LED Wall Power Consumption Calculator
Calculate exactly how much power your LED video wall will draw — total watts, amperage at common service voltages (120V, 208V, 240V, 277V, 480V), and the recommended service size with NEC 2023 Article 210.20 (80% continuous load rule) applied. Built for event production crews planning festival, concert, and conference rigs.
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Last reviewed: April 2026Report an error
From spec sheet — typical 600-1200W per panel.
Events: 30-50%. Outdoor daylight: 70-100%.
Required Service
200 A breaker
Peak draw: 57,600 W (159.9 A). Average draw at 40% brightness: 23,040 W (64 A). NEC 80% rule applied → recommended 200A breaker on 208V 3-phase service.
Peak Watts
57,600 W
Peak Amps
159.9 A
Avg Watts (at 40%)
23,040 W
Recommended Breaker
200 A
Source: NEC 2023 Article 210.20 (continuous load 80% rule). Breaker rounded up to next standard size.
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The Formula
- P_panel = Maximum watts per panel from manufacturer spec
- N = Total panel count
- V = Service voltage (120, 208, 240, 277, or 480 V)
- 0.80 = NEC 80% continuous-load rule (Article 210.20)
How to Use This LED Wall Power Calculator
- 1Enter the per-panel max watts from your spec sheet (Daktronics, Absen, ROE, etc.).
- 2Enter the total number of panels in the wall.
- 3Set average brightness percentage (events typically run 30-50%, outdoor daylight 70-100%).
- 4Pick your service voltage (120V single phase, 208V/480V 3-phase, etc.).
- 5Read total watts, amps per phase, and the recommended breaker size.
Frequently Asked Questions
- NEC Article 210.20 requires that continuous loads (3+ hours) be sized at 125% of the actual load on the breaker — meaning a 100A continuous draw needs a 125A breaker. Inversely, a 100A breaker should only carry 80A continuous. The calculator applies this automatically.
- Most LED panel spec sheets list maximum power at 100% white-screen brightness — a worst-case scenario. Real event content rarely sustains that, so panels typically draw 30-50% of max. Service must be sized to PEAK, but generators and bills are sized to AVERAGE.
- For walls under ~10,000W, single-phase 208V or 240V is fine. Above that, 3-phase 208V is standard for festival distros — it lets each phase share the load and cuts current per leg by 1.73x.
- Modern LED panel power supplies have power factor near 1.0 (resistive-like). Inrush at panel turn-on can be 3-5x running current for ~50ms — usually handled by the panel's own soft-start circuit, but factor it into your distro design for very large walls.
- For event use: take peak watts (calculator output), multiply by 1.25 for safety margin, and pick a generator with continuous output at or above that. For long shows, use peak watts × 1.5 to account for both spikes and engine derating.
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