Signage, Displays & Architectural Graphics worked example

Power Supply Sizing with connected led and lighting load of 6 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the power supply sizing numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: connected led and lighting load of 6 kW instead of the typical 12 kW. Power Supply Sizing here estimates the operating energy cost of the power supplies driving an illuminated sign or display, and breaks it down to a cost per illuminated unit.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Connected LED/lighting load: 6 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Daily illuminated runtime: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Electricity rate: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Units illuminated by the supply: 1,000 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Energy cost = connected load × runtime × energy rate.
  • Energy cost works out to 5.76 $ / unit at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Energy used works out to 48 kWh at these inputs.
  • Cost per piece works out to 0.01 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly cost works out to 0.72 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where connected led and lighting load sits at 12 kW and the headline result is 11.52 $ / unit, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 5.76 $ / unit.
  • Use it when specifying power supplies or estimating the operating electricity cost of an illuminated sign, channel-letter set or display wall. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Energy cost: 5.76 $ / unit (headline result)
  • Energy used: 48 kWh
  • Cost per piece: 0.01 $ / piece
  • Hourly cost: 0.72 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Power Supply Sizing calculator, set connected led and lighting load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.