At $1,000 per Snaplite without the power unit, this is a very expensive endeavor unless you are faced with a situation where you must provide virtually all the light in an environment for a prolonged period of time. The lights very strong benefit is little energy usage, 45 watts in the Snaplite and approximately 110 watts in the power unit. Since 9 snaplites can be attached to the power unit, the overall wattage used 515 watts when a unit is used most efficiently. This amounts to 81 sq. ft. vs. a 1000 watt halide lamp which covers about the same distance with the same growth pattern, a savings of 50%. In addition, the LEDs last 15 to 20 years vs. 1 for the halide.
A look at the overall calculations:
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Halide 1,000 watt lamp setup (64 sq. ft.) | $275 | $275 | $275 |
Halide 1,000 watt lamp | $80 | $400 | $800 |
Monthly electricity - 16 hours @ $.09 per kwh | $525 | $2,628 | $5,256 |
Totals | $880 | $3,303 | $6,331 |
Snaplite lamp system (64 sq ft.) | $10,995 | $10,995 | $10,995 |
Monthly Electricity - 16 hours @ $.09 per kwh | $270 | $1,335 | $2,710 |
Totals | $11,265 | $12,330 | $13,705 |
On a 10 year ROI, the snaplite is twice the cost of a standard halide system. Under the best of circumstances, Quantum needs to halve their price to meet market conditions or $500 per snaplite, though $250 would allow them to capture substantial volume in the indoor plant growth segment.
John