How Much Electricity Does an LED Bulb Use Compared with a Halogen Bulb?

A 10 W LED bulb uses 0.01 kWh per hour, which is about 1.3 bani per hour at a price of 1.30 lei/kWh. Switched on for 3 hours a day, it adds up to 0.9 kWh a month, or roughly 1.2 lei a month. A 35 W halogen bulb used in the same way consumes 3.15 kWh a month, or roughly 4.1 lei. For the same amount of light, an LED uses several times less electricity. Below you will find the step-by-step calculation, a table for 1, 3 and 5 hours a day, and the example of a chandelier with 8 bulbs.

When we think about energy use at home, the big appliances spring to mind: the fridge, the washing machine, the television. Yet light fixtures can also make a difference to your bill, especially if you have lots of bulbs switched on for a few hours every day.

How to work out how much a bulb uses

A bulb’s consumption depends on its power, printed on the bulb or the packaging in watts (W), and on how many hours it stays on. The formula is simple:

Consumption (kWh) = power (W) × hours of use ÷ 1000

Cost (lei) = consumption (kWh) × your price per kWh

In this article we calculate with 1.30 lei/kWh, the average final price (including VAT and tariffs) used in the October 2026 analyses by the Asociația Energia Inteligentă. Prices vary from one supplier to another: new offers in autumn 2026 go above 1.60 lei/kWh. To find out exactly what you pay, look at the final price per kWh on your bill or compare offers using ANRE’s offer comparison tool, then multiply the consumption in the table by your own price.

How much an LED bulb uses per hour, per day and per month

A typical household LED bulb is usually between 5 and 14 W. GU10 spotlight bulbs are generally 5–9 W, while E27 bulbs for chandeliers and ceiling lights are 6–14 W. Here is the monthly consumption (30 days) for a few common wattages, compared with halogen and the classic incandescent bulb:

Bulb type	Power	1 hour/day	3 hours/day	5 hours/day
LED GU10 spotlight	5 W	0.15 kWh – 0.20 lei	0.45 kWh – 0.59 lei	0.75 kWh – 0.98 lei
LED E27	10 W	0.30 kWh – 0.39 lei	0.90 kWh – 1.17 lei	1.50 kWh – 1.95 lei
LED E27	14 W	0.42 kWh – 0.55 lei	1.26 kWh – 1.64 lei	2.10 kWh – 2.73 lei
Energy-saving bulb (compact fluorescent)	11 W	0.33 kWh – 0.43 lei	0.99 kWh – 1.29 lei	1.65 kWh – 2.15 lei
Halogen	35 W	1.05 kWh – 1.37 lei	3.15 kWh – 4.10 lei	5.25 kWh – 6.83 lei
Classic incandescent	60 W	1.80 kWh – 2.34 lei	5.40 kWh – 7.02 lei	9.00 kWh – 11.70 lei

Values are per month, calculated at 1.30 lei/kWh and rounded to the nearest ban.

The LED bulb: plenty of light, low consumption

A 10 W LED bulb used for a few hours a day costs about 1–2 lei a month. In practice, its consumption is almost negligible compared with other appliances in the home. The difference comes down to efficiency: an LED turns a much larger share of the energy into light. For example, the 5 W GU10 LED bulb in our store (TK Lighting 3138) has a luminous flux of 418 lumens, and manufacturers such as Philips present their 4.6 W GU10 LED bulbs (390 lumens) as a replacement for a 50 W halogen.

Lifespan matters too: according to the OSRAM data sheet, a 35 W GU10 halogen has a rated life of 2,000 hours, while GU10 LED bulbs such as Philips CorePro are rated for 15,000 hours. That also means fewer bulbs to buy and replace.

The halogen bulb: the same light, several times the consumption

At the other end of the scale, a halogen bulb uses far more electricity for the same light. A 35 W bulb switched on for 3 hours a day comes to around 4 lei a month, and at 5 hours a day to almost 7 lei. It may not sound like much, but multiplied by the number of bulbs in your home, the difference becomes noticeable.

What is more, some halogen bulbs have already been withdrawn: EU ecodesign rules took G9, G4 and GY6.35 halogen bulbs off the market from 1 September 2023. If you have light fixtures at home that use such bulbs, the natural replacement is an LED bulb with the same lamp holder. If you are not sure which lamp holder you have, our guide to lamp holder types will help you identify it.

Example: how much a chandelier with 8 bulbs uses

Let’s take a chandelier or ceiling light with 8 bulbs, switched on for 3 hours a day, which makes 90 hours a month:

• 8 LED bulbs of 5 W (40 W in total): 3.6 kWh a month, roughly 4.7 lei a month.
• 8 LED bulbs of 10 W (80 W in total): 7.2 kWh a month, roughly 9.4 lei a month.
• 8 halogen bulbs of 35 W (280 W in total): 25.2 kWh a month, roughly 32.8 lei a month.

Over a year, the difference between the halogen option (around 393 lei) and the 10 W LED option (around 112 lei) is almost 280 lei, for a single chandelier. If you are choosing a new chandelier, you will find suitable models in our category of light fixtures with 8 bulbs or in our indoor ceiling lights.

How it compares with other appliances in your home

The same rule applies to other appliances. Large appliances show their annual consumption in kWh on the energy label. Divide it by 12 to get the monthly consumption and multiply by your price per kWh. For example, an appliance with 250 kWh/year on its label uses around 20.8 kWh a month, or about 27 lei at 1.30 lei/kWh. For a television, multiply its power by the hours of use: a 100 W set used for 4 hours a day consumes 12 kWh a month, or roughly 15.6 lei.

By comparison, a chandelier with LED bulbs stays within a few lei a month, while the same chandelier with halogen bulbs can cost more than 30 lei.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an LED bulb use per hour?

Exactly its rated power: a 10 W LED bulb uses 10 Wh per hour, or 0.01 kWh. At 1.30 lei/kWh, that comes to about 1.3 bani per hour. A 5 W bulb uses half as much.

How much does an LED bulb use per month?

A 10 W LED bulb switched on for 3 hours a day uses 0.9 kWh a month, or about 1.2 lei. At 5 hours a day, it reaches 1.5 kWh, or roughly 2 lei.

How much does an energy-saving bulb use?

“Energy-saving” (compact fluorescent) bulbs use what is printed on them, for example 11 W: switched on for 3 hours a day, such a bulb uses around 1 kWh a month, or about 1.3 lei. Models with an integrated ballast can no longer be placed on the EU market since September 2021, so when they need replacing, the switch is to LED.

How much does an energy-saving bulb use per month?

It depends on the wattage and the hours. An 11 W energy-saving bulb uses 0.33 kWh a month at one hour a day, 0.99 kWh at 3 hours and 1.65 kWh at 5 hours a day, which is between 0.43 and 2.15 lei a month at 1.30 lei/kWh.

Is it worth replacing halogen bulbs with LED?

Yes, especially for bulbs that stay on for many hours. A 35 W halogen spotlight replaced with a 5 W LED uses 7 times less electricity, and the LED bulb usually lasts much longer.

LED is, without a doubt, the most economical choice. Besides the quality of light and the longer lifespan, the cost difference compared with halogen shows up directly on your electricity bill, especially with chandeliers and ceiling lights that have many bulbs.