LED vs incandescent savings
Swap a bulb, keep the same light, and see what it saves: on the electricity bill each year, and over all the bulbs you will not have to buy.
You save each year
$9.49
55.8 kWh less a year for 1 bulb lit 3 h a day
- Pays back in
- 2.5 months
- Energy saved
- 85%
- Over one LED life
- $142.05
After 1 year: incandescent $13.17, LED $4.68, difference $8.49
| Incandescent | LED | |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbs bought per socket | 15 | 1 |
| Electricity a year | 65.7 kWh | 9.9 kWh |
| Electricity cost a year | $11.17 | $1.68 |
| Total, bulbs + electricity | $168.00 | $25.95 |
Estimates from the figures you enter: not a bill, and not financial advice.
Same light, a fraction of the power
Brightness is measured in lumens, not watts. ENERGY STAR lists the minimum lumens that match the old bulbs: 450 for 40 W, 800 for 60 W, 1,100 for 75 W, 1,600 for 100 W and 2,600 for 150 W. Pick the bulb you are replacing, then enter the wattage printed on an LED that gives at least those lumens.
The savings come from two places: electricity, because the LED draws far less for the same light, and replacements, because one LED outlasts many incandescent bulbs. The Department of Energy says LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer.
Energy a year = watts × hours a day × 365 ÷ 1,000
Payback = extra price of the LEDs ÷ monthly saving
Sources
- ENERGY STAR, Learn About Brightness: old incandescent watts and the minimum lumens that match them.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver lighting fact sheet (August 2021): LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Questions
Are the lumen figures exact?
They are minimums. An LED sold as a 60 W replacement should give at least 800 lumens; some give a little more, which is fine.
What if my old bulb is a halogen or a CFL?
Choose "Another wattage" and enter what it draws. Halogens use a little less than incandescents for the same light and CFLs much less, so switching them to LED saves less.
Why does the chart go up in steps?
Each step is a new incandescent bulb, bought when the last one reaches its rated life. The LED line is smooth because one bulb lasts the whole chart.