After a recent application to install a double-sided digital advert screen in Central Bristol, we discovered that the unit would use more electricity

The electricity cost of digital adverts

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2022-05-14 07:00:02

After a recent application to install a double-sided digital advert screen in Central Bristol, we discovered that the unit would use more electricity to power for a full year than 4 homes! Not only is this development going ahead, but there are also many more similar installations around the city.

According to the technical specification submitted as part of the planning application, the maximum consumption of this double-sided unit uses up to 1920W of electricity, or 16,819 kWh for a full year of operation. Digital advertising screens are illuminated year-round and through the night.

We’ve gathered information about the average electricity consumption of UK homes from these articles by Ovo, British Gas and UK Power. For our calculations, we have used the highest figure which is from Ovo, and estimates an average UK household electricity consumption of 3760 kWh per year.

Based on these figures, we can see that the electricity used by just one double-sided bus stop advert unit – to push unnecessary sales of items like junk food, fizzy drinks, new cars, fast fashion and the latest consumer craze – is more than 4 times that needed to power the average household.