{
  "slug": "led-savings",
  "title": "LED Bulb Savings Calculator",
  "heading": "LED vs Incandescent Savings Calculator",
  "category": "other",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/led-savings",
  "summary": "Annual savings and payback from switching bulbs.",
  "description": "An LED producing the same light as a 60 W incandescent draws about 9 W. Across a whole house the swap usually pays for itself inside a year and then keeps paying.",
  "formula": "Savings = (Old W − new W) ÷ 1,000 × hours × days × rate × bulbs.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=led-savings",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "bulbs",
      "label": "Number of bulbs",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 20,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "oldW",
      "label": "Old bulb wattage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": "W",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "newW",
      "label": "LED wattage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 9,
      "unit": "W",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Hours on per day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 24
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Electricity rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.17,
      "unit": "$/kWh",
      "min": 0.01,
      "max": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "cost",
      "label": "Cost per LED bulb",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "annual",
      "label": "Annual savings",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "payback",
      "label": "Payback period (months)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "Monthly savings",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "tenYear",
      "label": "10-year net savings",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "savedKwh",
      "label": "kWh saved per year",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "invest",
      "label": "Upfront bulb cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Number of bulbs: 20",
      "Old bulb wattage: 60 W",
      "LED wattage: 9 W",
      "Hours on per day: 5",
      "Electricity rate: 0.17 $/kWh",
      "Cost per LED bulb: 3.5 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Annual savings: $316.46",
      "Payback period (months): 2.7",
      "Monthly savings: $26.37",
      "10-year net savings: $3,094.55",
      "kWh saved per year: 1,862",
      "Upfront bulb cost: $70.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter number of bulbs.",
      "Enter old bulb wattage (W).",
      "Enter led wattage (W).",
      "Enter hours on per day.",
      "Enter electricity rate ($/kWh).",
      "Enter cost per led bulb ($).",
      "Read your annual savings on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "bulbs": 12,
        "oldW": 36,
        "newW": 5,
        "hours": 3,
        "rate": 0.17,
        "cost": 2.1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "bulbs": 20,
        "oldW": 60,
        "newW": 9,
        "hours": 5,
        "rate": 0.17,
        "cost": 3.5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "bulbs": 32,
        "oldW": 96,
        "newW": 14,
        "hours": 8,
        "rate": 0.17,
        "cost": 5.6000000000000005
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.",
    "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.",
    "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the led vs incandescent savings calculator work?",
      "a": "An LED producing the same light as a 60 W incandescent draws about 9 W. Across a whole house the swap usually pays for itself inside a year and then keeps paying. The underlying maths is: Savings = (Old W − new W) ÷ 1,000 × hours × days × rate × bulbs."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "6 values: number of bulbs, old bulb wattage, led wattage, hours on per day, electricity rate, and cost per led bulb. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the annual savings result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone doing everyday planning maths — a quick estimate that would otherwise need four browser tabs and a calculator app."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/electricity-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hvac-run-cost"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — LED Bulb Savings Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/led-savings)"
}