- Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:52 pm
#301271
Many LED plant light fixtures advertise the maximum power rating of the LEDs they use, not the actual power output. As Mike brought up, the popular Mars Hydro "300w" fixture has 100x 3W LEDs, but only draws about 130W from the wall. This includes efficiency losses from the driver (2 drivers in this case I believe) and the cooling fans, so realistically the LEDs are being driven at no more than 110W.
Comparing that to other types of lights is difficult, since most lights advertise lumens and that scale can't be used to properly measure the red/blue light of these fixtures. However based on power usage, the cost of these fixtures, and what I know about LED power efficiency, I would estimate this type of fixture produces the equivalent of about 15,000 lumens (possibly as much as 20,000, similar to a 4x4' T5HO fixture.)