Home › Appliances › Led bulb
How much does it cost to run an LED bulb?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running an LED bulb costs about $2.98 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 0.2¢
- Per day of use
- 0.8¢
- Per month
- 24.9¢
- Per year
- $2.98
Assumption: 9 W, 5 hours a day, 365 days a year — 16 kWh a year. A 9 W LED producing about 800 lumens, the equivalent of an old 60 W incandescent.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | 17.4¢ | $2.09 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | 17.6¢ | $2.11 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | 18.2¢ | $2.19 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | 18.2¢ | $2.19 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | 18.3¢ | $2.20 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | 18.4¢ | $2.20 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | 18.5¢ | $2.22 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | 18.9¢ | $2.27 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | 19.7¢ | $2.36 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | 19.8¢ | $2.37 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | 19.8¢ | $2.37 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | 20.0¢ | $2.40 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | 20.3¢ | $2.43 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | 20.5¢ | $2.46 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | 20.5¢ | $2.46 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | 20.6¢ | $2.47 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | 20.7¢ | $2.49 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | 21.2¢ | $2.54 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | 21.3¢ | $2.56 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | 21.6¢ | $2.59 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | 21.8¢ | $2.61 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | 21.8¢ | $2.61 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | 21.8¢ | $2.61 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | 21.9¢ | $2.63 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | 22.3¢ | $2.68 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | 22.4¢ | $2.68 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | 22.6¢ | $2.71 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | 23.3¢ | $2.80 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | 23.4¢ | $2.80 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | 23.5¢ | $2.82 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | 23.5¢ | $2.83 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | 24.1¢ | $2.90 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | 25.6¢ | $3.07 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | 26.4¢ | $3.17 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | 26.5¢ | $3.18 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | 26.6¢ | $3.19 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | 29.3¢ | $3.51 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | 29.8¢ | $3.58 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | 31.5¢ | $3.78 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | 32.6¢ | $3.92 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | 33.5¢ | $4.03 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | 33.7¢ | $4.04 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | 35.6¢ | $4.27 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | 37.8¢ | $4.54 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | 38.6¢ | $4.63 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | 39.2¢ | $4.71 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | 40.3¢ | $4.83 |
| California | 29.75¢ | 40.7¢ | $4.89 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | 41.7¢ | $5.01 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | 44.0¢ | $5.27 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | 64.6¢ | $7.75 |
Cutting the number down
- Per bulb the cost is trivial; a house has 40 of them, and that is the number that matters.
- Dimming an LED does cut power draw, though not perfectly in proportion to the light output.
Questions
- How many watts does an LED bulb use?
- About 9 W while running.
- How much does an LED bulb cost per month?
- About 24.9¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $2.98 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $2.09 a year, versus $7.75 in Hawaii — a spread of $5.66.