Insider had noticed a recent article that asked the question, Is the climate cost of digital billboards too high to justify?
With heat waves hitting major portions of the country, conversations related to the climate are bound to come up concerning digital boards.
To get an update on the current state of digital billboards, we reached out to Joni Schmeichel at Daktronics for their thoughts on the climate and how digital billboards fit into the mix.
Insider has seen recent climate related articles about how much electricity a typical digital billboard utilizes. What is the actual usage of a 14×48 billboard currently being manufactured?
The operating wattage fluctuates based on variables like the brightness level of the display, the content that plays and even the direction the display is facing. Taking these variables into consideration, a 14 x 48 digital billboard consumes somewhere between 24,000 and 28,000 kWh per year. To reduce power consumption, Daktronics digital billboards use a multi-directional light sensor for automated brightness adjustments throughout the day, so the sensor dims or brightens the sign, based appropriately on lighting conditions. Additionally, a display showing full white content will draw more power than any other content, but when is the last time you saw all white content on a digital display? It’s unheard of, and it is discouraged from a creative best practices standpoint.
A Daktronics 14×48 display built today uses just 23% of the power it took to run the first digital signs back in 2005.
Is electrical usage for digital boards becoming a more common objection operators might hear in discussions through the permitting process?
While it may become more prevalent in the permitting process due to heightened global sustainability concerns, power consumption has been a main concern for any operator purchasing digital billboards since their inception. We, as well as most of our customers, strive to be good stewards of the environment. That’s one reason digital display manufacturers have been working hard to drive down power use through every new product design and release. This goes back to critical selection and sourcing of display components.
Sustainability topics are on the agenda at every OOH conference we’ve attended this year. It is a major focus of the industry on every level – manufacturer, supplier, media owner, advertiser. Sustainability involves much more than just creating an energy-efficient product. It’s an ongoing commitment that must reach all levels of a company, from manufacturing to its customers, to make a true impact.
If the question arises on the climate impact of a digital sign, do you have thoughts on the most effective way to engage with a local permitting board on the issue?
Involve your display provider up front. It is likely that if you are buying from a provider with a commitment to sustainability, they have documentation in place to answer the questions of the permitting board, and they can provide certification certificates.
Many of our customers already have a sustainability plan in action, and they can share those plans and activities with the permitting board. For example, one way Daktronics contributes to the protection and improvement of the environment is through the Adopt-a-Highway program. Year after year, Daktronics employees volunteer to clean up trash along a four-mile stretch of Interstate 29 (located just south of corporate headquarters). Others plant wildflowers or create habitats, If anyone would like ideas, I invite them to reach out to me or another Daktronics representative
What progress is the industry making in continuing to provide a more energy efficient digital billboard product?
Energy Efficiency
Daktronics prioritizes efficiency through design. We fully understand the effect of power consumption on the environment. A focused approach on producing the greenest technology includes careful selection of high-quality components and constantly developing more efficient technology. Our displays offer industry-leading efficiency, and we work closely with our LED suppliers to develop these technologies. This demonstrates not only our dedication to responsible use of resources but ultimately creates a significant positive environmental impact over the display’s lifetime.
Environmentally Friendly
While providing energy-efficient digital billboards is important for the 10+ years the display operates, it is also important to design environmentally friendly products. With all digital displays, eventually the time comes when it is no longer viable to keep the display operating. When this happens, display owners must evaluate their options to replace the display and determine what to do with the old one. If the owner decides to remove the old display, it is possible to recycle more than 98% of the digital display. This level of recycling is a result of a product designed to maximize recyclable materials and the commitment by recyclers to salvage every material possible.
Lighting Control Capabilities
Brightness can be controlled in many ways to ensure that the display is consuming only the energy it requires. Our displays have 256 levels of dimming that can be set to automatic, scheduled, or responsive to environmental conditions, such as sunlight or cloudiness. This ensures the displays won’t consume unnecessary energy. (See Multi-directional light sensor reference above)
Innovation
We continue to invest in more efficient LED technology like chip-on-board and MicroLED. It’s also possible that the LED billboards you see today will evolve into something entirely new in the future. We are exploring and investing in reflective technology. While still in a research and development stage, it shows great potential to provide a game-changing, low power solution.
Beyond Energy Efficiency
Construction Waste Management
Daktronics has instituted recycling and conservation processes at all our factory locations across the country, as well as on location for installation and construction. We create packaging materials that can be recycled, such as aluminum crates for components. We also hold our subcontractors accountable for using appropriate recycling streams on location.
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