1000w LED vs 1000w HPS Grow Light – Which Is Better for You?
Grow light is the main component of indoor gardening. It helps the plant to grow by being the alternative light source of the sun. It helps the plant in the photosynthesis and homeostasis process. Since your indoor plants don’t get the rays of the sun you need to buy the most efficient light to do the job.
In my long time gardening experience, I have gotten most utilities from the 1000w lights. But which 1000w bulb should you choose? If you have done a little market you might have already found out that led and HPS lights are the most famous grow lamps. So, we have made a 1000w led vs 1000 hps grow light detailed comparison to make your work easier.
What is LED Grow Light
Light-emitting Diode or LED is the current market king. These grow lights carry a bundle of individual chips ( The amount is near about hundreds or perhaps thousands). The chips or diodes turn the electricity into the light for your gardening.
These sort of grow lights are small structured electroluminescent bulbs. And LEDs do not incinerate a filament, rather generate the necessary spectrum they move light via semiconductors.
Though the LED bulbs have initially come around 50 years back for general use, only recently they have gained fame as grow lights within the sector of indoor gardening.
How Led Grow Lights Work
So like I said before, LED lights have a lot of chips in them. So the bulb generates gleam by coursing electricity past a semiconducting material aka the chips. After that these diodes release photons (light) via the fundamental of electroluminescence.
Don’t be alarmed by all these big words!
All this mumbo jumbo basically means that a particular material (the diode/chips) radiates light when power is put to it.
But if you want to know more about the scientific side, then here it is. If we talk about the chemistry of electricity then Electrons always spring from an electron-full side to an electron-deficient side across the orbit or the junction. So now think, you have put power to the p-n orbit ( Junction), now the part that lacks the electrons would want to be filled up with the charged electrons from the opposite side and if you put more power in it then the electrons become anxious to move. And by this procedure, LEDs produce light.
However, every single diode creates a particular color. Mixing all these non-identical chips can make a partial or an extended light spectrum. LED grow lights generally have a purplish tone (A mixture of blue and red). A lot of trees grow in a different way based on the color spectrum you put them under.
The blue light is generally the best choice when the plant is in the vegetative stage. Although the red spectrum is the preferred one during flowering. The best feature about this grow lamp is that it is customizable. so you can mix and match with your lighting hue.
What is HPS Grow Light
High pressure sodium, also widely known as HPS light, is a particular sort of gas emitting lamp, You may have come across the name high-intensity discharge ( HID )or arc light on multiple occasions. They are alternative names off HPS lights.
These types of bulbs are competent in making a huge load of light. In fact, Many indoor plant growers favored HPS lights for many years because of this particular trait. A high amount of light is essential in the flowering stage. It is known to yield a huge amount of harvest. HPS indoor plant producing lights can frame an ideal environment to produce a lot of flowers.
How HPS grow lights work
The High pressure Sodium lamp comprises a small arc tube assisted by a frame in a light. The arc cylinder has a high force inside for greater efficiency. Usually, mercury, sodium, and xenon are placed inside the arc tube. The arc cylinder is created from a component of aluminum oxide ceramic. It ripples the abrasive outcome of alkalis like sodium.
HPS grow lights are known to be High Intensity Discharge lights or the HID bulbs. They release light when an electrical power passes the arc tube.
So it emits a strong orange/reddish hue of around 200k. It also produces the yellows 570-590 nm,. Yellow 570-590 nm and reds 630-750 nm color spectrum. So the light is ideal for flowering and fruit stage.
1000w LED vs 1000w HPS Grow Light
For over 50 years hps ruled the indoor planting world. Many other sources came close but couldn’t fight its supremacy. That is until the LED lights. It took the spotlight from HPS. However many farmers still favor the HPS.
The fun fact is, 1000w led and hps aren’t equivalent in power. There are many differences. 1000 watt hps is equivalent to 600 watts led. Likewise, there are many factors to consider before choosing 1000w led or 1000w hps Like:
- The initial cost
- The light spectrum proficiency
- The power and lifespan
Let’s talk about all these facts in great detail now.
1000w LED vs 1000w HPS Grow Light Coverage
I will be honest, if we compare HPS and LED in terms of coverage, the clear winner is HPS.
A 1000 watt LED grow light coverage area of about 25 square feet or 5 by 5 feet.
But many indoor gardeners thinks that the 1000 watt LED grow light is perfect for 4 by 4 grow tent.
The 1000 Watt is the most powerful HPS light variation. It enough a wider range of area i.e. around 49 square feet or 7 by 7 area.
1000w LED heat production vs 1000w HPS grow light
One thing we must talk about while comparing 1000w led vs 1000w hps grow light is the heat production mechanism.
Finding out the exact amount of heat of 1000w grow light yields is not a hard task. You just have to take the watts amount and then multiply it by 3.41 to get the sum total of BTUs (heat production per hour). With this simple math technique, you can figure out any type of bulb’s heat production except the LED.
Let’s find out why!
Earlier I already gave you a detailed idea of how LED works. This kind of grow light does not count on warmth to produce its light. Which means, it produces little to no heat and so you can save a lot of energy than an incandescent bulb.
High-pressure sodium bulbs produce a lot of heat. A 1,000W HPS bulb generates 3,617 BTU heat per hour. Which is a lot. So this 1000 wattage hps should be installed away from your precious plants. Based on what type of plants you are cultivating, HPS grow lights can be set up allying 6 to 34 inches above. I would advise you to carefully research your plants so you can make the perfect growing environment for your plants. So that you don’t burn your plants by placing them near the bulb.
