Plants cannot be grown in the absence of sunlight. But grow light changed that concept. Among various types of grow, lights LED lights are the most effective and easy process to grow plants at home with less chemical usage. They produce less carbon and have control over the lighting spectrum which is unimaginable with High-Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPS) lights.
In this article, we will discuss the wattage equivalent of different types of lights and what may cost you if you use grow light for your indoor gardening. You will also get an idea of which grow light is the most power-efficient.
Do grow lights use a lot of electricity?
No, grow lights don’t accelerate electricity costs. Competition among the manufacturer making the grow light more and more efficient with time.
The electricity costs mainly depend on the size of the unit and how much time it’ll operate.
If you are using multiple grow lights together make sure that the power circuit of grow room can handle the overall power draw. Don’t go beyond 75% of the rated ability of the circuit breaker.
Does LED grow lights cost less to run?
Yes, LED grow light costs less to run than other types of grow lights available in the market.
LEDs are the most energy-efficient
We are showing data of wattage comparison between LED and other types of lights.
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | Incandescent Light Bulb Wattage |
| 10 watt | 100 watt |
| 5 watt | 50 watt |
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | CFL Light Bulb Wattage |
| 12 watt | 20 watt |
| 3 watt | 5 watt |
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | Sodium Light Bulb Wattage |
| 100 watt | 250 watt |
| 60 watt | 150 watt |
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | Halogen Light Bulb Wattage |
| 12 watt | 100 watt |
| 6 watt | 50 watt |
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | Fluorescent Tube Light Wattage |
| 24 watt | 70 watt |
| 18 watt | 35 watt |
| LED Light Bulb Wattage | Metal Halide Light Bulb Wattage |
| 200 watt | 400 watt |
| 100 watt | 250 watt |
So, from the above chart, you surely got the fact that consuming less power LED will give you the desired output. The less the power consumption the less the energy bill and the more efficient it is.
Grow Light electricity cost
You have to consider few things to determine the energy costs that will grasp by grow light.
Firstly Lighting Type
All lights are not equal as you saw above. A LED light is much more efficient than other types of light. So obviously, if anybody uses LED light instead of CFL or Incandescent bulb his/her electricity bill will be less.
Lighting Time
The lighting time is a huge factor to determine the power bill. During the veg stage, light has to be used 18 to 24 hours a day. So, that will surely increase the energy bill.
Number of Lights
The more lights you run the more will be the power costs; It’s a basic thing. If you use 2 or more light bulbs instead of one then obviously you will have to count the more light operating costs.
Local Electricity Costs
Energy cost is different in every area. That means the electricity rate will vary from state to state. The electric company uses kilowatt-hour (kWh) as a standard for monthly power usage.
But, what is watt and kilowatt hour?
Watt is a unit of power in other words watt is just a unit of energy consumption.
And, Kilowatt-hour is the measurement of how much electricity you consume per hour. For this case, you have to just divide the total watt by 1000.
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Electric Bill of 1000 Watt Grow Light
The average power usage cost in the US is 12.87 cents per kilowatt-hour. That means electric company charges are $ 0 .1287 kW/h.
So, if a grow light is rated 1000 watts, then for calculating the energy bill firstly we will have to convert it to kWh.
So, it will be 1 kWh. Then we have to multiply it by the cost per kWh ( areawise)
So, it’ll be 1 x 0.1287.
Finally, if we use the light approximately 18 hours per day then the monthly power bill will be 1 x 0.1287 x 18 x 30 = $ 69.498 per month.
The Formula is kilowatt x kWh cost x hours per day x 30 days
So, the monthly operating cost of a 1000 watt grow light will be $ 69.498 per month.
But if you use 1000 watt equivalent Incandescent, CFL or other types of bulb it’ll cost you more electricity bill.
What are the best 1000 grow lights to save electric bills?
As mentioned earlier LED lights are the best for indoor gardening. To assist in your pick up we have enlisted the best possible LED grow lights of the current market.
Please go through our picking for the 4X4 grow tent. Most of the lights are more than 1000W equivalent. If you have a small grow space then check 2X2 grow lights. For a limited budget, our pickings are in the best inexpensive grow light collection.