Consider the total cost over 10 years of use | How to buy lighting beyond just the initial price

When choosing a ceiling light, it's easy to just compare products based on their "initial purchase price."

However, lighting is something you buy once and use for many years. The true cost is determined by the "total cost," which is the initial purchase price plus the electricity bill during use and the effort involved in replacements. In this article, we will consider the total cost over 10 years, clearly stating the assumptions.

Total Cost is the Sum of Three Factors

Initial Purchase Price + Electricity Bill (10 years) + Replacement/Lamp Cost (10 years)

Even with cheaper products, if electricity costs are high or lamps need to be replaced every few years, the difference can narrow in the long run.

Example (8-tatami room, 10 years)

For simplicity, let's consider the assumption of "using it in an 8-tatami room for 5 hours a day for 10 years" (electricity unit price is calculated at 31 yen/kWh).

・Electricity Cost
A lipro 8-tatami model uses 65W. Even if used at 100% brightness for 5 hours a day for 10 years, the electricity bill is estimated to be approximately 36,000 yen (about 3,600 yen/year x 10 years). In reality, it will be slightly lower if the brightness is reduced with dimming.

・Replacement Effort
The light source of lipro has a designed lifespan of approximately 40,000 hours. If used 5 hours a day, that's about 1,825 hours a year, so design-wise, there's plenty of leeway even after 10 years, and it's not assumed that the entire unit will be replaced during that period. On the other hand, lighting fixtures with replaceable lamps may incur lamp replacement costs and effort several times during the period.

In other words, even if the initial purchase price is higher, when you include "electricity costs and replacement effort over 10 years of use," the way the difference appears changes.

Even greater difference when switching from fluorescent lights

Fluorescent lights consume more power than LEDs and require regular lamp replacements. Furthermore, the "2027 problem" means that manufacturing of fluorescent lamps will end, making replacement lamps harder to obtain in the future (for details, see The 2027 Fluorescent Lamp Problem). In the long run, switching to LED is likely to be beneficial in terms of total cost.

"Cheapness" and "Total Cost" are different stories

It's not that cheap products are bad. However, looking not only at the purchase price but also at "how many years it will be used," "what the electricity cost will be," and "whether there will be replacement effort" can change your perspective when choosing. Furthermore, since it's light you see for long periods every day, "quality" such as color rendering and glare also affects overall satisfaction.

For price ranges and "differences between expensive and cheap," please refer to the article on price ranges and market prices, and for electricity cost calculations, please refer to the article on electricity costs.

In the case of lipro

The lipro Solar Ceiling Light is ¥30,000 for the 6-tatami type and ¥35,000 for the 8-tatami type (tax included). While the initial purchase price is higher, it has a designed lifespan of approximately 40,000 hours, allows for efficient use with dimming down to 1%, and offers "light quality" such as Ra97+ color rendering, RG0 blue light, and flicker-free operation (Powered by SunLike). Reliable information such as published specifications and awards is summarized in lipro's reliability and achievements.

Summary | Initial purchase price is only part of the cost

The cost of lighting includes the initial purchase price, electricity costs, and replacement effort. Since it's something you use for a long time, please look at both the "total cost over 10 years" and the "quality of daily light" in addition to the initial purchase price.

Reference Information

• 目安電気代単価：全国家庭電気製品公正取引協議会（31円/kWh）
• lipro 「太陽光シーリングライト」（消費電力・寿命・価格）
  https://jp.lipro.com/ja-jp/products/ceiling-light-ja