How much does it cost to run a LED grow light?

Growing plants indoors is fun and therapeutic, especially during Michigan’s dark, winter days. Forcing bulbs, starting seedlings, blooming African violets or orchids, or just growing foliage plants that clean the air is a welcomed alternative to staring out a window viewing the magnificent desolation of the season.

In order to produce and keep good quality plants, supplemental lighting is usually required. Utility costs are really up and some people might be a bit concerned about the extra expense that plant lights will add to the monthly bill. 

The first thing that we will look at is the rate paid for electricity. This can be found on your bill and is expressed in cents per kWhr (kilowatt hour). For example, my basic energy charge is $0.079797/kWhr, but there is more. Added to the basic rate is a PSCR renewable energy, system access distribution, energy efficiency and securization charges plus a securization tax, which brings the rate up to $0.122109/kWhr.

The next thing I need to know is some information on the light fixtures, specifically the wattage of the bulbs. Let’s say that I am using two, 4-foot fluorescent fixtures that contain two 40 watt grow lights each. The total wattage is 160 (four bulbs x 40 watts). Since we are charged using kilowatts, divide 160 by 1,000 and multiple by the rate, which for me would be $0.122109/kWhr = $0.0195374. The result is the cost to run the lights for one hour. Multiply $0.0195374 by the number of hours you plan to run the lights (14 hours). The cost to run the lights per day is $0.2735236 or $8.20 per month.

If I have an HID (high intensity discharge) light with a 600 watt bulb in it, using the same method of calculation, it would cost me $30.90 per month. Of course, with a metal halide HID grow light I could grow my own tomatoes and other vegetables indoors. Is it worth it? You decide!

One of the main advantages of growing with LED grow lights is their lower power usage. ECO FARM LED grow lights are very efficient at growing healthier indoor plants with increased potency while reducing the operating expense of an indoor grow at any scale. ECO FARM LED lights reduce the amount of electricity needed to grow plants and minimize the heat output, which in turn reduces the HVAC tonnage necessary to keep the grow room in the desired temperature range of 72-88 degrees F.

ECO FARM 206W FULL SPECTRUM LED GROW LIGHT FOR INDOOR PLANTS VEG AND FLOWER

The Eco Farm 206W LED grow light has a optimal 12 bands full spectrum with 120pcs 10W double-chip lamp beads. Best lighting mixture & evenly coverageull spectrum for indoor plants veg and flower UV&IR.

2 dimmers offer brightness settings for the light from vegetation to blooming. Built-in timer with12 hours, 15 hours and 18 hours for each stage.This revolutionary design provides your crop with Perfect Blend Spectrum Technology, amplifying growth rate, quality, size, yield, and gives you complete control over your photo-period. optical lens Magnifies PAR and Increases Canopy Penetration. Perfectly suitable for size 2'*2' to 4'*4' grow tent.

Let's test this LED grow lights electricity cost.

We turn on the light for 24 hours to see the actual power consumption. The figure below shows the power consumption after we turn on it for 24 hours. Let's use an electric power detector to check whether the lamp really saves electricity. First, we look at its instantaneous power, which is 207.5w, similar to 206w given in the manual. It is normal for the instantaneous power to fluctuate around the average power.

Next, let's turn on all the lights for 24 hours to test the actual power consumption.



It can be seen from the picture that we have lit this lamp for [1484] minutes and 1440 minutes equal to 24 hours, so the actual power consumption is only [4.86]kwh, which is about [4.86] * 1440/[1484] = [4.716] kWh for 24 hours a day.

According to the current electricity charge of US$ 0.125 per kilowatt hour in the United States, it can cover an area of [9.56] square feet of cannabis planting area for only US$0.6 per day. 1sq.ft = 0.092903 M2, that is to say, it can cover an area of [0.89] square meters.

If it covers the cannabis planting area and flowering area, it can cover [4] square feet. 1 sq.ft = 0.092903 M2, that is to say, it can cover an area of [0.37] square meters.

If your room is 5 meters wide and 6 meters long (30 square meters), remove the non-planting area in the space. If the planting area is about 20 square meters, then [50] of these lights will be enough. The daily lighting time for cannabis growth is usually only 16 hours. Therefore, the real daily electricity charge should be [20] USD

Personally, I think this LED grow lights is particularly suitable for small tent planting. One tent with this lamp is enough.