A few indoor farmers consider not to make a switch to LED grow lights due to the capital expense involved. However, an upgrade to LED lighting by farmers can quickly regain their investment and generate more profit compared to those who use HPS lights. The lead to maximizing the profit from your indoor grow tent, hydroponic farm, or greenhouse is to minimize energy cost as much as possible. This is because energy expenses usually account for at least 25 to 35 per cent of crop production costs. Since climate and lighting control systems frequently consume the most power in hydroponic farms, using the most efficient setup help to optimize the net profits from your operations.
Reduce your power bill with LED grow lighting
Indoor farmers who switch to LED lighting minimizes their energy consumption by as much as 75 per cent, which highly reduces their production costs. Since LED grow lights need less electricity to operate compared to HPS and fluorescent lights, they help farmers to save cash in another way as well.
Some of the ways of switching to LED grow lights can reduce your power bill include:
- LED lights produce little to no heat, which reduces the want for cooling systems. Also, since the water and plants are not exposed to extreme heat, there is less water evaporation, thus reducing the water bill.
- Since LED lights generate the particular light spectrum plants require, they enhance photosynthesis with perfect efficiency, which promotes growth. Hence, fewer lights are needed for optimal performance.
Led light effects on plant growth
In addition to reducing energy cost, using LED lighting helps farmers to improve the quality of their crops by allowing the moderation of the light spectrum and intensity at various stages of the growth cycle.
The economics of LED lighting
The following are some of the economic benefits of LED grow lights compared to those of using HPS lighting:
- For the similar crop yield, LED lights cost 80 per cent less than HPS lighting
- The classic lifespan of an LED lights cost 80 per cent less than HPS lights
- Crops can use 30 per cent of HPS light than with 50 per cent of the light produced by LED grow lights. Also, 30 per cent of the energy used by HPS lights is lost as heat.
Because the operation costs of using LED lighting are a minimal fraction of the expenses of operating HPS lighting, farmers usually regain their investment in LED lighting setups and realize great bottom line improvement in their hydroponic farming operations.
