LED strip lights: how much electricity does LED strip lights use?

LED strip lights are really considered a modern trend, as they create a place with an atmosphere in any room.

Also, due to the fact that it is quite easy to find a power supply for LED lighting, it can even be a computer port.

LED strip lights are found in almost every home, and it is because of this that many users have questions about whether it is worth using strip lights in large quantities at all.

In this article, we will look at the benefits of using emitting diode lights, how much electricity does LED strip lights use, and how to calculate the amount of electricity spent.

What are LED strip lights?

LED strip lights are lights that reproduce light by the light-emitting diode.

LEDs in the normal off-state look gray or white like normal lamps, but when activated they produce light with bright colors.

You can use an outlet or the USB port of other devices, such as a power bank or a computer, as a power supply.

You can control the LED light strips using a special remote control that comes with the kit and has a button for switching lights and modes.  However, many LED bulbs are also used by applications to which the light system is connected via Bluetooth.

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Benefits of using LED strip light

LED strip lights are popular not only because of their beautiful colors but also because of other benefits. Below are a few examples of such benefits:

Lifespan

The first is, of course, the fact that LED strip lights provide quality lighting for quite a long time, as they are mechanically made in such a way that the LEDs usually do not burn out.

LED lighting, under normal use, may well last from 5 to 10 years without losing light saturation, however, this factor also depends on the manufacturer.

Environment

Strip lights are practically harmless to the environment since they do not produce harmful waste and are powered by electricity.

LED lighting does not require you to constantly change light bulbs, which reduces environmental pollution.

Design

Strip lights can become a designer addition to your room and can also be used to create an accent on some subjects.

For example, you can attach light-emitting diodes to a dressing table mirror, and turning on the strip lights will highlight your mirror.

Cold conditions

Strip lights are immune to cold temperatures and still emit less heat than conventional lamps.

LED bulb practically does not heat up and therefore a change in temperature in the room does not affect their operation.

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How much electricity do LED lights use?

LED strip lights use from 7 to 35 watts on average, however, in the modern world, choosing one number as power consumption for all LED devices is almost impossible.

To calculate how much electricity your LED strip light use, you need to multiply the LED power from the power supply by the length of your strip.

As a result, you will get the exact number of watts that can be considered power consumption; however, this number is not 100% accurate, as it still depends on the power supply and the manufacturer of the tape.

But you can use this number as an approximate value to understand how much money will be spent.

Electric bill

Now we will break down to the question of not just how much the LED strip lights cost, as a product, but how much you have to pay for power consumption.

In total, there are three average lengths of LED strips that are most often used, namely 5 meters, 10 meters, and 15 meters. And, knowing the length of the tape, you can calculate how much you will need to pay for an hour of connection to the power supply.

For example, 5 meters of tape will consume an average of 0.19 cents per hour, and 15 meters of tape will increase the cost per energy consumption to 0.59 cents per hour. 

It is best to carry out all calculations in advance, taking into account the strength of the power supply and the length of the LED strip light.

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Differences between traditional lighting and LED light

For some people, the question might arise, what is the difference between LED strip lights and conventional incandescent lighting, and what is better to choose to save money and at the same time get good lighting inside your home?

To begin with, traditional lighting sources will indeed take more electricity from the power supply, which can often lead to situations where incandescent bulbs burn out.  

LED lights, on the other hand, use quite a bit of electricity and can still illuminate a large area due to their design in comparison to incandescent lights.

Secondly, LED strip light consumes less electricity, and therefore you will have to spend less money on wasted electricity, as, for example, in the case of using traditional incandescent lights, which is an advantage, since you can safely use strip light without worrying about costs.

However, the brightness of the LED lights cannot be more than ordinary lamps, even when using a powerful power supply.  

As mentioned earlier, LED lights are more used to create an atmosphere, but for example, you can’t read books or do work where you need good lighting only with the help of LED strip lights, as the brightness of the lighting will simply not be enough.

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Calculating LED strip lights consumption

To understand in advance how much you will have to spend on electricity for LED strip lights, you should initially learn how to calculate power, power consumption, and the cost of electricity.

We’ll start with power. On each package of LED strip lights, you will find a section that says the number of watts per foot of the strip, for example, 1.50 watts/foot. You need to take this number and multiply it by the length of your tape, say 5 feet.  

And you end up with the amount of power you need on average to run your tape properly, 1.50 watts/ft • 5=7.5 watts needed to run properly.

Now we can calculate the electricity consumption by LED bulbs in a certain period. For example, you want to use the light for 10 hours.

We take the power of the tape, in our case we multiply 7.5 watts by the hours of operation, that is, 10, divide the resulting number by 1000, and get the power consumed during this time. 7.5•10/1000=0.075 kWh.

In the last point, we can calculate the cost of electricity, using the power consumption and the average cost of electricity. For example, 0.075•3$=0.225 you will need to pay.

Leaving LED lights activated all night

LED strip lights often give the impression that they can be easily controlled without any restrictions, but this is far from the case.

Below, you can see the main reasons why you should not leave the LED strip light activated all night.

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Fire

Firstly, of course, there is a risk of fire from the LED strip light, which, as a result of too long work, can simply catch fire, especially if there are problems with the power supply.

Also, a fire can occur if there is a sharp interruption in the use of electricity.

Leaving the LED lights activated all night, you should understand that the bulbs inside can also burn out, and the material from which the tape is made, makes it much more susceptible to fire and burning in general.

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Energy cost

Led strips that run all night can also be a hindrance to energy savings because if you calculate the costs correctly, you will realize that a LED strip costs a lot anyway if you use it constantly.

You also need to understand that the power supply, when used for a long time, the strip lights will also use a certain amount of electricity.

The power supply can also be connected to other devices, which is why using LED lights means that you will pay not only for the tape but also for the electricity of other devices.

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Sleep

And finally, of course, strip light will not have a good effect on the state of your sleep, especially if it is bright colors, as it will irritate you.

Also, the light bulbs can get a little warm, and if the tape is near your head when you sleep, it can also become an obstacle to good sleep.

Well, in general, sleeping with activated light bulbs is a bad idea, since your body will not be able to enter the deepest phase of sleep, as there will be an irritant in the form of the strip light.

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FAQ

Conclusion

LED strip lights are a great way to brighten up the atmosphere inside your home while still having good lighting.

The use of LED lighting provides a huge number of advantages, and one of them is the low consumption of electricity from the power supply.

We hope that after reading this article you got closer to the definition of a light strip, and the differences between strip lights and traditional lights, such as fluorescent lighting.

Furthermore, now you understand how to count LED strip light electric consumption from power supplies and how much electricity does LED strip lights use.

Read also: Light bulb guide: Why are LED lights not suitable for enclosed fixtures