How much do LED Lights Cost in the UK? A Practical Guide to Prices and Savings

Written-by

Janet Richardson

Reviewed-by

Richard Burdett

Updated on

Jan 14, 2026

How much do LED Lights Cost in the UK? A Practical Guide to Prices and Savings

When installing LED lighting to replace another type of bulb you need to take into account more than just the initial cost. There are other factors to consider including the amount of electricity saved compared to other bulbs as well as the durability of the replacements you are putting in. This can often make it difficult to assess the overall benefits particularly if you are changing all the bulbs in your office or home in the UK.

Switching the type of light bulb that you use to light your house might only seem like a small step to saving money on your electricity bill. However, you may very well be surprised that by switching to LED (light-emitting diodes) lighting you could save up to a staggering £100–£240 per year based on typical UK household usage and recent electricity prices, depending on household size, usage patterns and electricity tariffs on your domestic electricity bill, which is no small saving.

For instance, if you are replacing incandescent bulbs the savings will be much more pronounced than if you are swapping LED for halogen bulbs. Having said that, there are still some great savings to be made even if you have CFLs or other energy friendly bulbs.

In the end, whatever the reason for choosing LED bulbs, you will more likely than not be able to achieve a decent return on investment, if not immediately, then over their expected lifetime.

Find out more about types of LED light bulb.

Initial Cost of LED Bulbs

A 6–8 watt LED bulb compares to a 60 watt incandescent light (or if you are more up to date, a 13–15 watt CFL bulb), so it’s a good start for a comparison. An old style light bulb is around £1 to £2 depending on where you buy one, which is pretty cheap, but has a couple of simple health warnings attached.

First of all, an incandescent light bulb will only last about 1,200 hours before it needs to be replaced. If you compare this to the average lifetime of an LED bulb of around 15,000–25,000 hours for most domestic products, with higher-end models lasting longer, depending on quality and usage you begin to see the savings you can make. You would need around 12 to 20 incandescent bulbs to last this long. Secondly, a 60 watt incandescent bulb is going to use a whole lot more electricity. Over around 25,000 hours, one 60 watt lightbulb could cost in the region of £250–£300 at average UK electricity prices, whilst a 6–8 watt LED bulb will cost around £30–£40.

So, whilst an LED bulb will cost you about £5 to £15, the initial outlay is by far outweighed by the savings over time. If you want to compare LED to CFL, then the savings are not as great but they are big enough to be worth while. A comparable CFL bulb costs around £3 to £6 and lasts about 10,000 hours. Over its lifetime it will use in the region of £120–£180 of electricity, still considerably more than the LED bulb on its own.

There are, of course, different types of LED light but you should expect to pay between £3 and £10 for standard bulbs, whilst a tube may well set you back anything between £15 and £40. If you are looking to install a larger number of bulbs for your business or home then replacing perhaps 30 or more it can cost you £150–£300. It sounds like a significant investment but the savings on electricity and the longevity of bulbs more than compensates for that initial cost. Over around 25,000 hours, 30 incandescent bulbs, with the amount of electricity used and replacements required, could cost in excess of £6,000–£7,500, whilst the comparable LED bulbs will cost around £900–£1,100.

Even the comparison with CFL bulbs is quite good with the cost over the lifetime of LED bulbs providing a saving of £1,500–£3,000 or more.

Assuming that you replace ten ordinary bulbs with LED bulbs then this would mean an initial outlay of around £50.00–£90.00 depending on bulb quality and brand. You would be able to recoup this cost within several months to around a year based on typical household lighting use, depending on usage and electricity prices, and from there begin to save money giving you a net saving in the first year alone of around £100.00–£150.00.

Of course it is probably unlikely that you would have a bulb turned on for ten hours per day, every day so this time period could be greatly extended. LED bulbs also come in a wide variety shapes and sizes, as well as a range of colours and hues to suit the particular environment that they are to be used in.

They also come in both bayonet and screw fitting, and there is none of that annoying flickering as they come on which you often find with other low energy bulbs. Finally, you will find that they also generate little or no heat which makes them safer than conventional bulbs.

Table of Current Prices for LED Bulbs in the UK

The prices shown below are typical UK retail ranges and are intended as a general guide. Actual prices may vary depending on retailer and product specification. 14.01.2026

Case Study

There are numerous examples and case studies online for businesses that have swapped to LED lighting and, across the board, the results are the same – significant and long term savings are made on electricity bills. There is also a real reduction in carbon emissions that is highly attractive to businesses who are trying to improve their green credentials. London based Istoria LED gives the example of MP4 hair salon which changed from their normal lighting to LED when their electricity tariff was put up by their energy company.

The savings over a year were quite pronounced:

• Their annual energy usage went down from 17,622 kWh to around 1,800–2,000 kWh.
• Their carbon emissions were cut from approximately 9.59 tonnes down to around 1.02 tonnes.
• Their costs were reduced from £2,114 a year to around £200–£300 depending on tariff.

The Lightbulb Company worked with the flagship Co-Op Store in central London and boasts about reducing their lighting costs by as much as 35%. The replacement LED bulbs were not only for traditional lighting but for areas such as refrigeration units and replacements for fluorescent bulbs. For domestic premises the savings are comparable although it may take slightly longer to achieve a return on investment, primarily because lights are used less than in a commercial environment.

The truth is that, across the board, installing LED lights is a win-win situation for both businesses and homes because of the increased efficiency of the bulbs and their low wattage in comparison to even the most eco-friendly CFL bulbs on the market.

As James Padmore of Compare the Market previously stated:

“most people are aware that by making your home more energy efficient, great savings can be achieved. But people might not know just how easy being more efficient can be – by simply changing your light bulbs. Such small changes to the home can have a positive impact on people’s finances; a first year’s saving of £149.00 would pay for a year’s TV licence for example.”

The Renewable Energy Hub doesn't currently have a 'cost calculator' for LED lighting installation, but we're working on it. You can find a good one here.