How Much Electricity Does a Light Bulb Use?

Compare light bulb electricity usage. LEDs use 8-12 watts, CFLs use 13-15 watts, incandescents use 60 watts for similar brightness.

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Quick Answer

An LED bulb uses 8-12 watts, a CFL uses 13-15 watts, and an incandescent uses 60 watts for equivalent brightness. Running a 10W LED for 5 hours daily costs about $0.30 per month. Incandescents cost 6x more to run. Calculate your savings with the Power Cost Calculator.

Key Takeaways

LEDs are 75-80% more efficient than incandescents.
Smart bulbs use 0.
Dimmed LEDs use proportionally less energy.

Explanation

LEDs are 75-80% more efficient than incandescents. A 10W LED produces the same light as a 60W incandescent. At $0.16/kWh, running an LED 5 hours daily costs $2.92/year vs $17.52/year for incandescent.

CFLs fall between LEDs and incandescents in efficiency. A 13W CFL equals a 60W incandescent. However, CFLs contain mercury and have shorter lifespans than LEDs.

Switching all bulbs in a home from incandescent to LED can save $100-200 per year on electricity. LEDs also last 15-25 years vs 1 year for incandescents.

Things to Know

Smart bulbs use 0.5-1W on standby for WiFi connectivity.
Dimmed LEDs use proportionally less energy.
Halogen bulbs are slightly more efficient than incandescents but still far below LEDs.