Model
Samsung QN42S90FAE
Rank #49 means 48 of the 172 television models we track cost less to run each year; the 47th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 47% of those models.
What does the Samsung QN42S90FAE cost to run per year?
The Samsung QN42S90FAE is a relatively cheap runner for its class: about $26 a year, rank #49 of 172. Its 47th size-adjusted efficiency percentile is unremarkable, close to what a typical model in the class scores. At 71.93 W in on-mode, its power draw is a direct input into that running-cost figure.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Lg OLED48G5SU* at $25/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg 55QNED85TU* at $26/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 Samsung QN42S90FAE's $26/yr adds up to roughly $182 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Samsung QN42S90FAE 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 $26/yr, here is what the Samsung QN42S90FAE adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Samsung QN42S90FAE costs about $260. That is roughly $90 less than the class median, which would run closer to $350 over the same ten years.
How the Samsung QN42S90FAE compares
The television class we track runs from $3 to $117 a year. At $26/yr, it runs about $9 a year cheaper than the class median of $35, and it is about $23 a year more than the cheapest television to run at $3.
What drives its running cost
At 41.5 in, the Samsung QN42S90FAE is a small television for its class, which spans 13.23 to 114.4 in with a median of 55 in, and smaller television models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal. Its on-mode power draw of 71.93 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. The picture mode you leave a TV on, vivid or eco, moves its real-world wattage more than almost anything else you control directly.
- Screen size. A bigger panel needs more backlight or more emissive pixels to reach the same brightness, so energy use climbs with diagonal screen size across most panel technologies.
- Hours of use. ENERGY STAR's on-mode wattage figure assumes a standard number of hours per day; a TV left on longer than that, or used as ambient background noise, accumulates more of that hourly cost.
Common questions
Is the Samsung QN42S90FAE cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $26 a year it ranks #49 of 172 television models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Samsung QN42S90FAE cost per month?
Roughly $2.13/mo, spreading the $26/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 138 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $26 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Samsung QN42S90FAE for its size?
47th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Lg OLED48G5SU*47.5 in | $25 |
| 47 | Lg OLED42C4PU*41.6 in | $25 |
| 46 | Lg 50QNED85TU*49.5 in | $25 |
| 45 | Sansui LE-55V455 in | $25 |
| 44 | Sansui LE-50V149.5 in | $25 |
Source
ES_1023593_QN42S90FAE_020320250614484_6101486View certified television listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Samsung and QN42S90FAE 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.