When setting up a grow room or tent, knowing which lighting set-up is best for you will depend on a few factors.

If you are a beginner grower, you may be thinking that lighting systems are expensive and complex.

You also might be wondering how to know which will give off the proper amount of light and heat for the plants. It is very easy to get confused by all the options available.

How much electricity does a 600w led grow light use?

Calculating the price and usage of a 600w LED light is actually quite simple. This is where knowing what the actual output of the 600w LED light comes in handy.

Most 600w LED lights draw the power between 360w-400w; so knowing the manufacturer’s power draw of watts is important when figuring out how much electricity a 600w LED light will use.

Let’s say the particular light we are using has a power draw of 400w; which means the light consumes 0.40 kilowatts (kW) per hour. You run the light for 18 hours per 24 hour period.

0.40kW X 18 (hours)= 7.20kW

Next you need to know how much you pay per kW hour; which can be found on your power/electricity bill. For this example we’ll use 12.85/kWh (the average across the US is 0.1283kWh)

7.20kWh X 0.1285/kWh = 0.9252 per day

0.9252kWh X 30 (days per month) = $27.56 per month of electricity

So by this figure, you can assume your electric bill will go up approximately $27.56/per 600w LED light used.

How Many Plants Can Go Under 600w LED?
Each 600w LED light has a coverage area of 3ftx3ft, and in regards to the height, it will cover between 18-24 inches. So if you have a 4ftx4ft tent that is 16 square feet of grow space; which according to the calculations of 9-square feet per plant, you would only be able to have one plant inside the tent with one light.

But in reality, that’s not how most growers set up their tents.

If you have ever grown marijuana you like to get the most plants possible in a grow tent, but you need to hold back on overcrowding the plants in a tent.

The plants need room not only to grow out, but they need the light to be able to “hit” all areas. If you have too many plants in too small of a space then you are limiting the plants’ chance to produce a higher yield.

You may even end up with smaller plants, little yields and unhealthy plants.

Best 600W LED grow light recommend for you

ECO Farm ECOF LM301B 600W 8 Bars LED Grow Light

Pros

Produces a full spectrum that is effective and efficient
Utilizes less power
Comes with BLOOM and VEG switches
Controls heat effectively
Comes with an in the box thermometer with a humidity monitor
Cons

It is not waterproof
Spectrum King 600W LED LowPro Flower

Pros

The Dual Chips make it brighter with intensive light
The full spectrum is efficient to us on all stages of plant growth.
It has a sturdy design
It has a sufficient heat management system.
Cons

It is not waterproof
It produces an incredibly bright light that may harm the eyes when looked at directly.
PhotonTek X 600W Pro LED

Pros

It has both BLOOM and VEG switches
The body is made to be strong
It consumes a low amount of electricity
Produces a full spectrum light
Cons

Not waterproof
It does not come with a timer
How To Measure Light for Plants
Let’s quickly define PAR and PPFD. PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) describes the portion of the visible spectrum that plants “see” and use for photosynthesis (400nm-700nm). PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) measures the amount of light (PAR) a plant receives over time. PPFD represents the light density a plant receives over time and is measured in micromoles [of photons] per square meter per second (1).

A way to visualize PPFD is to imagine the sun is “pouring” light onto the plant leaves. As the sun pours light onto the plants, their leaves are collecting the energy. PPFD is the measurement of the amount of light (photons) the sun “pours” onto the plants over time. PPFD is an important metric because it helps growers accurately measure the light intensity for photosynthesis at the canopy level. It is also important because lights placed too close to the canopy can cause burning, bleaching, stunted growth, or discoloration.

Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has been able to shed some light ( pun intended ) on how to pick the correct size to grow light for your project.

As long as you know the size of your grow space and how many watts per square meter you need, choosing an best 600W LED grow light is pretty simple.