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How Much Does It Cost to Run a LED Light Bulb in Wisconsin? (2026)
An LED bulb producing the same light as an old 60 watt incandescent uses about 9 watts. Lighting has gone from a major electricity cost to a minor one in homes that have switched fully to LED.
A typical LED light bulb (9 W) costs $0.002 per hour, or about $0.27 per month at 5 hours a day in Wisconsin. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (5 W) | $0.001 | $0.005 | $0.15 | $1.83 |
| Typical (9 W) | $0.002 | $0.009 | $0.27 | $3.29 |
| High (15 W) | $0.003 | $0.015 | $0.45 | $5.48 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 5 h/day ≈ 16 kWh per year.
One day of an LED light bulb (0.22 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 2.2kettle boils
- 4.3hours of a fridge
- 4.8hours of a laptop
- 22hours of Wi-Fi
In Wisconsin, with electricity at $0.20 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical led light bulb costs $0.002 per hour and about $3.29 per year at 5 hours a day. That is about 11% more than the national average for the US ($0.24 per month), because electricity in Wisconsin costs $0.20 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 555.6 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a LED light bulb
- Replace any remaining incandescent or halogen bulbs. The payback is usually under a year.
- Choose lumens for brightness, not watts.
- Smart bulbs draw about half a watt in standby waiting for commands.
- Use task lighting instead of lighting a whole room.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to leave a light on all day?
A 9 watt LED left on for 24 hours uses about 0.2 kWh, only a few cents in most regions.
How much do LED bulbs save compared to incandescent?
Around 85 percent for the same light output.
Do LED bulbs use power when switched off?
Ordinary LEDs do not. Smart bulbs and those with built-in sensors draw a small standby current.
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming