Nobody wants to finish a garage build and then flinch every time they flick the lights on. So here are real numbers, using current UK electricity prices, with the maths shown so you can plug in your own figures.
The formula
Running cost works like this.
Watts ÷ 1000 × hours used × price per kWh = cost
That is it. Everything below is just that sum with different numbers in it.
The current price of electricity
As of the October to December 2026 price cap, the average electricity unit rate in England, Scotland and Wales for a standard variable tariff paid by direct debit is 26.32 pence per kilowatt hour, with a daily standing charge of 54.83 pence. VAT has been removed from domestic electricity bills between 1 October 2026 and 31 March 2027, which is why that unit rate looks slightly kinder than it might have.
Your actual rate depends on your region, tariff and meter, so check a recent bill. We will use 26p per kWh throughout for simplicity.
What a hexagon grid actually draws
LED panels are efficient. A full domestic hexagon grid typically draws somewhere in the region of 100W to 250W depending on the number of panels and how hard you run them. For comparison, that is roughly the same as two or three old filament bulbs, or about a tenth of a kettle.
Let us work through a realistic example using 180W, which is a reasonable figure for a mid sized grid at full brightness.
Light usage: 1 hour a day 0.18 kW × 1 hour × 26p = 4.7p per day Around £1.42 a month, or £17 a year
Light usage: 3 hours a day 0.18 kW × 3 hours × 26p = 14p per day Around £4.27 a month, or £51 a year
Light usage: 8 hours a day (a working unit) 0.18 kW × 8 hours × 26p = 37.4p per day Around £11.39 a month, or £137 a year
For most home users, hexagon lighting costs less per year than a couple of tanks of fuel.
How that compares to what you had before
The typical old garage setup is a 5ft twin fluorescent tube at around 116W including the ballast losses, plus a halogen work lamp at 400W or 500W when you need to see properly.
Run the fluorescent for three hours a day and it costs you roughly £33 a year on its own. Add the halogen for an hour a day and you are adding another £47. Now you are at £80 a year for lighting that is, bluntly, worse.
The point is not that LED is free. It is that better light does not have to mean a bigger bill.
Three ways to cut the cost further
Split the grid. If your space is large and you usually only use half of it, building the grid as two zones means you can light only what you need.
Fit a motion sensor. Garage lights left on by accident are a classic. A plug in PIR sensor costs very little and pays for itself if you are forgetful.
Paint the walls. Light coloured walls and floors mean you can run the grid at a lower setting for the same perceived brightness. It is the cheapest efficiency upgrade there is.
If you run a business
Commercial electricity rates differ from domestic ones and are not covered by the price cap, so your unit rate may be higher or lower depending on your contract.
The upside is that lighting for a commercial premises is generally an allowable business expense, and the running cost of a detailing bay or salon that operates eight hours a day is still modest next to rent, rates and staff. Speak to your accountant about how the purchase should be treated.
Work out your own figures, then browse the hexagon lighting range. Every kit lists its wattage so you can run the sum before you buy.