Greenhouse, Indoor Farming & Agri-Processing calculator
Grow light energy cost calculator
Estimate grow light electricity cost per cycle for a greenhouse or indoor farm using fixture wattage, daily photoperiod, utility rate, and a daylight (sun) credit, plus any fixed monthly demand or maintenance charge. The result is the dollars of electricity you should expect to bill against this canopy before adding HVAC, dehumidification, irrigation, or other plug loads.
What this calculator does
- Estimate the monthly or per-cycle electricity cost of LED or HPS grow lights in a greenhouse, vertical farm, or indoor grow room from fixture count, photoperiod, utility rate, and a daylight credit so growers can budget energy spend per crop.
- Use it when you need to budget grow light electricity for a leafy green, herb, microgreen, tomato, or cannabis room, compare an LED retrofit against existing HPS, or check whether a rate change makes a current photoperiod uneconomic.
- Turns total connected grow light load, cost per kwh of electricity, effective lit hours over the period into a weighted cost for grow light energy cost in greenhouse, indoor farming and agri-processing.
Formula used
- Variable lighting energy cost = total connected grow light load × cost per kWh × effective lit hours over the period
- Total grow light energy cost = variable lighting energy cost + fixed demand and meter charges
Inputs explained
- Total connected grow light load: Multiply number of fixtures by per-fixture draw (e.g., 100 LED bars × 0.65 kW = 65 kW). Include drivers and ballast losses.
- Cost per kWh of electricity: Use blended energy + delivery rate from your utility bill ($/kWh). For time-of-use, weight on-peak vs off-peak hours of your photoperiod.
- Effective lit hours over the period: Enter the share of the budget period that fixtures are actually drawing power, after subtracting daylight credit and dimming (e.g., 60% for a 14 h/day photoperiod with no daylight, lower for greenhouses with strong sun).
- Fixed demand and meter charges: Add monthly demand charges, capacity riders, lamp replacement amortization, or any flat lighting-related cost not captured in $/kWh.
How to use the result
- Use it when grow light energy cost in greenhouse, indoor farming and agri-processing is being scored for capture or weighted cost.
- Risk-adjustments and discount rates are not in the formula; layer them on top for capital reviews.
Common questions
- Why use this grow light energy cost tool for greenhouse, indoor farming and agri-processing? Estimate the monthly or per-cycle electricity cost of LED or HPS grow lights in a greenhouse, vertical farm, or indoor grow room from fixture count, photoperiod, utility rate, and a daylight credit so growers can budget energy spend per crop. You get a weighted cost you can defend before quoting, scheduling, or sign-off.
- Which assumptions drive the weighted cost? total connected grow light load, cost per kwh of electricity, effective lit hours over the period usually move the weighted cost most. Pull from measured greenhouse, indoor farming and agri-processing runs, supplier data, and recent quotes rather than memory.
- How should I use the result? Use the weighted cost in the greenhouse, indoor farming and agri-processing business case or quote build-up.
- What can throw the result off? Confirm the capture factor is honest; over-stated capture is the most common reason these models miss.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.