Another thing I would mention here is that you need to invest in a prominent ventilation system if you are a fan of hps.
1000 Led vs HPS Bud Quality
When mixed with the best soil slash hydroponic mediums, 1000 watt LED grow lights are widely famous for luring out heavenly harvest and bring out impressive flowers.
According to Kindled, the budding with 1000 watt hps grow lights is generally runs about 2% on average. But solid 1000 watt led lights took it up a notch. It increased this amount to as high as 3.78%. That’s almost twice the number. The advanced Led lighting yields more of a fresh flavor and rich aroma. Growing with 1000 watt LED lights can simply spiral a normal crop into a top-shelf flower.
Whereas with a 1000 watt hps light, you won’t get much utility in the flowering stage. The flowers can’t oven take the excessive heat and radiation of the bulb and start to die down. Less buds produce less crop. And I will be honest here. I have tried both methods to grow various plants. However, Led based crops are natural and have a great flavor than the ones produced under hps.
1000w LED vs 1000w Double Ended HPS
What is a double ended bulb? Well, generally a single light is fixed to a single socket. However, these types of bulbs are attached to the fixture at both of its ends, hence the name Simply, it looks like the tube light is typically used at home.
According to Utah State University, the 1000 watt hps light is 25 to 30 percent more proficient than regular HPS lamps. And such they give more utility than a single ended 1000 watt hps light. However more power means more heat for the hps light. So you need to be careful of that.
1000 watt HPS Lumens vs 1000w LED
A lumen the amount of radiance or brightness of a bulb. The more the number of lumens, the radiant the light.
The LED grow lights range from 139 and 200 lumens per watt. This number is actually higher for HPS bulbs. A 1000 watt led light produces maximum brightness of about 200,000. Whereas a 1000 Watt High Pressure Sodium bulb provides output between 120,000 to 145,000 lumens. It is an incredibly high number.
However, these HPS grow lights lose here because they are omnidirectional. So ultimately you will get a highly proficient light striking object that isn’t going to be lit in the perfect order.
And that is what the contrast between led vs hps lumens per watt is much higher because led has a lot less “loss” of illumination. Light Emitting Diode has a light coverage of 180 degrees. So more light is actually directed towards the plants you are growing.
1000 watt LED vs HPS Grow Light electricity cost
What is the HPS or 1000 Watt LED Grow Light Cost Per Month? I will just give it to you straight. If you convert to LED from HPS lights, you will save approximately $320 a month. That’s a huge deal.
If you wanna know the math here, then let me break it down for you.
Suppose you have sixteen 1000 watt high pressure sodium lamps that you run from 8 am to 8 pm (12 hours) daily. The current cost of electricity is 13.9 cents per kilowatt. So sixteen lights each 1000 watt so the total is 16000 watt or 16 kilowatts. So your lights consume 12 x 16 equals 192 kilowatts per hour.
So in one week (84 hours), you are consuming 1344 kilowatts per hour. In one month (360 hours) you are consuming 5769 kWh. So using that amount costs you 5769 x 13.9 = 80064 cents or 800.64 dollars per month.
A 1000 hps light is equivalent to a 600 led light. So by swapping it, your cost per month (by applying the same math) will be 480.49
16 lights = 16 x 600= 9600 watts or 9.6 killowats
1 day coums = 12 x 9.6= 115.2 killowatts per hour
So in 30 days consumption = 360 x 9.6= 3456 kwh
So one month cost is = 3456 x 13.9= 48039 cents or 480.39 dollars
Frequently Asked Questions
What yields more 1000w HPS or LEDs?
Compared to 1000w HPS, LED’s yield more harvest.
Is 1000w HPS better than 1000w led grow light?
In my experience, a 1000 watt HPS is not better than a 1000 watt LED
LED grow lights are more efficient than HPS lighting. Pound-for-pound or even kilowatt to kilowatt, LED’s has more prominent fixture than HPS. It gives you better electrical efficiency. These lights are tailored in such a way that the spectrum gives plants the nutrition for increased growth.
How much power does a 1000W HPS use?
A 1000w HPS indoor gardening light takes 9 amps at 120 volts
How much power does a 1000W LED use?
Even A 1000w LED indoor gardening light takes 9 amps at 120 volts
How much does a 1000w HPS cost?
Like we have said before, a 1000w hps light will cost 800 dollars a month.
How much does a 1000w LED Grow Light cost?
A 1000 watt led light will cost about 79.20 dollars a month.
How much cheaper is 1000w led to HPS grow light?
LED grow lights are about twice as much cheaper than a HPS grow light.
How much area does a 1000w LED cover?
A 1000w led covers about 5×5 square feet area.
How much area does a 1000w HPS cover?
A 1000 watt HPS engulfs about 7 x 7 square feet area.
WHAT LED is equivalent to a 1000w HPS?
600 watt LED is equivalent to a 1000w HPS.
How many plants can you have under 1000w HPS Grow Light?
You can have about 3 to 5 plants under a 1000w HPS grow light.
How many plants can you have under 1000w led grow light?
Under a 1000w LED light you can grow 5-7 plants.
Final Thought
Often time people become confused between a 1000 watt led and hps lights. After reading our detailed article on such a topic you got the full idea.
Now it is up to you between 1000w led vs 1000w hps which one you would prefer. Like I have said before, though LED grow light has gained more recognition over the year, some farmers still favors the HPS. MIX and match between the two to get a real-life comparison experience.
