LED vs HPS for a Home Grow: An Honest Comparison
HPS built the modern indoor grow, but in a bedroom-sized tent the heat math has decided this argument for most people.
Heat is the deciding factor
A 600W HPS dumps enough heat into a 4x4 tent that summer becomes unmanageable without serious ventilation or air conditioning. An LED of equivalent output runs meaningfully cooler and moves that load to a heatsink you can vent more easily.
Electricity
Modern LEDs deliver roughly 30-40% more usable light per watt. Over a 12-week grow running 12-18 hours a day, that is a real line item on your power bill.
Upfront cost
HPS is cheaper to buy and more expensive to run, and bulbs degrade and need replacing roughly annually. LED costs more up front and typically pays back within two to three grows.
When HPS still wins
Cold garages and winter grows where the heat is a feature, not a bug, and very tight upfront budgets.
Frequently asked questions
- Does HPS produce better flower?
- Older comparisons favored HPS on density. Modern high-efficacy LEDs with good spectrum and adequate intensity close that gap.