Match common household bulb brightness tiers across LED, CFL, incandescent, and halogen. Use it to test different inputs quickly, compare outcomes, and understand the main factors behind the result before moving on to related tools or deeper guidance.
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Compare common household bulb brightness tiers and LED replacement savings Enter the source bulb wattage, runtime, bulb count, and electricity rate to match the nearest standard lumen
tier, compare equivalent lamp types, and estimate yearly energy-cost savings from switching to LED.
Source bulb type
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Enter bulb wattage, runtime, and tariff Add the source lamp wattage, bulb count, hours used per day, and electricity rate to compare the nearest LED
replacement tier and yearly running costs.
LED equivalent wattage calculator: compare bulb brightness tiers, energy use
An LED equivalent wattage calculator helps translate older bulb wattage into a practical LED replacement range. This version matches the nearest common household lumen tier, compares incandescent, halogen, CFL, and LED wattage bands, and estimates yearly energy use and running-cost savings from switching to LED.
What this LED equivalent wattage calculator covers
This page starts with the wattage of an incandescent, halogen, CFL, or LED bulb, then matches that input to the nearest common household brightness tier in lumens. It is built for first-pass replacement planning rather than brand-specific bulb shopping.
Once the brightness tier is matched, the calculator compares the typical wattage bands for LED, CFL, incandescent, and halogen bulbs at that same brightness and estimates annual energy use and operating cost from the entered runtime, bulb count, and electricity tariff.
Brightness should be matched by lumens, not by watts alone
Older lamp types use more power to produce the same amount of visible light, so wattage is not a reliable way to compare brightness across bulb technologies. The better replacement workflow is to identify the approximate lumen tier first and then compare how much power each lamp type typically needs to reach it.
That is why this worksheet keeps the matched lumen level visible alongside the replacement range. The LED answer is not simply a mathematical percentage of the source wattage; it is tied to a practical brightness class such as roughly 450, 800, 1100, 1600, or 2600 lumens.
The worksheet uses the entered lamp count and runtime to convert wattage into annual electricity use.
annual cost = annual kWh × tariff
Once annual energy use is known, yearly running cost follows directly from the electricity price per kilowatt-hour.
Worked example
Suppose you currently use two 60 W incandescent bulbs for 5 hours per day at an electricity rate of 0.12 per kWh. The calculator matches that input to the common 800-lumen brightness tier, where a typical LED replacement is about 8 to 12 W.
At that usage level, the two incandescent bulbs consume about 219 kWh per year, while the LED equivalent consumes about 36.5 kWh. That reduces yearly running cost from about 26.28 to about 4.38, which is why the worksheet shows annual savings of about 21.90 for that pair of lamps.
What this calculator does not model
This calculator uses common household equivalence bands, not every manufacturer-specific bulb specification. Real products can vary by beam angle, colour temperature, dimming behavior, driver efficiency, and exact lumen output even when they are marketed as the same replacement tier.
Use it as a planning and education tool. If you need an exact purchase match, confirm the actual package lumen rating, the fixture compatibility requirements, and any local labeling rules before buying replacement bulbs in volume.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the calculator show lumens instead of only watts?
Because lumens describe visible light output, while watts describe power draw. When comparing different lamp technologies, lumens are the better anchor for brightness and watts are the better anchor for energy use.
Why is the LED result shown as a range?
Because common LED replacements for the same brightness tier often span a small wattage band depending on the bulb design and efficiency. The range is more realistic than implying there is only one exact LED wattage for every replacement.
Can I use this for commercial or specialty lamps?
Only as a first-pass estimate. Specialty lamps, directional fixtures, and commercial products may have very different efficacy and brightness characteristics, so the package lumen rating should still be checked directly.
Why does the savings estimate depend on runtime and bulb count?
Because the cost difference between lamp types depends on how often the bulbs are actually used and how many fixtures are involved. A rarely used bulb saves less in electricity than one that runs for many hours every day.
