Cannabis growers just delivered the final blow to old-school lighting. In 2025, LED fixtures now power 78% of all indoor flower rooms across the United States and Canada, according to the just-released 10th annual State of the Cannabis Lighting Market report from Cannabis Business Times. That marks a stunning leap from just 26% market share only five years ago.
The landmark survey, which polled more than 300 licensed commercial cultivators in early 2025, shows high-pressure sodium lights clinging to a mere 14% share in flowering. The rest split between ceramic metal halide and the fast-growing hybrid setups.
How Fast the Switch Really Happened
The pace shocks even industry veterans.
Five years ago, HPS still ruled 68% of flower rooms. Today it barely hangs on in legacy facilities that have not upgraded yet. Every single grower under 35 years old who responded now runs full LED or LED-dominant rooms.
“Five years felt like fifty in lighting years,” one Colorado operator told researchers. “The new diodes pay for themselves so fast we can’t justify keeping the orange lights anymore.”
Energy Savings Drive the Revolution
Power costs remain the number one reason growers rip out HPS bulbs.
The 2025 data shows LED rooms use 38% less electricity on average than HPS rooms producing the same yield. In states with high commercial rates, some operators report cutting their lighting bill in half.
| Lighting Type | Average kWh per pound (flower) | Market Share 2025 | Market Share 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full LED | 285 | 78% | 26% |
| HPS only | 458 | 14% | 68% |
| Hybrid LED/HPS | 336 | 8% | 6% |
Those savings arrive faster than anyone predicted in 2020 because fixture prices keep crashing while efficiency climbs.
Younger Companies Lead, Veterans Follow
Start-ups and newer licenses adopt LEDs from day one. Companies licensed after 2022 run LEDs in 94% of their flower space.
Even long-time players finally upgrade. More than 60% of growers who still used HPS in 2024 say they will switch to LED within the next 18 months. Only 11% plan to keep sodium lights long term.
Propagation and Veg Rooms Go Full LED Too
The shift extends beyond flower.
Nine out of ten respondents now use LED in clone and vegetative stages. That number sat at 43% in 2019. Growers cite better root development, shorter internodes, and far less heat stress as the main reasons.
One large Canadian LP reported cutting its mother-room energy use by 72% after switching to modern bar-style LEDs.
What the New Lights Actually Deliver
Today’s top fixtures push past 3.0 µmol/J in real-world tests. Many growers report system efficiencies above 2.8 µmol/J across their entire canopy.
Average yields keep climbing too. Facilities running LEDs in 2025 hit 62 grams per square foot per cycle on average, up from 51 grams in similar HPS rooms five years ago.
Spectrum control wins big praise. Eight out of ten cultivators now adjust red-to-blue ratios during the grow cycle. Far-red and UV channels show up in 41% of new installs.
The Last Holdouts Speak Up
Some veterans still swear by HPS.
A handful of craft growers in California and Oklahoma say sodium lights give the terpene profiles they want. Others simply cannot justify the upfront cost to replace hundreds of double-ended fixtures that still work.
Yet even these operators admit the writing sits on the wall. “I’ll ride my HPS until the bulbs stop shipping,” one told the survey team. “Then I’m done.”
The report predicts HPS will drop below 5% market share by 2028.
A decade ago, LED looked like an expensive experiment. Today it powers the most profitable grows on the continent. The 2025 State of the Cannabis Lighting Market report proves the revolution is complete, and the old orange glow fades fast into history.
Maria Garcia is an award-winning author who excels in creating engaging cannabis-centric articles that captivate audiences. Her versatile writing style allows her to cover a wide range of topics within the cannabis space, from advocacy and social justice to product reviews and lifestyle features. Maria’s dedication to promoting education and awareness about cannabis shines through in her thoughtfully curated content that resonates with both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
