You still find them all over the place. LFL (Linear Fluorescent Lighting) was once the go-to for lighting huge warehouses, commercial facilities, or open office spaces. First, there’re T12 tubes that were actually phased out and then replaced by the even more energy-efficient T8 ones. Today there is a new game that provides better longevity, energy efficiency, and lighting control: T8 LED tube lights. Is it time to contemplate a lighting retrofit for the facility?
LED lights have always provided energy savings compared to the other alternatives such as CFL (compact fluorescent) and halogen lamps, but at one time were more expensive. However, advances in the LED technology have really made them less expensive to get and install. In addition to saving much energy, these LED lights release less heat, decreasing the load on the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems and are also more compact and controllable, providing more design flexibility.
Advantages Of The T8 LED Lights:
The following are some of the advantages of the T8 LED lights:
- More Energy Efficient:
The T8 LED lights are normally more energy efficient than the Linear Fluorescent Lightings.
- Work Well With The Controls:
LED lights work flawlessly with the occupancy sensors and different other control systems. Not so for the fluorescents.
- Directional:
It simply denotes lighting can now be easily directed exactly where you require it, rather than getting it diffused and spread over a huge space or even lost within a fixture itself.
- Dimmable:
The fluorescents have always been hard to dim, and a few are not dimmable at all. But today’s LED lights to dim simply.
- Better Light Quality:
Fluorescents flicker. LED lights do not. And LED lights produce light in a broad assortment of colors.
What’s The Difference Between T5, T8, & T12 Lights?
The major difference is actually the size. The number after T is just the diameter in 8ths of the inch (1 inch, 5/8 inch, and 1.5 inches). Other disparities comprise the rated life hours and how efficient these lamps are. The T8 lamps are the more energy-efficient and long-lasting replacement lamps for the T12 lamps of such same wattage. Both are often utilized in general lighting applications like warehouses and offices. The T5 ones, however, frequently need specialty T5 fixtures and, while at times utilized in general lighting, are more frequently utilized for grow lights, under cabinet lighting, and other specialty applications.
Do T8 LED Bulbs Require Ballast?
The majority of T8 LED bulbs don’t require a ballast. The only kind of LED tube that needs ballast is the plug-&-play tubes. Utilized as the direct replacement for the fluorescent tube in the fixture, the plug-&-play LED lights are installed without the rewiring to any fixture, keeping the old fluorescent ballast. While the hybrid LEDs can be utilized with ballast, one isn’t needed as they can be fitted for running directly off line voltage. There’re even a few tubes that can’t operate with the ballast. Ballast bypass or direct wire lamps need the ballast to be taken out from the fixture before installing the LED bulbs.
With the appropriate installation, the T8 LEDs are a great method of saving energy and can offer outstanding light quality at a cost that can make it reasonable to recoup the preliminary charges of switching to LEDs. They’re also a more efficient and safer alternative to the standard T8 fluorescent tubes.
