800 Lumens to Watts Conversion

800 Lumens to watts is typically 8 watts using LED, but is dependent on the efficiency of the light source.

The outdated metric of using wattage to judge brightness is over, as LED lights use less power to produce the same amount of lumens and can differ according to design. So a new comparison needs to be made.

How Many Watts is 800 Lumens?

To known what is 800 lumens in watts, use each light source’s watts to lumens efficacy. Common examples are:

• 60 watts with legacy Tungsten Incandescent
• 8 watts to 15 watts with LED
• 15 watts to 20 watts with CFL

Not all LEDs require the same amount of power to create the same light output. Here are some example products and their corresponding wattages:

LED Light Bulb A19

An 800 lumens A19 LED bulb will use 9 watts @ 89 lm/W

LED Recessed Ceiling Light

An 800 lumen recessed ceiling light requires 10 Watts @ 77 lm/W

Fire Rated LED Downlight

An commercial recessed downlight with an 800 lumen output requires 8 Watts of circuit power @ 100 lm/W

LED IP44 Ceiling Light

An 800 lm flush mount ceiling light requires 10 watts @ 80 lm/W

LED Strip

A 9.6W/m 140 LED 3000K strip creates 816 lumens per meter @ 85 lm/W

Lm/W Efficacy

To convert 800 lumens to watts, we first need to know the efficacy of the light source.

Efficacy is a measure of how well a light source produces visible light. It is measured in lumens per watt (lm/W) or light output per watt.

A higher efficacy means more light for the same amount of power, with different light types and even different models within a light type varying quite a bit.

For reference, here are some average lm/W efficacies for various light types:

• Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs): 50-70 lm/W
• Tungsten Incandescent Lights: 15-20 lm/W
• LED Lights: 50-250+ lm/W (varies widely by LED)

Lumens to Watts Calculation

The power in watts (W) is equal to the luminous flux in lumens (lm), divided by the luminous efficacy in lumens per watt (lm/W):

Watts = Lumens / Efficiency

For example, an LED with an efficiency of 80 lumens per watt would require 10 watts to produce 800 lumens.

800 lumens / 80 lumens per watt = 10 watts

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.