When I purchased a projector for my home, my first thought was, how much power does a projector use? It was a costly purchase, I must say; however, it was worth it because, finally, my family and I would be able to enjoy movie nights together.
Nowadays, there are many types of projectors available on the market, and each one of them comes with different specifications depending on multiple factors, as it’s an essential multi-purpose device for all educational institutions and offices.
Before I made the purchase, I had made quite a bit of research on this topic to find which model would be a more cost-effective option in the long run, so I decided to create this article to help you make the best decision in terms of power saving.
How Much Power Does a Projector Use
Now when the world is going through a recession, of course, you would want to know how much power does a projector use if you are someone who likes to stream movies every night. The answer to this question largely depends on various factors; however, generally speaking, it ranges between 50 to 800 Watts per hour for most projectors, from the smallest to the largest ones.
Projector’s Power Usage Depending on Its Projection Technology
Battery-powered projects – the lowest power consumption (from 10W to 90W per hour)
Speaking of the new inventions that can significantly lower the power bill are the projectors that run on batteries. As you can already assume, batteries consume very little power, less than 10W to 90W.
Even though they might be ideal for camping or outdoor movie streams, the biggest disadvantage of battery-powered projectors is that they don’t have good picture quality.
LED projectors – minimal power usage (from 50W to 300W per hour)
The LED light source is known to be the most cost-effective in terms of power consumption, so projectors that work on LED are known to be drawing minimal power that won’t cause any dent in your electricity bill. Some most popular LED projectors consume 50W to 300W per hour on average since they emit moderate brightness.
LED projectors use no bulbs, so there is nothing to change, and they are famous for preserving energy. Their life span is estimated to be over 20,000 hours, so there is nothing to wear out; eventually, the LED light burns out.
Since these projectors are the most eco-friendly, they are also the most expensive option than others which makes them pretty difficult to find on the market, especially if you are looking for one with high specifications.
DLP projectors – average power usage (from 150W to 350W per hour)
If you have an old projector in your home or work, the chances are it’s a DLP model, as these types of projectors are the oldest technology on the market. Compared to the other models on my list, I can say that they fall within the average power consumption range, starting from 150W to 350W.
Probably one of the biggest setbacks of the DLP projectors is the fact they use a bulb for projection, with an average lifespan between 2200 to 3500 hours. This means that you can use the DLP projectors for about 3-4 hours, making them a bit costly option to purchase.
Laser projectors – average to high power usage (from 100W to 800W per hour)
Wherever LED and DLP projectors fall back, the Laser projectors stand strong. They are one of the newest inventions and use a laser to melt the material and project an image on the screen. Compared to LED projectors, they have significantly higher power usage due to the fact that they require much more electricity because they use light beams as a source of the projection.
The power consumption of laser projectors is anywhere between 100W to 800W, with a 350W power consumption on average. Nonetheless, laser projectors are the most eco-friendly and durable technology, so there is no need to second guess the quality.
Also read: How to Watch Projector in Daylight
Calculating How Much Power My Projector Use
Now that you know about each type of projector’s power consumption, how do you calculate the power consumption of the one you own at home? I have done a bit of research on this topic to find the most accurate method. So if you are doing it individually, take into consideration the following aspects:
Electricity consumption monitor
One of the most accurate ways to find out how much power does the projector use per day is by using an electricity consumption device. These devices can be installed in the power outlet; just plug in your projector in the wall socket, and the device will start measuring the watts when you use it.
Alternatively, you can also calculate the approximate usage manually.
Calculate the power usage manually
If you don’t have an electricity calculating device or cannot use it where you want to measure the power consumption, you can easily do it manually.
Daily power consumption
First, you want to determine the approximate power consumption of your projector’s type. You can find this type of information on your projector’s label; if there isn’t any, look at the information I have provided you above, depending on what kind of projector you are using.
Now note how many hours in a day you have used your projector to calculate the approximate power consumption. So let’s say that your project consumes about 80W per hour; if you use it for three hours, the result will be 240W.
Read more: How to Use a Projector Outside During the Day
Overtime power consumption
If you want to find out how much power your projector uses over time, you must keep track of how long you use it on a daily basis. For example, if you use it for approximately two hours per day every day, and its power consumption per hour is 250W, the monthly power usage for 30 days would be 15,000W.