LED grow lights are the most expensive option out of incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, and high-intensity discharge lights, but just how much does it cost to run a LED grow light? Here I’ll be talking about the incredible advantages to LEDs.
LED grow lights use very little power when running, which, in the long run, will save you money on electricity. They also emit less heat, are very efficient, and can be recycled.
However, many people wonder if the performance of LED grow lights is worth the higher price tag (relative to CMH lights). We will discuss their performance so that you can decide whether this technology warrants your investment.
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Advantages Of LED Grow Lights
There are many advantages of using LED grow lights.
For example, LEDs use a lot less power than other types of lighting. You can expect to save as much as 48% energy when using an LED over a high-intensity discharge grow light. This energy that you save will also save you money on your electricity bill each month.
Another benefit of this type of lighting is the low heat emitted. If your light emits too much heat, it could burn your plant. Additionally, the heat given off by the light will increase the room temperature, which can also cause damage to the plant. The fact that LEDs give off less heat will mean that you will save money on cooling the room each month.
LEDs have lower HVAC costs. They also are very long-lasting, which means that you will save money on repairs and replacements. You can also recycle LEDs, which makes them even more environmentally-friendly.
Disadvantages Of LED Grow Lights
Although there are many advantages to using LED grow lights, there is one main disadvantage that many people consider a deal-breaker.
As mentioned, these are the most expensive grow lights that you can buy. They can cost anywhere from 2 to 5 times as much as other comparable light types. Even with all the advantages, this price tag often repels many plant growers.
How Much Does it Cost to Run a LED Grow Light?
The cost of running a grow light comes from how long the light is on for per day, how much power the light uses, the price of electricity, how much energy is lost to heat, and several other variables. We will be looking at the average daily cost of running a LED grow light. It is important to note that there are many different types of LED lights that will each have different running costs.
The number of hours that your LED grow light is on for every day depends on the type of plants that you are growing – certain plants require more hours of light every day than others. However, most vegetable and flowering plants need about 12 hours of light every day.
LED lights use less power than any other type of light. If you use a 380W LED light bulb for 12 hours every day, your light will use 4560W of power every day. The amount of power that your lighting uses will depend on the power rating of the light used.
The price of electricity does not always stay the same. To calculate the cost of running your LED grow light, you multiply the amount of power burned by the light per day by the electrical rate.
For example, if you use 4560 watts (or 4.56 kilowatts) of power every day and the price of electricity is $0.13 per kilowatt-hour, the cost to run that light will be:
Kilowatts used per day x electrical rate per = cost to run light per day
4.56 x 0.13 = $0.59
In that example, you would be spending about 60 cents on running your LED grow light per day.
Additional Costs
There are additional costs when it comes to growing plants indoors with grow lights. For example, the lights can heat up the room that contains the plants, which is not ideal. To prevent this, farmers usually use air conditioning to cool the room. However, since LED lights do not emit much heat, you would save money on air-conditioning costs.
You would also have to repair or replace the lights every couple of years. Although LEDs are long-lasting, they will be more expensive than other lights to replace.
Conclusion
There are more advantages than disadvantages to using LED lights. For example, they emit less heat, use less power, and can be recycled. However, they are the most expensive grow lights that you can purchase.
So how much does it cost to run a LED grow light? The cost of running an LED grow light depends on many things, including the power usage of the bulb, how long the light is on for each day, and the cost of electricity (which often changes). To calculate the cost of running your LED light each day, multiply the kilowatts used by the light per day by the electrical cost. There are also additional costs, such as repairing or replacing your lights.
