Most Efficient LED Light Bulbs

The Most Efficient LED Bulbs You Can Buy

Introduction

Hi there, this article looks at what are the most efficient LED light bulbs.

I was recently reading an article by Philips. In brief it talked about a 200 lumen per watt tubular LED they were developing. way back in 2015.

In general the light bulbs I review here at Light Bulb AtoZ tend to give out around 100 lumens per watt. So I was interested to see just what is the most efficient light bulb you can buy now in 2022. And I was most surprised by the result.

In order to work out the most efficient bulb I downloaded data on 12,148 different light bulbs from Energy Star. Energy Star is a certification program run by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Being that the Energy Star data is for all bulbs I decided to split it up into four different sections. These being all bulbs, 60 watt replacement, small base candelabra and spot/flood bulbs.

My results are below.

IKEA SOLHETTA E26 450 lumen, globe clear

So, welcome to the most efficient light bulb you can but. Specifically 160.7 lumens per watt.

Firstly a few details about the brand. IKEA were founded back in 1943. The name is an acromym for Ingvar Kamprad from Elmtaryd Agunnaryd. Due to the founder being called Ingvar Kamprad and him being from Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.

Moreover in 2015 the company changed all of its lighting to use LEDs. And nothing else. Presently they sell around 121 different light bulbs.

Without doubt this is a very efficient bulb producing 450 lumens of soft white light for only 2.8 watts. That is 14 times more efficient that the incandescent bulb it replaces. Especially amazing considering that IKEA sells them for $1.

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 160.7
• Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
• Price: Around $1 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack
• Wattage: 40 watt equivalent / 2.8 watts actual
• Lumens: 450
• Light Range: Soft White (2700k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 3 years
• Dimmable: No
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

IKEA SOLHETTA E26 1600 lumen globe opal white

On balance, I should not be so surprised to find another IKEA bulb in second position. Obviously they can scale up their know-how to make an efficient higher wattage bulb.

So this one is a 100 watt replacement bulb. Providing 1600 lumens of light, which is a lot, for a miserly 10.5 watts of power. However it is more expensive at around $6. Though still reasonably priced so a bulb with a 22 year lifetime. Moreover, unlike the previous bulb it is dimmable down to 10%

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 152.4
• Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5
• Price: Around $6 a bulb if bought individually
• Wattage: 100 watt equivalent / 10.5 watts actual
• Lumens: 1600
• Light Range: Soft White (2700k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 3 years
• Dimmable: Yes
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

Green Creative HID LED 34W

When I decided to write this article I though that it would be full of light bulbs like this. Big powerful bulbs giving out masses of light. While there are some high wattage bulbs on the list in general it is much more of a mixture that I expected.

So, firstly a little big about Green Creative. They are a solid-state lighting development and manufacturing company based in Sanford, Florida. And have been in business since 2010.

This bulb cranks out a massive 5,000 lumens of daylight temperature light for 34 watts. To emphasize, that old, dim, 40 watt incandescent in the back of the draw uses more power than this monster. On the other hand it probably didn’t cost $40 either.

On top of the great efficiency this bulb has an expected lifetime of 50,000 hours, which is huge. And also comes with a 5 year warranty

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 152.4
• Rating: Not available
• Price: Around $40 a bulb if bought individually
• Wattage: 500 watt equivalent / 34 watts actual
• Lumens: 5,000
• Light Range: Daylight (4000k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 50,000 hour (45 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 5 years
• Dimmable: No
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

EcoSmart 60W Clear Filament Vintage

EcoSmart are a proprietary brand for Home Depot (this is a brand that is made by a different company but is only available in Home Depot). The company who manufactures them is  Lighting Science Group Corporation, an American company based in Rhode Island.

In brief this bulb produces a lot of light for a 60 watt replacement. That being 973 lumens for a meager 7 watts of power. Furthermore they look good and only cost around $3.15 a bulb.

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 139
• Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
• Price: Around $3.15 a bulb if bought in a 4-pack
• Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 7 watts actual
• Lumens: 973
• Light Range: Daylight (5000k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 15,000 hour (13 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 5 years
• Dimmable: Yes down to 10%
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

IKEA SOLHETTA E26 800 lumen, dimmable/globe opal

So, we should not be surprised to see the IKEA 60 watt replacement here. As the 40 and 100 watts made it to the overall top 10.

In summary this bulb delivers a solid 800 lumens for 5.9 watts. And has an expected lifetime of 25,000 hours. All for $3.

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 135.6
• Rating: Not available
• Price: Around $3 a bulb if bought in a 2-pack
• Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 5.9 watts actual
• Lumens: 800
• Light Range: Soft White (2700k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 3 years
• Dimmable: Yes down to 17%
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use only

Sylvania Ultra LED 60W

Sylvania started business in 1901 in Middleton, Massachusetts, buying up old bulbs and recycling them. After GE, they are the second most popular brand of light bulbs in the U.S.

I had to hunt around to find this bulb. Eventually locating it on lightbulbs.com. It seems that the Ultra range is not widely available.

In brief the bulb gives out a standard 800 lumens for 6.5 watts. Moreover it is rated to last 25,000 hours and has a 5 year warranty to back this up. Finally it is dimmable all the way down to 6%.

Fact sheet

• Efficacy (lumens/watt): 123.1
• Rating: Not available
• Price: Around $4.50 a bulb if bought in a 4-pack
• Wattage: 60 watt equivalent / 6.5 watts actual
• Lumens: 800
• Light Range: Soft White (2700k)
• Lifetime: Rated to last 25,000 hour (22 years based on 3 hours per day use)
• Warranty: 5 years
• Dimmable: Yes down to 6%
• Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor use and Damp Location Rated