If you're asking what wattage grow light you need, or whether a Feit Electric 15 watt bulb can replace a 100W incandescent, the short version is:

  • Grow lights: plan on 30–50 watts per square foot of actual fixture draw for greens and vegetables, and 50–80 watts for flowering plants.
  • Feit Electric 15W bulbs: expect roughly 1500 lumens. Wattage tells you power draw; lumens tell you brightness. The "replaces 100W" claim is a lumen story, not a wattage story.
  • Feit Electric retrofit kits: they're the fastest way to modernize old housings, but the compatibility chart comes before the purchase order. Always.

If you're here for the watch spotlight or the Glacier chandelier — I've got quick notes on both below. The short version: lumens and beam angle for the spotlight, and check the ceiling box for the chandelier.

I'm an inside sales lead at Feit Electric, and in my role coordinating rush orders for contractors, distributors, and facility managers, I've handled 500+ urgent requests over seven years. In March 2024, a contractor called at 3:40 PM on a Thursday — forty housings on site, retrofit boards the wrong color temperature, normal turnaround three days. We pulled the right boards, paid $380 in overnight freight, and he passed his Monday inspection. His alternative was a $50,000 penalty clause. Not every call is that dramatic. Most calls are someone with a deadline and a question they need answered in the next ten minutes. This is the answer I give.

What wattage grow light do I need?

You want a number, so here it is, based on actual wall draw (not "equivalent" wattage):

  • Seedlings and leafy greens: 20–35 watts per square foot
  • Vegetative growth: 30–50 watts per square foot
  • Flowering and fruiting: 50–80 watts per square foot

Make sure you're using actual draw. A fixture that says "600W equivalent" on the box might pull 425W from the wall. The equivalency number is marketing; the draw is physics. I assumed for years that a 600W-equivalent fixture would cover a 4×4 flowering tent based on the label alone. Didn't verify. Turned out the edges were getting roughly half the light they needed, and the grower lost his outer rows to stretching. Now I check the spec sheet before I open my mouth.

Also, fixture efficiency is changing this math. High-efficiency LEDs (in the 2.5+ µmol/J range) can cover more area per watt, and if you're running supplemental CO2, your plants can handle more light than the ranges above suggest. Use the numbers to size the first order, then adjust based on how the plants respond.

Feit Electric 15 watt bulbs: what they actually replace

The most common question I get from contractors is some version of "is 15W enough?" The answer isn't in the wattage — it's the lumens. A Feit Electric 15W LED bulb typically puts out around 1500 lumens, depending on the model and CRI rating. A standard 100W incandescent is roughly 1600 lumens. So a 15W LED lands in the same brightness class at about 15% of the energy draw.

Here's the nuance: equivalency claims get thrown around loosely, and per FTC guidelines (ftc.gov), claims on packaging have to be truthful and substantiated. "Replaces 100W" is reasonable if the lumens actually line up, but when you're specifying a lighting level for a project, ask for the photometric report instead of trusting the front of the box. If a vendor can't produce one, that's a red flag.

Honestly, I'm not sure why some brands still list only "equivalent" wattage without the lumen output front and center. My best guess is packaging pressure. But it makes everyone's job harder — including ours, because we end up explaining it over the phone.

One more thing: not all 15W bulbs are dimmable, and not all dimmable bulbs play nicely with every dimmer switch. If the project calls for dimming, check the bulb's dimmer compatibility list. A box that says "dimmable" is not the same as "works with your dimmer." I have a mental folder of "it flickers" calls that trace back to that mismatch.

Feit Electric retrofit: what I tell contractors before they order

Retrofit kits (i.e., the LED board, driver, and mounting hardware that replace the old lamp and ballast inside an existing housing) are the fastest way to modernize a warehouse, parking lot, or retail space without swapping every fixture. The energy savings are the usual motivation, and they're real. But there are two catches.

First, compatibility. Feit Electric retrofit kits are designed to fit specific housings, and the compatibility list on feit-electric.com exists for a reason. I once assumed "same specifications" meant identical dimensions across housing brands. Didn't verify. Turned out the screw pattern for the driver tray was different, and none of the boards sat flush. We ate the restocking fee and the freight. The compatibility check takes two minutes; the freight bill takes two weeks to forget.

Second, be careful with the word "savings." Per FTC advertising guidelines, energy claims have to be truthful and substantiated. We publish tested wattage draw and estimated annual operating cost for each retrofit kit, and I'd expect any manufacturer to give you the same data. If an efficiency claim comes without a spec sheet behind it, keep asking questions.

And if a product says "recyclable," that label has weight behind it too. The FTC Green Guides require environmental claims to be substantiated — a product can only be called recyclable if recycling access is genuinely available in the areas where it's sold (roughly 60% of consumers, per ftc.gov). We're careful with that on our packaging, and you should be careful when a vendor tells you the same thing without evidence.

Watch spotlight and the Glacier chandelier: quick notes on two fixtures

Two products come up in my calls often enough that they deserve their own section.

For outdoor security, the Feit Electric watch spotlight — an adjustable fixture used to keep an eye on a specific area (think driveway, walkway, or loading dock) — is a frequent fix for contractors filling a gap in a security setup. The two specs that matter are lumens and beam angle. For most residential and light commercial areas, aim for 1000–2000 lumens with a narrow-to-medium beam. For wider commercial zones, use multiple fixtures with overlapping coverage. One "super bright" light leaves dark corners; two moderate fixtures don't.

The Glacier chandelier is one of our most-requested decorative fixtures for hotel lobbies, stairwells, and entryways. If I remember correctly, the line includes several configurations — six-light, eight-light, that kind of thing (check the current spec sheet; don't quote me on the exact count). The thing contractors call about afterward isn't the chandelier itself; it's the ceiling box. A chandelier that weighs 30+ pounds needs a ceiling box rated for that weight, and most standard residential boxes aren't. Check the rating before install day, or the fixture becomes an emergency order.

When this advice doesn't apply

Every rule in this article has edges, and you deserve to know where they are.

The grow light ranges are starting points, not final answers. High-efficiency fixtures cover more area per watt; older fixtures need more watts. The 15W ≈ 100W equivalency assumes an open fixture and a standard A19 shape — in enclosed housings, heat can reduce light output over time. And not every old housing should be retrofitted: if the housing is damaged or the wiring is questionable, replace the whole fixture. A retrofit kit is not a repair tool for a broken housing.

One logistics note: if you're ordering sample bulbs, don't pay freight for a single box. Consolidate your sample orders into one shipment. USPS raised First-Class rates in January 2025 — a letter is $0.73, a large envelope $1.50 (usps.com) — and that's the cheap end of the scale. Everything bigger costs more, so bundle.

I don't have hard industry-wide data on LED retrofit failure rates. What I can say from seven years of orders and warranty claims is that failures cluster around mismatched components — drivers forced into housings they weren't made for, compatibility lists ignored, "universal" boards that weren't. The LED chip itself rarely fails. The installation decision is usually the weak point.

If you're not sure whether a Feit Electric product fits your project, send the model number and a photo of the housing before you order. The fifteen minutes you spend checking compatibility now beats the phone call and the freight bill later. An informed customer asks better questions — and better questions get faster answers.