How much power does your AV event need?

Power is the thing nobody plans until it trips

Every AV crew has the story. Doors are open, the keynote is about to start, someone plugs in a kettle backstage and the breaker feeding front of house trips. Audio is gone, the switcher reboots, the stream drops.

Almost every one of those stories comes down to the same thing: nobody added up the power before the show. It takes ten minutes, and it is the difference between asking the venue for the right circuits and finding out the hard way.

Step 1: List every powered device

Go through your plan or packlist and write down everything that plugs in. Group it by where it will be in the room, because each location usually gets its own power:

• Front of house: mixer, switcher, computers, monitors, streaming encoder, router.
• Stage: amps, keyboards, wireless receivers, stage monitors, confidence monitors.
• Cameras: cameras, PTZ cameras, field monitors, wireless video transmitters.
• Displays: projectors, TVs, LED walls.
• Lighting: fixtures, dimmers, lighting desk.

Step 2: Find the wattage

Check the label on the back of each device or its spec sheet for the maximum power draw in watts. If you only have amps, multiply by the voltage: a device drawing 2A at 120V uses 240W.

Some typical figures:

• Mirrorless camera: 10 to 20W. Cinema camera: 40 to 80W. PTZ camera: 20 to 30W.
• Field monitor: 10 to 15W. Large display: 80 to 150W.
• Laptop: 60 to 100W. Desktop streaming PC: 300 to 600W under load.
• Powered speakers and amplifiers: check the spec, as peak and average draw can be very different.
• LED walls and projectors: often the biggest loads in the room. Always use the manufacturer’s figures.

Use the maximum figure, not the typical one. Equipment draws the most at start-up and when working hard, which is exactly when you do not want a breaker to trip.

Step 3: Convert to amps

Add up the watts for each location, then divide by your mains voltage:

Amps = Watts ÷ Volts

• 1,200W at 120V = 10A
• 1,200W at 230V = about 5.2A

Higher voltage means lower current for the same load, which is why the same rig needs fewer circuits in Europe, the UK and Australia than in North America.

Step 4: Apply the 80% rule

Never plan to load a circuit to its full rating. For continuous loads, which is every AV show, plan for no more than 80% of the breaker’s rating:

• 15A circuit at 120V: 12A, or 1,440W
• 20A circuit at 120V: 16A, or 1,920W
• 16A circuit at 230V: about 12.8A, or roughly 2,940W

Divide each location’s total by the usable capacity and round up. That is how many circuits you need there.

Step 5: Separate audio from everything else

Even if the numbers fit on one circuit, try to keep audio on its own power, away from lighting dimmers and LED walls. It reduces hum and buzz, and it means a lighting problem does not take the sound down too.

A common split:

• Audio: front of house and stage audio on a dedicated circuit, or several.
• Video and streaming: switcher, computers, encoders and network on their own circuit, ideally with a UPS.
• Lighting and LED: on separate circuits sized for the fixtures.

Step 6: Ask the venue early

Send the venue a short power request with your rider or tech spec: how many circuits you need, where, at what rating, and what connectors you expect. Ask what is available and where the outlets actually are. Some rooms have four outlets on one breaker. You want to know that a week before, not during setup.

Add a UPS for anything that cannot go down

The streaming computer, the switcher, the network and the recorder should be on an uninterruptible power supply. A small UPS gives you minutes of runtime and, more importantly, rides through the short drops and spikes that otherwise reboot your gear mid-show.

Do the sums faster

Our free power consumption calculator does all of this for you. Add gear from presets or enter custom wattages, choose 120V or 230V, and see total watts, amps and how many circuits you need.

To keep power in the plan itself, use H2R Gear’s free drawing tools to drop Power drop symbols on your room layout, so the crew can see exactly where each circuit lands. Share the plan with the venue so everyone works from the same drawing.

Power planning checklist

• Every powered device listed, grouped by location
• Maximum wattage for each device
• Watts converted to amps for your mains voltage
• Circuits sized at 80% of their rating
• Audio separated from lighting and LED
• UPS on the stream, switcher, network and recorder
• Power request sent to the venue at least a week before

Plan your next event in H2R Gear for free.