What does it cost to air-condition a World Cup?

DALLAS — The electric bill for FIFA’s World Cup matches in the U.S. will come to $860,000, according to data compiled by a power company.

Dallas Stadium – known to locals at AT&T Stadium – will use the most electricity, the equivalent of powering 1,035 homes for a month, followed by Atlanta (equivalent to 884 homes) and Houston (784 homes). All three cities are known for their blistering summertime heat and feature giant, air-conditioned stadiums. At the other end of the spectrum, San Francisco and Seattle will use far less electricity, the equivalent of less than 400 homes, in large part because of their outdoor stadiums and cooler climates.

One other big difference among the cities: the power bill for Dallas’s air-conditioned dome will be $77,000 roughly half the $152,000 bill for Los Angeles’s open-air stadium, despite the LA venue’s lower power use. That’s largely due to Texas’s dirt-cheap electric rates for industrial customers. The data, provided by Texas-based utility Payless Power, only covers the 11 stadiums in the United States.

The company calculated the bills based on each stadium’s size, roof type, local climate and regional electric rates. Sadly, the company didn’t tally the cost of other big power draws during the Cup, such as the five-story mall next to New Jersey/New York stadium, or chilling the Scottish delegation’s beer.