Energy consumption of electron advertising screens on London Underground
Request ID: FOI-3019-2122 Date published: 26 April 2022
You asked
Dear TFL, please could you provide details or estimates with respect to the annual amount of energy used to operate electronic advertising screens on London Underground.
In addition, please provide details of how TFL sources it's electricity supply and to what extent renewable energy is used.
We answered
TfL Ref: 3019-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28 March 2022 asking for information about TfL use of energy.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked: please could you provide details or estimates with respect to the annual amount of energy used to operate electronic advertising screens on London Underground. In addition, please provide details of how TFL sources it's electricity supply and to what extent renewable energy is used.
Digital advertising is beneficial due to it not needing to be visited fortnightly by a “person in a van” nor does it produce waste in the form of paper / vinyl that is hard to recycle.
The wattage of our digital advertising assets on our rail estate is 505,896. Points to note are that this includes London Underground, DLR and Overground, however the vast majority of it will be on London Underground.
Please provide details of how TFL sources it's electricity supply and to what extent renewable energy is used.
TfL has a commitment to procure 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030. Electricity consumed by advertising assets is procured by different methods, including via the companies providing advertising services to TfL, therefore the contracts and sources are not all the same. The electricity procured directly by TfL will transition to renewable sources through the use of power purchase agreements (PPAs), with the first procurement launching in 2022 for at least 10% of TfL’s annual electricity consumption. The use of PPAs directly increases the volume of renewable energy supplying the UK grid.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
