How much does an LED bulb cost to run?

Figures on this page are calculated from typical appliance wattages and the price per kWh you enter, not looked up from a bill. See how we calculate this.

What an LED bulb costs to run: typical 9 W, about $2 a year. Adjust the figures to your own usage and electricity price.

Wattage and running cost

Based on 2.7 h a day at $0.18/kWh, the US average. Change the hours and the price in the calculator above.

An LED bulb is the appliance where the switch to modern technology paid off most dramatically. A single LED giving the same light as an old 60 W incandescent draws only about 8 to 10 watts, and even compared with the halogens that replaced incandescents it uses roughly 85% less power. This page shows the cost of one bulb; multiply by the number you run for a room or a whole home. The wattage is low, but lights are on for hours every evening, so across many bulbs it still adds up.

Because an LED converts most of its energy to light rather than heat, there is little left to save on the bulb itself — the technology is already efficient. What matters is quantity and hours: a home might have dozens of bulbs, and the ones in kitchens, living rooms and hallways run for hours daily. Swapping the last remaining halogens or incandescents for LEDs, especially in the most-used fittings, is one of the fastest-paying energy upgrades there is.

Beyond the running cost, LEDs last far longer — often 15,000 to 25,000 hours against 1,000 to 2,000 for a halogen — so you also buy far fewer bulbs over the years. The small habits still help: turning lights off in empty rooms, using lower-output bulbs where you do not need brightness, and fitting dimmers or sensors in spaces that are only used briefly. Use the LED vs halogen calculator to see the saving from switching a whole home.

One nuance worth knowing: a 'smart' Wi-Fi or Bluetooth LED bulb is not quite the same as a plain one. To stay reachable by an app or a voice assistant, it keeps a small radio powered even when the light is switched off, typically drawing a fraction of a watt around the clock. Across a handful of smart bulbs in a home that is a small but real standby cost on top of the light itself — worth knowing if you are choosing between a smart bulb and a smart plug controlling a plain one.

Most people arrive at this page holding an old wattage in their head — the 60 W or 100 W incandescent that used to go in the fitting — and the whole point of an LED is that the number no longer means brightness. A bulb that replaces a 100 W incandescent draws about 14 W for the same light, which is where the saving comes from and why comparing bulbs by watts stopped working. Watts now tell you what a bulb costs; lumens tell you how bright it is. The two used to move together and no longer do.

What an LED bulb costs in other countries

The figures above assume $0.18/kWh, the US average. An LED bulb does not change when it crosses a border — the price of the electricity it drinks does. Here is what its 9 kWh a year cost in the 14 countries with a page here, dearest first.

Each figure is in that country's own currency at its average all-taxes-included price; the dollar column is there so they can be set against each other. Ireland to Canada is a factor of 3.8 — same appliance, same hours, 3.8 times the bill. Follow a country for its real retailer tariffs and what makes up that price, or see the full electricity price comparison by country.

How to cut LED bulb running costs

• Replace any remaining halogen or incandescent bulbs with LEDs, starting with the most-used lights.
• Match brightness to the room — you rarely need the highest-output bulb everywhere.
• Turn lights off in empty rooms; it is the simplest lighting saving of all.
• Use sensors or timers in hallways, bathrooms and outdoor spaces used only briefly.
• Check lumens, not watts, when buying so you get the light level you actually want.

Frequently asked questions