I'm thinking about switching to led to save on the electric bill. What I'm confused about is the wattage and actual draw. If a light is listed as say 480w but the actual draw is 190w would that use only 190w of power? If I wanted to replace a 600w HID would I need 2 of those lights because they are 480w equivalent or would I need 4 since the actual draw is 190w?
you'll be pulling the 190 of power if that. I thought the same when I got my 350w and it doesnt pull anywhere NEAR that. It's a bit confusing still to me too
It's a marketing scam by some led manufacturers. For instance, they claim that their so-called 300w led which only pulls 135w will be equivalent to a 300w bulb, but that's not true. If you want to replace a 600w HID - you will need 3 of those lights, which basically will save you no money on power draw. Don't pay any attention to equivalents - actual watts used is all that matters.
So really LED won't save on the electric bill? Would a 400w actual draw LED be more powerful than a 400w HID?
i think what hes saying if you wanted that amount of wattage you would need 4 to replace it, thus, making the bill higher. if you're using less wattage then its less money. more lights=more wattage
It would be slightly more powerful and efficient but it wouldn't replace a 600w HPS. LED's generate less heat than HID's and you won't have bulb replacement, so you'll have a slight reduction in overall cost and power because the room will stay cooler. I replaced my 600w HPS with a 650w LED and I couldn't be happier. Keep in mind the HID's will be less expensive than a quality LED - watt to watt.
NextLight Mega Full Spectrum LED - 650w actual draw - it ain't cheap. I don't reference the equivalents, only actual. One harvest paid for it 3 times over.
That looks like an awesome light and definitely something I'll look into in the future but right now my budget is a little small for that. Do you recommend any cheaper alternatives? Something for a 4x4 and maybe a 4x8 in the future?
Sorry, I don't recommend anything that I don't have first hand knowledge. I'm sure there are plenty of good growers on here that can help you. Good luck.