When looking for a grow light solution, you need to take a look at the full cost picture which consists of cost of the light, cost of the system, and cost of electricity over time. LED grow lights are more expensive than traditional lights when first purchased. However, when you include the full cost of an HID system including cooling, ducting, wiring, installation, etc. the up front cost can be about the same. The big savings come when you factor in energy cost. By reducing energy usage by 50% or more, LEDs deliver major dividend, often within the first year. Additionally, LEDs never require bulb changes and are rated to run for over 50,000 hours. This represents a 12 to 15 year life span in most growing situations. Traditional light bulbs are only rated at 10,000 hours and most growers change these every six months to a year. Over a 12 year period this represents a bulb cost of over $2,400.00 for each 1000 watt HPS fixture! When considering the energy savings and bulb replacement costs, LEDs are much less expensive than traditional grow lights.
