How much does LED lighting consume when it reaches 30,000 hours of use?
When we talk about LED bulbsOne of its great advantages is its durability. But have you stopped to think about how much electricity an LED bulb consumes after 30,000 hours of operation?
A 10 W LED bulb, after 30,000 hours of use**, will have consumed about 300 kWh**, which is approximately equivalent to €60 electricity expenditure (calculated with an average price of €0.20/kWh). And if you use lower wattage bulbs, consumption is even lower.
Next, we explain how it is calculated and leave you a table with examples according to the power of the bulb.
How is consumption calculated?
To find out how much energy an LED bulb has consumed throughout its useful life, we use a very simple formula:
Consumption (kWh) = Power (W) × Hours of use / 1000
Example with a 10 W bulb:
- 10 W × 30,000 h = 300,000 Wh
- 300,000 Wh / 1000 = 300 kWh
Summary table: consumption after 30,000 hours according to power
| LED power | Total consumption (30,000h) | Approximate expense (€/kWh at €0.20) |
|---|---|---|
| 5W | 150 kWh | 30€ |
| 7W | 210 kWh | 42€ |
| 10W | 300 kWh | 60€ |
| 15W | 450 kWh | 90€ |
| 20W | 600 kWh | 120€ |
And how does it compare to other technologies?
Halogen or incandescent bulbs consume much more. With the same brightness, a 50 W halogen bulb would consume:
- 50 W × 30,000 h = 1500 kWh
- 1500 kWh × €0.20 = €300 expense (5 times more than a 10W LED!)
Simply put, an LED lamp continues to consume approximately the same energy throughout its life, even when it reaches 30,000 hours. Your consumption does not increase over time, although its brightness may decrease slightly before needing replacement.
And 30,000 hours is a lot of hours: if you use it 8 hours a day, that's almost 10 years. Plus, most won't have it on all the time, so the lifespan can be extended even further.
After all that time, an LED bulb will have consumed between 150 and 600 kWh, depending on its power. That translates into a very low energy cost compared to other lighting technologies. Furthermore, thanks to its efficiency, during all that time it will have provided quality light with notable savings on your electricity bill.
