An LED uses far less energy than a regular bulb to produce the same brightness. When you place a lux meter one meter from each bulb and measure, the difference becomes clear. A 7.5-watt LED matched a 60-watt incandescent at roughly 785 lux — needing only one-eighth the power to hit the same reading.

A 7.5-watt LED matched a 60-watt incandescent bulb at nearly the same brightness — 785 lux versus 812 lux. The LED needs roughly one-eighth the power to produce the same level of brightness.

Electric power measures how fast a bulb uses energy from electricity. A 60-watt incandescent bulb uses energy eight times faster than an LED that produces the same brightness. When you compare their lux readings, the LED needs roughly one-eighth the power to match the incandescent bulb.