Smart investors understand that being profitable isn’t just about reducing expenditures; it’s also about making more money.  While the long-term savings for switching to LEDs are very real, the biggest story here is how much more you will make.  Keep reading, your return on investment might be much quicker than you think.

We are going to look at two key aspects of investing – total cost of ownership and return on investment.  Then, you’ll be able to use a calculator to see for yourself of much you’ll make with a ChilLED grow light.

Total Cost of Ownership

The total cost of ownership is the purchase price plus other associated costs (such as power and maintenance) over a certain period of time, often 5 years.  If you are going to be growing for the long term, LEDs are the best investment.  Here are some reasons LEDs save you money:

Lighting Efficiency Savings

According to this news source, a 20,000 square foot facility indoor facility will save 2 million over 5 years by switching over to LEDs.  At the time of writing this, Gavita, a flagship HPS grow lighting producer, has an efficiency of 1.9 μmol/j for their 1000w fixture.  ChilLED LED light fixture efficiency is as much as 34% more efficient than Gavita HPS lights at 2.87 μmol/j! Update (04/18/2021): ChilLED Ultra LED grow lights are even more efficient, currently at 3.15+ μmol/j!

Since indoor growing accounts for roughly 1% of the electrical energy consumed in the US.  Some larger indoor facilities consume as much as 1 million dollars in power every month.  There is a great need for efficiency improvement, not only for increasing profits but also for the environment.

HVAC Savings

The greatest energy savings by switching to LED, surprisingly, isn’t in lighting; it’s in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Evergreen Economics reports that 30% of indoor growing energy use goes to HVAC.  Many facilities are finding that they can half their HVAC energy consumption after switching to LED.

HPS lights reach operating temperatures of 3000⁰C/5400⁰F – hot enough to vaporize the metal inside the bulb.  This high operating temperature produces a large amount of infrared radiation that gets directed down on the plant canopy.  The result are leaves that are often double-digit degrees higher than the ambient temperature.  If the ambient temperature goes too high then the plant canopy gets fried.  LEDs don’t produce all that infrared and therefore the temperature of the entire room can be kept higher, which is often better for your growth and for your budget.

Bulb Savings

Most growers replace their HPS bulbs every year.  You won’t have to do that with ChilLED, which is rated to last 60,000 operating hours or 14 years of 12 hours a day use!

Reflector Savings

According to Gavita, an HPS reflector loses 10% reflectivity every 1-2 years and should be replaced at that point.  Yet another saving by using LEDs!

Veg and Bloom Using the Same Light Savings

Think of the labor costs you will save by not having to move your plants to a different room or switch out all your bulbs.  With ChilLED you can have one extremely powerful light that is also versatile – easily adjust your spectrum for veg and you’ll get compact, highly branched plants. When you’re ready to bloom, simply change one setting and you’re ready for the greatest bloom and fruit yield you’ve ever had.

Recycling Savings

Each HPS bulb has 30 mg of mercury in them. Environmental Health and Safety Online puts the range of proper disposal at between $0.75-2.50.

Contamination Risk Savings

During HPS/MH bulb swaps, if a bulb is accidentally dropped, then all the plants in that area will be a total loss due to contamination as the mercury and other heavy metals in the bulbs are highly toxic.

Return on Investment

The term ‘return on investment’ refers to how much money you will make back for what you have spent.  ChilLED grow lights are an investment that will yield for you in more than one way:

More Profits Because of More Growth

Particularly with CO₂ supplementation, there is a largely linear relationship between light levels and photosynthesis

(up until extreme light levels).  Meaning, if your LEDs provide more light to your plants then more photosynthesis will take place and more growth.

This fact leads us to recommend that growers focus more on increasing light levels by switching to ChilLED LED Grow Lights and not just on lowering their lighting energy bill (you’ll still be saving up to half on your HVAC energy costs).

More Profits Because Less Disease Loss

Many of the wavelengths that are underrepresented in HPS spectra have been shown to induce the resistance of plants against various diseases. For example, LED-generated blue light has been reported to reduce the symptoms of gray mold in tomato, whereas red light has been reported to improve the disease resistance of cucumber, and UV light has been shown to improve a variety of parameters, including photosynthesis, the accumulation of nutrients and secondary compounds, and disease resistance. Therefore, the use of LED  lighting can reduce plant losses to pests and disease, as well as the time and costs of fungicide application. In addition, LED lighting should also be especially attractive to organic growers since LED fixtures can help improve plant quality, while also reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides.

More Profits Because of Improved Medicinal, Nutritional, and Flavor Qualities

The abundance of red, blue, and UV-A in our ChilLEDs has been shown in numerous studies to significantly increase a large list of plant compounds associated with medicinal, nutritional, fragrance, color, and flavor qualities.  This includes THC, terpenes, antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic compounds, and even compounds associated with reducing the likelihood of cancer, like glucosinolates.