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LED Equivalent Wattages Against Traditional Lighting

9 March 2018

LED Equivalent Wattages
LED Equivalent Wattages

LED equivalent wattages to traditional light sources can only be approximate, as they will vary depending on the colour temperature and quality of the bulbs being compared. When comparing different light bulbs and lamps, it is better to compare the lumens that each bulb produces, in order to gain a true like-for-like comparison.

That being said, you can use the comparison charts below as a starting point to finding out the LED equivalents for the light source you are shopping for.

LED equivalents to traditional incandescent light bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs are the least energy-efficient light source, with LED light bulbs using just 10% of the energy to produce the same amount of light as their incandescent equivalents.

Incandescent Light Bulb Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
100 Watt 10 Watt
75 Watt 7.5 Watt
60 Watt 6 Watt
50 Watt 5 Watt
30 Watt 3 Watt

LED equivalents to halogen light bulbs

Halogen light bulbs are more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, but still require much more energy to generate light than LEDs, which use around 85% less energy than halogen bulbs.

Halogen Light Bulb Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
100 Watt 12 Watt
75 Watt 11 Watt
60 Watt 8 Watt
50 Watt 6 Watt
30 Watt 4 Watt

LED equivalents to CFL light bulbs

CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) light bulbs were the first real energy-efficient alternative to incandescent and halogen bulbs, using much less energy and lasting for much longer. LED light bulbs take energy efficiency to another level, using around 40% less energy than CFL equivalents.

CFL Light Bulb Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
20 Watt 12 Watt
15 Watt 9 Watt
9 Watt 5.5 Watt
5 Watt 3 Watt

LED equivalents to fluorescent tube lights

LED tube lights use between 40 and 50% less energy than fluorescent tube lights, which is of course comparable to CFLs that utilise the same technology.

Fluorescent Tube Light Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
70 Watt 24 Watt
58 Watt 22 Watt
35 Watt 18 Watt
20 Watt 9 Watt

LED equivalents to sodium lighting

Sodium lights can be high pressure sodium (HPS) or low pressure sodium (LPS). LPS are more efficient than HPS but emit a very dim, yellow light. Either way, LED lighting is around 50% more efficient than both HPS and LPS lighting.

Sodium Light Bulb Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
250 Watt 100 Watt
150 Watt 60 Watt
70 Watt 30 Watt

LED equivalents to metal halide lighting

LED equivalents to metal halide lighting offer similar energy savings as over sodium lighting – around 50%.

Metal Halide Light Bulb Wattage LED Equivalent Wattage
400 Watt 200 Watt
250 Watt 100 Watt
150 Watt 80 Watt
100 Watt 30 Watt