LED vs Incandescent Savings Calculator

About this calculator

Switching from incandescent to LED bulbs saves money in two compounding ways: LEDs draw roughly 80–90% less wattage for the same light output, and they last far longer, so the savings calculation focuses on the energy side — annual saving = (incandescent watts − LED watts) × hours used per day × 365 × number of bulbs × electricity price per kWh ÷ 1000. A 60W incandescent replaced by an equivalent ~9W LED cuts wattage by around 85% for identical brightness.

Homeowners deciding whether to replace bulbs, and landlords or facility managers upgrading lighting across many fixtures at once, run this calculation because the up-front cost of LED bulbs is higher than incandescents, and the payback period — how long it takes the energy savings to cover that price difference — is what actually determines whether the switch is worth it for a given usage pattern.

This calculator takes both bulbs' wattages, your daily usage hours, your electricity price and the number of bulbs and returns your yearly savings, so you can see the real dollar payoff of switching, not just the wattage difference.