Neon signs are a fantastic way to draw attention to your storefront, business, or hotel.
A vibrant and colorful contrast against the night sky, neon lights will catch the eye of passers-by and encourage more people to visit your business.
Whether you’re interested in neon signs as a marketing technique or want a unique piece of art for your home, you first need to consider the cost and energy consumption of neon lights.
So, before you get excited about the wide variety of colors, designs, and styles neon signs come in, let’s first get to grips with the cost.
For example, do neon signs use a lot of electricity?
WAIT - Did you know that LED neon signs are significantly cheaper to buy and run that that the classic glass signs?
You can even create your own personalized design on our custom neon sign page.
Energy Consumption Of Neon Signs
Energy consumption is essential, especially if you’re running a business.
There is no point investing in a huge neon sign that costs a small fortune to run every night.
Custom made neon signs can be expensive, depending on your design, size, and specifications, and the bigger your neon light, the more it will cost to switch on at night.
Calculate The Running Cost Of A Neon Light
To measure your neon sign’s energy consumption, you’ll first need to figure out the ratio of watts used per foot of the neon tube.
This depends on the type of transformer that has been used to make the neon sign and the color of the neon tube, which is made by using specific neon gas.
1: Work out the wattage used by the neon light transformer and convert this figure into kilowatts.
2: Multiply this figure by the number of hours the neon light will be on.
3: Multiply this number by your average electricity cost per kWh.
You just need to follow this simple equation:
Transformer wattage of your neon sign = A kilowatts
A kilowatts x (number of hours the light will be on) =B
B x 365 days = C
C x (average electricity cost per kWh) = D
D = Neon light energy consumption
So, if we want to calculate a red neon sign that has a transformer wattage of 95watts of power and will be on for 10 hours a night, and our energy cost is 16.3 kWh, we would calculate this in the following way:
95 watts = 0.095 kilowatts
0.095 kilowatts x 10 hours a day = 0.95 kWh
0.95 kWh x 365 = 346.75
346.75 x 14 cent kWh = 4854.5 cent OR $48.545
Ideally, you’ll want to have your Neon sign on throughout the night, which will be around 12 hours at a time.
However, to be even more energy-efficient, you should actually leave your neon sign on all the time, day and night, to prolong its lifespan.
(Before we carry on with this article, you may like to take a look at our Man Cave Lights or our She Shed Lights).
Electricity Usage of LEDs vs. Neon Lights
Although you might think LED signs are more energy-efficient than neon lights, they might not give you the desired impact when it comes to attracting attention.
It’s true that LED signs typically use less electricity than neon tubes, which is excellent if you want to save money, but neon signs will ultimately outshine a standard LED light.
If you have an LED sign on for 12 hours a day, it will use up around 3.5 kWh per year, which is far less power than neon tubes, but to get that dramatic impact of neon lights, look for an LED neon sign hybrid.
At Neon Mama, we specialize in LED neon signs made with premium quality and eco-friendly LED neon pipping.
Designed to be ultra-bright, our neon signs come with a free brightness dimmer to give you complete control when it comes to your storefront sign.
So whether you want your LED neon sign on for 12 hours per day or 24/7, you can trust our craftsmanship to give you the results you want.
Are Fluorescent Lights Better for Energy Consumption?
If you’re a business owner looking for a cost-effective storefront sign, you might have also come across fluorescent lights.
When you compare a fluorescent light to neon, LED neon signs are far more efficient and effective.
Purchase Neon Storefront Signs
A beautiful and energy-efficient storefront sign made with LED neon light, browse our online collection at Neon Mama.
Feel free to contact us if you have a bespoke design or require more information about our neon signs,LED displays, or custom made designs.
