How Many Watts Does A Light Bulb Use?

Light bulbs are an essential part of every household and workspace. At some point during the day, you will require artificial lighting, which is made possible by a light bulb and lamps. This is why you must understand how many watts does a light bulb use, different types of bulbs, and how each type influences the costs of electricity in your home. So, let’s find out more about light bulb wattage, types, and how to lower lighting costs with solar energy.

Key Takeaways About Light Bulb Wattage

• An incandescent bulb consumes approximately 60 watts of electricity while a LED bulb consumes around 10 watts.
• LED light bulbs consume significantly less electricity, compared to incandescent light bulbs.
• Lighting the LED bulb for two hours a day consumes around, 20 watts a day 0.61 kilowatts of electricity in a month, and approximately 7.3 kilowatts in a year.
• On the other hand, lighting an incandescent bulb for two hours a day consumes approximately 280 watts daily, 12.2 kilowatt-hours a month, and about 43.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a year.
• The average costs of using incandescent light bulbs are $0.52 per month and $6.22 a year.
• The average cost of using an LED light bulb per month is $0.09 and $1.04 a year.
• Solar energy is the best way of cutting down or eliminating high electricity bills on lighting. Installing solar panels and understanding how many watts does a light bulb use is important for easy management of energy.

How Many Watts Does a Light Bulb Use?

How many watts does a light bulb use? The amount of watts a bulb uses depends on factors such as the type of bulb, the wattage of the bulb, and the period it has been in use. There are three main categories of light bulbs, namely LED, Incandescent, and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

• LED - Also known as Light Emitting Diodes are highly and the most energy efficient bulbs of them all. Although they are energy efficient, they have similar physical features to that of incandescent bulbs. On average, an LED bulb utilizes 10 watts only making it around 14.4 kWh per year.
• Incandescent bulbs – They are the traditional and old-fashioned bulbs. They are not energy efficient and have a shorter lifespan than LEDs. Incandescent bulbs consume around 60, 70 to 100 watts depending with the size. If it consumes 100 watts, it will use approximately 876 kWh of energy in a year.
• CFLs – CFLs are usually spiral-shaped and are considered energy-efficient compared to incandescent. They utilize 25 watts on average and generate a similar lighting effect as the 100-watt incandescent bulb. On average, it consumes around 216 kWh of energy per year.

The following table illustrates the amount of watts an incandescent light bulb utilizes per month and year.

Light Bulb Wattage	Hours Per Year	kWh of electricity per Month	Annual kWh of electricity
25 W	730 hours	1.53 kWh	18.3 kWh
40 W	730 hours	2.43 kWh	29.2 kWh
60 W	730 hours	3.65 kWh	43.8 kWh
75 W	730 hours	4.57 kWh	54.8 kWh
100 W	730 hours	6.08 kWh	73.0 kWh

The chart below demonstrates the amount of wattage an LED light bulb utilizes on a monthly and yearly basis.

Light Bulb Wattage	Hours Per Year	kWh of electricity/month	kWh of electricity/year
2 W	730 hours	0.12 kWh	1.46 kWh
7 W	730 hours	0.43 kWh	5.11 kWh
10 W	730 hours	0.61 kWh	7.30 kWh
13 W	730 hours	0.79 kWh	9.49 kWh
18 W	730 hours	1.10 kWh	13.14 kWh

The chart below demonstrates the amount of wattage an CFL lamps utilizes on a monthly and yearly basis.

Light Bulb Wattage	Hours per Year	kWh of electricity/month	kWh of electricity/year
25 W	730 hours	1.57kWh	18. 75 kWh
40 W	730 hours	2.5 kWh	30 kWh
60 W	730 hours	3.75 kWh	45 kWh
75 W	730 hours	4.69 kWh	56.25 kWh
100 W	730 hours	6.25 kWh	75 kWh

How Much Does It Cost to Power a Light Bulb?

What’s the most common energy-saving tip you live by? “Turn off the lights when you leave the room?” But do you know how many watts does a light bulb use and how much does it cost to light up a bulb? The amount of energy your light bulb consumes contributes to the overall energy consumption of your household.

