-cost figure, and the picture-brightness setting you choose is the single biggest lever you control over it day to day.
- On-mode brightness. On-mode watts, the figure ENERGY STAR measures at the factory picture setting, can differ a lot from what a TV actually draws once you change the picture mode.
- Screen size. Screen size is the single strongest predictor of a TV's on-mode wattage, ahead of panel technology or brand.
- Hours of use. Running cost compounds with hours of use, so this figure is really a per-hour rate multiplied by a standard viewing assumption, not a fixed annual bill.
Common questions
Is the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $3/yr running cost puts it at rank #1 of 172, below what most television models we track cost to run.
How much does the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 cost per month?
About $0.28 a month, which is the $3 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 18 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $3 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Emerson ATSC-PM81331 for its size?
99th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clear Tunes ATSC-PM8133113.23 in | $3 |
Source
ES_1117334_ATSC-PM81331_08082023105101_719873View certified television listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Emerson and ATSC-PM81331 are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.