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Lumens to Watts Calculator

Convert a target lumen output into the wattage each lighting technology needs, or work the other way from watts to lumens, with running cost and a custom efficacy option.

Direction
Technology
Running cost (optional)
Results
--
light output
--
power required
Notes

About Lumens to Watts Calculator

The Lumens to Watts Calculator estimates the wattage needed to reach a target light output across incandescent, halogen, CFL and LED technologies, using typical luminous efficacy for each. A custom efficacy can be supplied for a specific product.

Features

  • Target lumens converted to watts
  • Four technologies compared side by side
  • Typical efficacy values built in
  • Custom efficacy override
  • Like-for-like replacement figures

How to Use

  1. Enter the target lumen output.
  2. Optionally enter a custom efficacy for a known product.
  3. Read the required wattage for each technology.

Examples

Example: 800 lm -> about 53.3 W incandescent, 32.0 W halogen, 13.3 W CFL or 8.0 W LED.

Benefits

  • Replaces guesswork about "60 W equivalent" claims with efficacy maths
  • Shows the scale of the saving between technologies

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this calculator do?
Convert a target lumen output into the wattage each lighting technology needs, or work the other way from watts to lumens, with running cost and a custom efficacy option.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded, saved or logged.