Backyard rink lights: how much light you need
Many backyard rinks get used after dark, so the lights decide how often the ice gets used. Rink lighting guides size a rink with one formula: footcandles times square feet gives the lumens. This page applies it to yard-sized rinks and turns the lumens into watts and an evening's electricity. I found no lighting guide written for backyards, so the numbers come from guides for community and arena rinks. Treat them as a starting point.
Your rink
| Line | Value |
|---|---|
| LED power at 130 lm/W | 185 W |
| Fixtures of 28,000 lumens | 1 |
| Energy for 3.0 h | 0.55 kWh |
| Cost per night | $0.10 |
| Cost for 30 nights | $3.04 |
Common sizes
Lumens needed at 20, 30 and 50 footcandles, with LEDs at 130 lumens per watt. The last column is the cost of a 3 hour night at 18.31 cents per kWh, for the 30 footcandle case.
| Rink (ft) | Area | 20 fc | 30 fc | 50 fc | Watts at 30 fc | Cost per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 × 28 | 448 sq ft | 8,960 lm | 13,440 lm | 22,400 lm | 103 W | $0.06 |
| 20 × 40 | 800 sq ft | 16,000 lm | 24,000 lm | 40,000 lm | 185 W | $0.10 |
| 30 × 60 | 1,800 sq ft | 36,000 lm | 54,000 lm | 90,000 lm | 415 W | $0.23 |
| 40 × 80 | 3,200 sq ft | 64,000 lm | 96,000 lm | 160,000 lm | 738 W | $0.41 |
Where the figures come from
- The formula and the efficacy. Sports Venue Calculator gives "lumen output needed (footcandles x square feet)" and assumes LED fixtures at 130 lumens per watt. Its text says amateur training rinks can skate by with 30 to 50 footcandles, while its standards table lists 20 to 30 for training and recreational use and 50 to 75 for amateur competition. The two do not match, so I show 20, 30 and 50.
- Outdoor targets. LED Lighting Supply lists 20 to 50 footcandles for outdoor hockey practice and general use, and 50 to 100 for competition. It calls these "general planning guidance, not universal code requirements."
- Fixture size. The same seller lists a 200 W LED area flood light at 28,000 lumens, which is 140 lumens per watt, and a 400 W one at 56,000. I used 28,000 lumens as the default fixture. A 5,000 lumen yard floodlight takes five of them for the 20 × 40 ft rink at 30 footcandles.
- Electricity. The US Energy Information Administration reports an average residential price of 18.31 cents per kWh for July 2026 (preliminary). In the same table Minnesota was at 17.45 and New York at 29.90, so enter your own rate.
What the formula leaves out
The guides list mounting heights from about 20 ft for outdoor practice up to 70 ft or more for competition rinks. In my reading, fixtures on a garage wall or a short post can spill more light past the ice and sit closer to skaters' eyes. The simple formula does not count that, so treat the lumen figure as a floor for planning. If the result looks cheap, remember it is only the formula's minimum. The fixture count and the bill grow with every light you add to cover the ice evenly. This page makes no claim about how bright a given fixture will look on your ice. Check the lumen figure on the box, because watts alone say little between fixtures with different efficacy.
General advice, not from the guides above: use cords and fixtures rated for outdoor use and keep connections off the ice and out of meltwater. Have a licensed electrician do any permanent wiring, and check local rules.
Planning the rink itself? Start with what size to build, or open the numbers in the calculator.