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Taylor Swift Emissions 2024: A Deep Dive Into How Much Energy Her UK Eras Tour Performances Will Use
We can’t stop thinking about the Eras Tour, a literal countdown to the event of the year! This summer, the Taylor Swift Eras Tour will take over the UK, and a few of us at LOVE HQ have been so lucky to secure our spots to see the icon herself.
Between 7th June and 20th August, Swifties up and down the country will be flocking in their thousands to witness the virtuoso play at Edinburgh Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Liverpool Anfield Stadium, Cardiff Principality Stadium, and London Wembley Stadium.
Over the 15-day sold-out UK leg of the tour, the stadiums will play host to 61,000 to 90,000 fans, and naturally, we were curious to see how much energy Taylor Swift’s performances per night would cost and what that power is equivalent to.
What Type Of Tech And Equipment Will Be Used At A Taylor Swift Concert?
To divulge our curiosities, we first looked at the type of equipment Taylor might bring and came across a useful article from Empire Lakes Productions. According to their research, Taylor’s performances use immersive LED video walls, huge lighting rigs, crystal clear sound systems, interactive LED crowd bracelets, stage automation, and special effects.
Taylor Swift knows how to put on a good show, and has pulled out all the stops into giving her fans the show they deserve. Brandon Peltz uploaded a video to their YouTube channel in 2023, demonstrating a thorough deep dive into the tech used in Swift’s Eras Tour show.
Throughout the 38 minutes and 45 seconds, it’s clear to see the top-of-the-range production value that has been considered, and the higher quality equipment could equal higher energy consumption.
Taylor Swift Energy Usage
How Many Homes Could Taylor Swift's 15-Day UK Stadium Tour Power For An Entire Year In The UK?
Based on the equipment and tech listed above, we were really out of our depths with the energy consumption of each item, so we reached out to see if any experts could provide any insights. We were approached by Jason Koffler, CEO of Critical Power Supplies, one of the UK's leading emergency power solution experts.
Koffler states that the energy usage for stadium tours can vary widely and his calculations below are based on estimations.
“The average UK household uses around 2,700 kWh of electricity per year. A stadium tour involves multiple performances, rehearsals, and setup days, so let’s assume it spans 30 days. If we conservatively estimate 10,000 kWh per day (considering lighting, sound, and other equipment), the total for the tour would be approximately 300,000 kWh. Keep in mind that this is a rough estimate, and actual usage can vary based on tour specifics. Regardless of the specific figure, energy usage is vast. One evening at a stadium, where the kilowatts could be as high as 35,000 kWh, could power 12.9 homes for a full year.”
So according to the numbers above, in terms of Taylor Swift's energy usage 194 houses could be powered for an entire year in the UK, over the whole 15-day UK leg of the Eras Tour. Also considering the current Ofgem electricity price cap from April 2024, the amount of energy usage would cost £128,625 across all nights.
Jason Koffler then goes on to say,
“Research in the public domain suggests that over the three nights of the Eras Tour at the MCG, Taylor fans used around 35 terabytes of data. The tour not only depends on the event venue being powered but the work behind the scenes and the energy required in the datacentres to keep those memories safe and shared with friends forever. That’s quite a legacy footprint.
Integrating backup power systems into the overall energy management strategy can help optimise electricity usage and ensure reliable power supply throughout the tour.”
How To Work Out How Much Energy A Concert Uses
To work out energy usage for the Taylor Swift concert, Koffler has considered lighting, sound, and other equipment to estimate a rough wattage value. If you wanted to work out energy usage for your home, you could also do a similar estimation based on the wattages of everything that requires electricity currently plugged in/in use at home, or for a single item.
Once you have your wattage value you can place it into the following equation to work out the costs for usage:
- Time Of Use (In Hours) X Power Consumption (kWh) X Unit Price In Pence
Here’s what the equation looks like with the Taylor Swift table data from above for one night of her tour:
- 3.5 Hours X 10,000kWh X 0.245p = £8,575
Her show will be across 15 nights so we can multiply £8,575 by 15 for £128,625.
The energy usage over 15 nights is 525,000kWh and considering the average UK household uses 2,700kWh over the year it’s a case of:
- 525,000kWh ÷ 2,700kWh = 194.4˙
This means the energy usage over the Taylor Swift Eras Tour could power 194 UK homes for an entire year.
Using the Taylor Swift tour as an example, here are the figures for each element within the equation:
| Venue | Nights | Performance Length (Estimated Hours) | Energy Usage (Estimated kWh) | Electricity Unit Price (In Pence) | Cost For All Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murrayfield | 3 | 3.5 | 10,000 | 24.5p | £25,725 |
| Anfield | 3 | 3.5 | 10,000 | 24.5p | £25,725 |
| Principality | 1 | 3.5 | 10,000 | 24.5p | £8,575 |
| Wembley | 8 | 3.5 | 10,000 | 24.5p | £68,600 |
| Total | 15 | 14 | £128,625 |
Carbon-Friendly Music Artists Adopting Sustainability Practices
Now, before you come for Taylor, this calculation can be applied to any artist who goes on tour. The production value and fan experience tend to exceed our expectations as we are lost to the magic of a show, however, there is hope yet to enjoy these experiences whilst still being conscious of our carbon footprint.
Many artists like Billie Eilish, Harry Styles and Coldplay have already started initiatives on their world tours to help reduce their carbon footprint.
In June 2023, Coldplay announced that the second leg of their Music Of The Sphere Tour would run their entire show from an electric battery system. Allowing them to use 100% renewable energy, they are also taking the initiative to use electric vehicles and alternative fuels to support their goal of reducing their carbon footprint by 50%.
With such influence and power, it would be incredible to see what initiatives other artists could develop to be more conscious of how their shows can affect our planet.
Despite uncovering some harsh truths about the energy consumption of a music concert, we are still very much looking forward to welcoming Taylor Swift to the UK and completely letting our hair down for the big show!
Our big takeaway is, how we can be more eco-conscious on our way to and from these shows, and in our own lives. These big shows have a shared footprint, and the responsibility rests with us as well as everyone involved in the production.
Not only can artists do more to consider their green initiatives, but stadiums and venues can also look into switching to renewable energy and discovering how much they could save with Love Energy Savings.