LED Tube Light Power Consumption: What You Need to Know

The lighting infrastructure of your home or office space plays an important role in power consumption. Upgrading your environment with LED lighting is one of the smartest and most effective moves for efficient energy consumption. While most people have heard that LED tube light saves energy, very few are aware of the nuances of the power consumption of LED lights. This article will explore the details of LED tube light power consumption, factors affecting its performance, and how you can maximise its efficiency for your home. 

Why Does LED Light Power Consumption Matter?

Whether you have sophisticated home interiors or a bustling commercial space, electricity bills are among the most recurring costs. LED lighting holds a substantial part of that expense, especially if it is kept on for extended hours. However, understanding details like LED tube light power consumption per hour, steps to calculate the power consumption, increasing energy efficiency, etc. will help you make informed decisions impacting your recurring household expenses in the long term.

LED tube lights are a smart way to save energy and money. Check out our blog on the benefits of using LED tube lights for your home or office.

Steps to Calculate LED Light Power Consumption

The power consumption of LED lights is measured in Watts. Depending on the brightness and required length, the commonly found LED lights include 9W, 18W, 22W, and 36W. Electricity boards measure the energy consumption charges based on 1 kW/hr. Here’s a guide to calculating your LED light power consumption.

Consider that you have a home with 10 LED tube lights, each with 18W. Suppose these lights stay on for 12 hours a day. Based on these numbers, you can calculate the average power consumption of LED lights in your home using the steps below:

1. Calculate the total power rating in kW. For the example above, it is 10 x 18W= 180W= 0.18kW.

2. Calculate the energy consumption by multiplying the total power rating by the duration of use.0.18kW x 10 hours= 1.8 kW/hour per day x 30 days= 54kWh

3. To estimate the monthly cost, you must know the rate at which your electricity board charges you for power consumption. For this example, let’s consider that the average electricity power consumption rate is Rs 5 per kWh. 54 kWh x 5= Rs. 270

This is how you calculate LED tube light consumption cost in your home. The numbers will vary according to the adjusted numbers of your area. However, if you use fluorescent tube lights, generally available in the 36W to 40W range, the monthly estimated cost significantly rises.

Factors Influencing LED Tube Light Consumption

The LED tube light consumption varies from home to home and depends on various factors.

1. Operating Hours

Although LED tube lights are more efficient than fluorescent lights, keeping their power on for longer durations can lead to higher LED tube light power consumption per hour, impacting its efficiency and shelf life.

2. Voltage Fluctuations

Voltage fluctuations negatively impact the electricity-drawing capability, thus impacting the energy consumption of LED bulbs and tube lights. Overvoltage reduces its shelf life and sustainability.

3. Quality of LED lights

The power consumption of LED lights varies from quality to quality. LED lights built with high-quality components will save more power and be more efficient in the long term.

4. Required Brightness Levels

LED tube lights that illuminate the room with more brightness require more power to produce the desired brightness levels. The higher the brightness, the higher the LED light power consumption.

5. Color Temperature Variations

Some variations of LED lights consist of cool temperature LED chips and other components. Such LED lights consume more power compared to warm temperature LEDs.

How To Maximise LED Tube Light Efficiency

The LED light power consumption can increase significantly if not monitored effectively on time. Here are a few tips to get the most out of the LED lights in your home or office environment.

1. Opt for Motion Sensors:

Pairing the LED tube light in corridors, restrooms, and hallways with an appropriate motion sensor can reduce its power consumption remarkably.

2. Install Smart Switches:

Smart switches switch off the LED lights automatically when they are not in use. Choosing smart switches over traditional switches can maintain the efficiency and power consumption of LED lights.

3. Choose Trustworthy Brands:

Buying LED lights from renowned and trusted brands is more reliable and lasts longer than choosing locally manufactured brands.

Power Consumption of LED Lights vs Traditional Lighting

Let’s understand the working principle of traditional tube lights and compare it with that of LED lights.

1. LED Tube Light vs Incandescent Light Bulbs

Consider traditional incandescent light bulbs. It consists of a heating filament that converts the electrical energy and makes the bulb shine bright. When an electric current passes through the filament, its temperature increases and the bulb glows. Out of the total electrical power used in an incandescent light bulb, only a fraction is used for lighting the bulb while the rest is converted into heat. It results in higher electricity consumption, especially when the bulb is kept on for a longer duration of time.

Whereas, LED lights, also known as Light Emitting Diodes, consist of semiconductor material. When an electric current is passed through, it excites the electrons, causing them to emit light. This phenomenon of electron movement produces light in an LED tube light, enabling it to convert a higher percentage of electrical energy into visible brightness.

2. LED Tube Light vs Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Unlike a heating filament in an incandescent bulb, the fluorescent light bulb consists of a tube filled with mercury and argon gas. When the power source is switched on and electric current passes through the tube, the gases within produce ultraviolet light that strikes the fluorescent coating inside the tube and generates light. Although lower than an incandescent bulb, a significant part of the electricity is still wasted as heat energy in fluorescent light bulbs.

The light emitting photons generated through electron movement in an LED make them highly efficient as they conserve a greater proportion of energy, while generating more brightness. Besides, the lifespan of LED tube lights is greater than that of traditional lighting mechanisms.

Not sure which tube light to choose? Learn about LED tube lights vs normal tube lights to pick the best one for your needs.

LED tube lights are a key factor for sustainable living and smart budgeting for the long term. At GM Modular, we design LED tube lights for durability, better performance, and appealing aesthetics that help you lower the power consumption of LED lights and save significantly over time. Make the shift to smart LED tube lights and let your home shine bright while reducing the carbon footprint on this planet.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many watts of LED tube light is required for a room?

The ideal choice of the perfect tube light depends on the size of the room. However, for a room with 15 x 15 square feet, a 15W LED tube light or bulb is adequate while not being too harsh on the eyes.

2. Do LED tube lights use a lot of electricity?

Compared to traditional fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs, an LED tube light converts 95% of the electrical energy into light while using less power, thus being more efficient.

3. Do smart LED lights cost more than traditional light bulbs?

An LED tube light may be slightly more costlier than traditional light bulbs but they are far more cost effective in the long term compared to traditional light bulbs, because of their energy efficiency and long life span.

4. Do dimming LED lights save electricity?

Yes. The approach of dimming LED lights helps you to adjust the brightness to suit the particular time or task at hand, thus saving the power consumption of LED lights.