LED Grow Lights Will Save You Money

Is it time to switch your Hydroponics HID grow light system to a LED grow light system? Yes!!

With improved technology, LED grow lights are being used by commercial and residential gardeners to grow Hydroponics plants through their entire growth and bloom cycle. Stick to the larger, full spectrum LED grow lights and you will be happy with not only the results, but also the energy and heat savings you will notice immediately.

Too many indoor gardeners think that LED grow lights are just too expensive to purchase. Yes, they are more expensive to buy initially when you properly choose LED grow lights with full spectrum to use through the entire plant cycle. But that is where your expense stops.

With an HID grow light system, you need a ballast (two metallic ballasts for MH and HPS or one digital ballast), MH and HPS grow lights, an exhaust fan and duct work to remove the heat, and a cooling system or a/c since you can’t run your exhaust system 24 hours a day. That is just the initial equipment costs. Each month you will pay for the high electric costs of running an HID grow light system, plus your HID grow lights, which run at least $100 for good quality, should be replaced every 7-9 months for optimum performance.

With LED grow lights, there is basically no heat produced, you do not need an elaborate exhaust system to remove heat (just for plant odor removal if you so choose), no ballasts are required, and the LEDs will last 7-10 years with no bulb replacement.

The best time for you to set up an LED grow light system is when you are expanding or setting up your initial Hydroponics growing area. You will reap the savings immediately by not purchasing all of the equipment needed for an HID grow light system. However, any time is a good time to switch to LEDs. You can save up to 80% on your energy bill every month, have no heat signature, will not have to buy new HID grow lights once or twice a year, and will not have to switch between MH and HPS bulbs anymore.

I recently worked with an electrical company for 53 Sunshine Systems GrowPanel Pro LED grow light systems, and did an energy savings comparison for them. An HID system would have cost $37,000 initally, the LED system cost $48,000. Their electric bill would have been almost $29,000 this year to run HIDs, to run LEDs the cost was just over $9,000. Their entire purchase will be paid for in 2 1/2 years with the savings on their electric bill. Amazing, isn’t it! For at least 5 years, their only expense will be the much smaller electric bill since they will not have to replace MH and HPS bulbs, do maintenance or have ballasts and exhaust fans break down from all of the heat.

When you do switch to LED grow lights, do keep your old system, or at least the ballast and HID grow lights. Some gardeners like to speed up the growth rate, or add heat to their gardening area when it is useful in the winter. There is nothing wrong with using a combination, just use your HID lights for 4-6 hours a day, and your LED lights for 10-12 hours a day.  You will still save on your energy bills and help our environment.

Check out our LED grow lights at Natures Hydroponics. Start saving your money now. If you have any questions, plesase contact us.