Energy Efficient Lights

The wattage for the T8 is high. For 48" the T8 is about 32 watts, maybe less. You may have looked at the HO T8.

wareagle,

Yes, I was looking at both the low and high wattage T8s and the possible repalcement with better energy efficiency type and control.

I wonder, is that including ballast losses? I agree a standard T-8, 48 inch lamp will have a 32 watt rating on its own. What makes the difference is the ballast and how the lamp is driven.

Yes, this will include ballast losses. As with the Lemec T5/28, Lemec T5/14, they have special electronic devices which are said to improve the power factor and have low losses as compared to ballasts.

Your assistance to look into other options would be great.

Ron,

There are some good voltage\current regulators out there that will provide some good efficiencies.

But be careful and do your research as there are some real dodgy systems out there as others on CR4 will attest.

Be carefull if you are looking at LED "Tubes" what I've been told and found is that for General Office and Workspace lighting they don't stack up dollar wise.
At the moment (There are good units in development) they are expensive, the Lux levels drop quickly and they don't last 10,000 hours at the prescribed Lux levels.

Some LED lighting for special purposes is mature enough to invest in (my opinion anyway).

Regards,
Sapper

Sapper,

Thank you very much for your advice.

Add PIR which will sense the presence of a person and switch on the lights. This will give you major saving. We waste by keeping the lamps ON, even if no body is there in the room / around.

Dear Friend

If you are looking for operation in excess of 10,000 hours, then LED lights is the cost effective solution. Though initial investment is lot higher but then there is considerable saving in regular electricity bill and replacement is typically once in 50,000 hours approx.

Thanks and regards

Ashok Toshniwal, Bangalore, India

amen to that Ashok ..

Funny that Wal Mart would invest $500,000 usd in LED T8 Tube Lights if they were a bad investment.

granted, there are crooks out there, offering inferior products, so be careful

Donald

I agree that LEDs are long life, but 50,000 hours?? How do they know??

50,000 hours = 2,083 days = 5.707 years... meaning that a sample lighting fixture would have to be run continuously since some time in 2003. Looks like pure marketing BS to me. Did we even have those things in 2003?

Bill

as a matter of fact, when proper heat sinks are provided, and the chip is not overdriven, these babies have a potential on hundreds of thousands of hours..

GE invented the first Light Emitting Diode some 38-40 years ago, and I dare say, some of those little red indicator LEDs are still burning...

YES, YES, YES, there IS a lot of hype involved when aggressive marketers get ahold of anything good, but please remember, LED is absolutely the GREEN light of the future.. no pollution.. and maximum energy saving..

Donald

This is a questions as much as a comment: -

Is this a case of a bad Application of a good idea?

Are the Wrong LEDs being used on bad PCBs causing overheating problems, when the newer LEDs with a different chemistry should be used on better designed boards & power supplies?

As far as LEDs for lighting are concerned I'm an end user, but from my research the products on the market are from "money grubbers" selling poor design and poor quality which is giving the guys doing the hard yards and proper development a bad name before they even get to market.

Just a thought,
Regards,
Sapper

I was SO excited when I saw my first frequency counter with 7 segment LEDs rather than the high voltage Nixie tubes (about 1970 or 71).

The high power ones though are a bit iffey. Your comment when proper heat sinks are provided, and the chip is not overdriven is very true! Portland Oregon got on the bandwagon early, and installed alot of LED traffic signals. Today, in many cases, 1/3 to 1/2 of the LEDs in a bulb are shot. Of course that is a severe environment for anything. Those bulbs are a few years old now, and hopefully todays bulbs are better designed.

I recently saw LED flood lamps in a store (for about $10.00 each). Next time I lose one, I will definitely give those a try.

Sincerely

Bill

Yes Bill, White LEDs DID INDEED EXIST even before 2003. I am NOT ASSOCIATED WITH LED LIGHTING IN ANYWAY, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY - This is my reply to your statement - " Looks like pure marketing BS to me".

So now who is BSing or sharing one's knowledge with the rest of forum? Last but not the least, you CERTAINLY need to do a bit more home work before posting on this forum, atleast.

Thanks

Ashok Toshniwal, Bangalore, India

I really didn't know how much more savings you could get by switching from other light sources to the new fluorescents, it is quite substantial and worth considering. I don't know enough about LED to comment. Everything I have seen is still in the prototype or pilot program stage. If anyone has any manufacturers who have produced a product I would like to see the spec sheets on them.

The other method of reducing you energy costs is through a building automation program. Its usually set up in two stages. One for Occupied and the second for unoccupied. The occupied stage can sometimes be set up for two modes "staff" which is necessary lighting for moving around in and "total" for performing whatever function you do.

I can't get into too much more detail since it would require a power survey of the site to offer the best possible solutions, but at least I have given you a taste of it.