Sunday Night Lights: What Does it Take to Light up the Big Game??
The best teams, your favorite players, the biggest game of the year – sparks are bound to fly! But, hopefully – the right sparks!
With approximately 100 million viewers and more than 65,000 people physically attending the game, the annual football faceoff is one of the biggest AND brightest nights of the year. With two celebrated teams and a major celebrity half-time show, it’s important that the electricity stays on! (Remember 2013…Beyoncé?!)
Did You Know?
It takes up to 10 *megawatts to light up a stadium during this big match? One megawatt equals to 1,000,000 watts. That’s something…when you consider the average light bulb is 60 watts.
A total 50 *megawatt-hours (MWh) will be used throughout the stadium over 5 hours, equaling to about 700 watt-hours (Wh) per person.
*A megawatt (MW) is a unit of electric capacity or electric load. A megawatt hour (MWh) is the amount of electricity generated by a one megawatt (MW) electric generator operating or producing electricity for one hour.
That’s A Lot of Electricity!
Surely, we use much less watching the game at home…or do we? On an average day, peak household energy consumption is a whopping 30,000 (Wh)!
That figure may seem unreal. However, many stadiums have made tremendous efforts to “go green.” In fact, Hard Rock Stadium, one of the previous match venues for this event, was outfitted with Eaton’s Ephesus LED lights during a major $550 renovation in 2015. The Miami Dolphins were one of the first NFL franchises to install such lighting, replacing antiquated metal-halide lights with LED sports lights. This system not only cuts down on maintenance and reduces energy costs by 70% but is more controllable through cloud computing and smart technology.
Be Aware While Watching
Whether or not you’re lucky enough to score a seat at the game or a plum spot on the coach, be cognizant of the energy that you use. Turn off any lights in rooms that you’re not in; make sure electronics are plugged into outlets and not extension cords; and get together to watch the game – these small actions can help to reduce the amount of electricity you use!