# Wattage

> A measure of electrical power consumption. For LEDs, lower wattage delivers the same brightness as higher-wattage incandescent bulbs.

**Source:** <https://ledlightinginfo.com/glossary/wattage>

Wattage tells you how much electricity a light bulb draws from the wall — nothing more. In the incandescent era this was a reliable proxy for brightness because all incandescent bulbs had roughly the same efficiency. A 100W bulb was always brighter than a 60W bulb.

With LEDs, that relationship is broken. A 9W LED can outshine a 60W incandescent. A cheap 12W LED might produce less light than a quality 9W one. The wattage you should actually care about is the one on your electricity bill — and that's where LEDs shine. Replacing every bulb in a typical home with LEDs can cut lighting electricity costs by 75-80%.

When comparing LED bulbs, look at lumens for brightness and wattage for running cost. Divide lumens by watts to get efficacy (lm/W) — the true measure of how efficiently a bulb converts electricity into light.

## Specifications
| Spec | Value |
| --- | --- |
| 9W LED | Replaces 60W incandescent |
| 12W LED | Replaces 75W incandescent |
| 15W LED | Replaces 100W incandescent |

## Related Terms

- [Lumens](https://ledlightinginfo.com/glossary/lumens.md) — The unit measuring total visible light output. Unlike watts, lumens tell you how bright a bulb actually is.
- [Efficacy](https://ledlightinginfo.com/glossary/efficacy.md) — The efficiency of a light source measured in lumens per watt (lm/W). Higher efficacy means more light for less electricity.
- [LED Driver](https://ledlightinginfo.com/glossary/led-driver.md) — A power supply that regulates current to LEDs, preventing flickering and enabling dimming. Every LED has one — either built into the bulb or as an external unit.