Digital billboards use less power than you might think says Britt McConnell, the Southeast/North Central Sales manager for Formetco.   Insider asked Britt to talk about digital sign power use.  You can reach Britt at BrittM@formetco.com, 678-951-1118.  Here’s a link to a Linkedin article Britt has published on digital sign power costs.

Britt, digital billboards use less power than you might think. Why is that?
Over the years technology has advanced with efficient components. High efficient LED’s and power supplies, along with advanced environmental cooling designs, have brought digital billboard power consumption to an all-time low. In the past, digital units would use fans to dissipate heat. On a hot day that can account for almost 20% of your energy consumption. With high quality components, using less power, they create less heat to dissipate giving you the ability to have a filterless and fanless design like the FTX. We welcome anyone down to Our plant for a one-on-one power demonstration in more detail. It’s a great learning experience as power is a critical factor for a faster return on investment and longer useful life.
Insider has an inefficient 14 by 48 static billboard with old lights which consumes 2,000 kilowatts hours of power per month at a cost of $254/month assuming a cost 10 cents per kilowatt hour If Insider replaced this board with a new 14 by 48 two sided Formetco digital board what might the power costs be?

Today you would be around the same amount, of about $250, per face or less. I have seen 14×48 power bills as low as $169.80, in a 30 day billing cycle, using a little over 2000 kilowatts. This included four led light fixtures on the backside. I have attached a customer bill and testimonial.
What are typical power costs of a 10.5′ by 36′ digital sign.  Per a 10 cents kilowatt hour, your cost should be around $110-$120 a month. This number can fluctuate 10 to 15 percent pending the location of the board. The orientation of the location can play a role with that number. Signs facing north, or away from direct sunlight, do not need to be set as bright during the day, compared to a south facing sign getting direct sunlight for most of the day.

What are some ways digital sign owners can reduce their electric power bill?

• If you have a fan system that uses filters, you should inspect and replace the filters twice a year. Fans operating with dirty air filters will use additional power that can boost electrical costs.

• Another way to reduce costs is content design. For example, white is produced by turning on the Red, Green and Blue LEDs. During the day, when the sign operates at a higher brightness, white areas consume the most power. A black background does not utilize any LEDs, therefore will consume a lot less power.   So, total power is directly affected by the color use in the advertising content.

• Lastly, as I have seen in some markets, are units running too bright. An example of this is night brightness needs to be adjusted based upon competing light sources in the background surrounding the LED sign face. In a location with higher ambient light conditions, a sign might be set at an 8% brightness than a sign that is in a location with little or no ambient light. A sign located with little to no ambient light might be set as low as 1%. These are all factors to consider, since brightness and power go hand in hand.