The following table will help us to understand the costs of powering an incandescent light bulb by state.

State	Average Rate	Monthly Costs	Annual Costs
California	22.00 ¢ / kWh	$0.80	$9.64
New York	20.59 ¢ / kWh	$0.75	$9.02
Texas	12.56 ¢ / kWh	$0.46	$5.50
Massachusetts	22.59 ¢ / kWh	$0.82	$9.89
Virginia	12.58 ¢ / kWh	$0.46	$5.51
Florida	12.21 ¢ / kWh	$0.45	$5.35
New Jersey	16.20 ¢ / kWh	$0.59	$7.10
Washington	10.38 ¢ / kWh	$0.38	$4.55
Maryland	14.48 ¢ / kWh	$0.53	$6.34
USA Average	14.19 ¢ / kWh	$0.52	$6.22

The chart below illustrates the monthly and annual costs of powering LED light bulbs by state.

State	Average Rate	Monthly Costs	Annual Costs
California	22.00 ¢ / kWh	$0.13	$1.61
Texas	12.56 ¢ / kWh	$0.08	$0.92
New York	20.59 ¢ / kWh	$0.13	$1.50
Maryland	14.48 ¢ / kWh	$0.09	$1.06
New Jersey	16.20 ¢ / kWh	$0.10	$1.18
Massachusetts	22.59 ¢ / kWh	$0.14	$1.65
Washington	10.38 ¢ / kWh	$0.06	$0.76
Virginia	12.58 ¢ / kWh	$0.08	$0.92
USA Average	14.19 ¢ / kWh	$0.09	$1.04

Best Solar Panels to Power the Light Bulbs When Off-Grid

As people find more ways to conserve energy, one of the best and most effective ways that has been adopted heavily is the use of solar energy. To harness solar power for lighting and other applications, solar panels are an integral part of it.

Solar panels tap the sun's rays and convert them into electricity for lighting your home or office, which eliminates the high costs of electricity. The use of Renogy solar panels ensures a continuous supply of electricity without outages which are apparent in traditional electricity systems. If you are looking for highly efficient solar panels for your home or office lighting among other applications, we recommend the following Renogy solar panel.

Renogy 200W ShadowFlux Anti-shading N-Type Solar Panel

The Renogy 200W ShadowFlux Anti-Shading Solar Panel is the latest addition to the wide range of Renogy solar panels. It is constructed using cutting-edge ShadowFlux anti-shading technology to give you an uninterrupted and reliable power supply.

Featuring the Cell-level shadow management technology, it significantly cuts down on power loss by optimizing the performance of every cell. The main highlight of the solar panel is the ShadowFlux technology which ensures maximum power output all day even when there is a shade over the panels.

With a Max Power STC of 200W, the solar panel is adequate for lighting all types of light bulbs for hours on top of other applications such as charging your laptop, phone, electric blanket, and cameras, among other uses. It is suitable for off-grid systems such as boats, motorhomes, RVs, camping, or backyard use.

Final Thoughts

Understanding your light bulbs' wattage can transform your monthly utility bills. When upgrading all your home's lighting from 60-watt incandescents to 10-watt LEDs, you could save up to $300 annually in a typical 2,000-square-foot house. Knowing how many watts does a light bulb uses isn't just about numbers – it's about making smarter choices that bring real savings to your household budget.

How Many Watts Does A Light Bulb Use FAQs

1. How much energy does an average light bulb consume?

An average light bulb consumes approximately 20 to 100 electricity watts. The actual wattage a bulb utilizes depends on aspects such as the type of the bulb and its size. For instance, an average incandescent bulb consumes about 25 to 100 watts, LED consumes about 2 to 18 watts and CFL consumes around 25 watts.

2. How much does an average light bulb consume in a day

How much does an average light bulb consume in a day? In the US, light bulbs are used for an average of four hours a day. On average, CFL bulbs use around 100Wh a day, incandescent 100 to 400 Wh, and LED around 8 to 72Wh.