How Much Money Will You Save Switching To LEDs Bulbs?

With the phasing out of incandescent bulbs in 2009, and halogen now following suit from September 2021, many people are turning to LEDs to light their homes. However, the latest figures show that just 14% of home lights are LEDs. From saving you money to saving the planet, the benefits of LEDs are clear.

If you want some more information before buying new LED bulbs, Check out our LED Buying Guide here. 

Upfront Costs of Light Bulbs

When looking at the price on the shelf when buying lightbulbs, a filament bulb may seem like the cheaper option. Generally, they cost around £1.29 whereas an equivalent LED bulb will cost around £5.40.

However, what you have to take into account is that an LED bulb lasts for around 20,000 hours, whereas the filament bulb will only last 1,000.* This means over the lifetime of one LED bulb costing £5.40, you will spend £25.80 on filament bulbs.

Energy costs

Thanks to the energy efficiency of LED bulbs, a 5W LED bulb will produce the same effect as a 40W filament bulb. This is where the key to real savings lies.

Assuming you pay 52p per kWh of electricity**, an LED bulb will cost you £52 over its lifetime. Over the same period an incandescent bulb would cost you a whopping £416.

Total Savings

So, when we look at that all together, the savings of LED bulbs becomes very clear.

For 20,000 hours of use, an LED bulb would cost £5.40 to buy and £52 to run, totaling £57.40.

For the same period it would cost you £25.80 in incandescent bulbs upfront, and then £416 to run, totaling £441.80.

So, for just one light fitting over 20,000 hours, you’ve saved £384.40. Multiply this by the amount of light fittings in your home (let’s say you have 8) you would save a massive £3,075.20 just by swapping to LED bulbs.

*These life expectancies are based on perfect use of your bulb. Real use may be less for both bulb types.

**Accurate as of 01/04/2025