LED vs Incandescent Savings Calculator
LED vs incandescent cost from wattage, hours a day and electricity rate, counting replacement bulbs by rated life, with payback and CO₂ from EPA eGRID. How it works
Use the LED vs Incandescent Savings Calculator
About the LED vs Incandescent Savings Calculator
A 9 W LED in place of a 60 W incandescent uses 85% less energy. At $0.12 per kWh it saves $6.70 a year for a lamp on 3 hours a day, and $17.87 a year at 8 hours a day, the default, which suits a light left on most of the day. At 8 hours over 10 years the incandescent socket costs $240.24, with 30 bulbs of 1,000 hours, and the LED $41.54, with 2 bulbs of 15,000 hours: a saving of $198.70, and the $4 higher LED price pays back in 2.7 months. The LED vs incandescent calculator counts every replacement bulb from the rated life, so enter your own hours.
Savings for one bulb by wattage pair
| Incandescent vs LED | Saved a year | Saved over 10 years | Payback | CO₂ avoided a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 W vs 6 W | $11.91 | $139.14 | 4.0 months | 34.5 kg |
| 60 W vs 9 W | $17.87 | $198.70 | 2.7 months | 51.8 kg |
| 75 W vs 11 W | $22.43 | $244.26 | 2.1 months | 65.0 kg |
| 100 W vs 15 W | $29.78 | $317.84 | 1.6 months | 86.4 kg |
8 hours a day, $0.12 per kWh, LED $5 and incandescent $1, rated lives 1,000 h and 15,000 h. The wattage pairs are examples: match brightness by lumens, which ENERGY STAR gives as 450, 800, 1,100 and 1,600 lumens for 40, 60, 75 and 100 W bulbs.
Savings by hours of use, 60 W vs 9 W
| Hours a day | Incandescent bulbs in 10 years | LED bulbs in 10 years | Saved a year | Saved over 10 years | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 4 | 1 | $2.23 | $21.34 | 21.5 months |
| 3 h | 11 | 1 | $6.70 | $73.01 | 7.2 months |
| 5 h | 19 | 2 | $11.17 | $120.69 | 4.3 months |
| 8 h | 30 | 2 | $17.87 | $198.70 | 2.7 months |
| 12 h | 44 | 3 | $26.81 | $297.06 | 1.8 months |
Same prices, rate and rated lives as above. Bulbs = hours of use ÷ rated life, rounded up.
Frequently asked questions
- How much money does an LED bulb save per year?
- A 9 W LED in place of a 60 W incandescent saves $17.87 a year at 8 hours a day and $0.12 per kWh. For 20 bulbs at $0.16 per kWh it is $476.54 a year and $5,165.44 over 10 years with replacements counted.
- How long does an LED bulb take to pay for itself?
- The extra price ÷ the yearly saving: ($5 − $1) ÷ $17.87 × 12 = 2.7 months at 8 hours a day. At 1 hour a day it is 21.5 months. Payback counts the first bulbs only, so it is the slower case for the LED.
- What LED replaces a 60 W bulb?
- Look for about 800 lumens, the brightness ENERGY STAR lists for a 60 W incandescent; for 40, 75 and 100 W bulbs it gives 450, 1,100 and 1,600 lumens. LED wattage for the same lumens varies by model, so type the watts printed on the box you are buying, such as the 9 W in the example.
- How much electricity does a 60 W bulb use?
- 60 W × 8 hours × 365 ÷ 1,000 = 175.2 kWh a year. A 9 W LED for the same hours uses 26.28 kWh, so the switch saves 148.92 kWh a year.
- How much CO₂ does switching to LED save?
- The 148.92 kWh saved × 0.348 kg per kWh is 51.8 kg a year. The factor is the U.S. national average in EPA eGRID 2023 data, 767.209 lb of CO₂ per MWh; your regional grid differs.
- How do I count lights used only on weekdays or part of the year?
- Set Days per week and Weeks per year. The days of use are 365 × (days ÷ 7) × (weeks ÷ 52), so 7 days and 52 weeks give the full 365. A 60 W to 9 W swap lit 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, at $0.12 per kWh saves $15.96 a year and $176.56 over 10 years. The same swap at 8 hours a day for 26 weeks a year saves $99.35 over 10 years.
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