In order to grow and maintain high-quality plants, growing lighting is usually required. Some people may be worried that LED grow light will increase the extra cost of the monthly bill.
Generally speaking, LEDs are more energy-efficient than transitional lamps HPS HID:
- Under the same PPF, the LED energy consumption is lower, and the overall energy consumption is reduced by 10-25%
- Under the same wattage, the PPFD provided by the LED is higher, and the actual supplementary PPF is equivalent to twice that of other traditional lamps
- Special spectrum, such as red light to promote flowering, blue light to promote leaf growth
Calculating electricity bills is not difficult, you only need to know three things:
- The actual power of the light
- The number of hours the lamp runs per day
- Electricity price
We will use Mars Hydro FC4800 to run through an example.
FC4800 is true 480W. The actual power draw of a light should be easy to find. Any reputable manufacturer will provide this information.
Kw/h= 1000 watts sustained for 1 hour
(1 Kilowatt = 1000 watt)
Medical plants, 18 hours on vegging and 12 hours on flowering, and you may use the dimming function in vegging stages to reduce the power draw.
30 cents per kilowatt hour, which equals €0.3 per kw/h
How Much Does It Cost To Run An LED Grow Light?
Okay, let’s check a FC4800(480W), 12 hour on a day, a month electricity bill:
480W=0.4kw/h
1 day watt: 0.4kw/h x 12 hours= 4.8kw/h
daily cost: 4.8kw/h x €0.3/ kw/h= €1.44
monthly cost: €1.44 x 30 = €43.2
You might say it is not cheap! So why is everyone talking about how much lower the cost of running LED grow lights is? Because its cost is indeed lower than any other type of lighting, it basically means that you pay less for electricity to get the same result. It will not be as big as using HID lights or any other type of lights.
Let’s see how that compares to an equivalent 600WHPS light:
FC4800 can replace 600W HPS.
600W=0.6kw/h
1 day: 0.6kw/h x 12 hours= 7.2kw/h
daily cost: 7.2kw/h x €0.3/ kw/h= €2.16
monthly cost: €2.16 x 30 =€64.8
From €64.8 to €43.2, you will get a monthly saving of €21.6 for this LED grow light!
If you replace a 800 watt HID light with the led, and use many LED for large indoor room, you save even more
In addition to the lower power consumption of the lamp, lower heat output means less HVAC and more savings. In addition, the LED plant growth lamp does not require any ballast, lampshade or reflector. LED grow lights also require less water to grow plants. LED lights are a smart investment for any indoor planting operation and can increase your return on investment (ROI).
