Lowest wattages for 4FT & 8FT??

[luvit]

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I have a lot of bulbs and ballasts to replace in 4FT & 8FT fixtures.
I'm not interested in highest lumens per watt.
I'm not interested in the fact that T12 is being phased-out.

I'm looking for lowest cost of operation.
( ultimately the lowest wattage for 4FT and 8FT bulbs )

This is what I've found for both T8 and T12 bulbs:
4FT = 25W
8FT = 60W

Do you know of even lower wattage bulbs?

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[Falcon67]

Actually, I think my 4' T8 Sylvania bulbs are 32w. I haven't seen any lower, just various color temps. The ones rated lower are shorter.

 

[ForceFed70]

Standard T12 = 10W per foot
Standard T8 = 8W per foot for same light output.

So switching to T8 instantly gets you better efficiency while keeping light output the same.

There are "energy saver" lamps out there which are lower wattage but also put out less light. I've only seen them in a T8 package and the lowest I've seen is the 4' - 25W lamps that you mention luvit. I don't think you are going to see anything lower without changing to a specialty ballast.

 

[ddawg16]

That is one of the issues with tubes....no real flexibility with wattage....one of the reasons I went with recessed cans in my garage....I can put in a 7w CFL (or LED) or a 40w CFL....and just about any color....

Regretfully, your only options are color.....

If it helps any....I think 4500K or so is a great color for overall garage lighting....

 

[tfi racing]

.
I have a lot of bulbs and ballasts to replace in 4FT & 8FT fixtures.
I'm not interested in highest lumens per watt.
I'm not interested in the fact that T12 is being phased-out.

I'm looking for lowest cost of operation.
( ultimately the lowest wattage for 4FT and 8FT bulbs )

This is what I've found for both T8 and T12 bulbs:
4FT = 25W
8FT = 60W

Do you know of even lower wattage bulbs?

.

That's about as low as you will find,however unless your ballasts are up to date,you may be better off sticking with the full 32W lamps.How many thousands of lamps are you planning on replacing?Unless you are running a nationwide company with hundreds of locations and several thousands of lamps in each of those locations,5 or 6 watts per tube will save you virtually nothing.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

That's about as low as you will find,however unless your ballasts are up to date,you may be better off sticking with the full 32W lamps.How many thousands of lamps are you planning on replacing?Unless you are running a nationwide company with hundreds of locations and several thousands of lamps in each of those locations,5 or 6 watts per tube will save you virtually nothing.

He is on a quest TO KEEP HIS Kwh CONSUMPTION BELOW 800 Kwh PER MONTH, even if it means that he is virtually blind in his shop and injures himself because he cannot see what he is doing due to the lack of good light.

Charles

 

[trainer]

I have some 4' LED's at work that are rated at 18 watts and do not use a ballast. The light quality is very directional though.

 

[CNGsaves]

Got a few questions to add in discussion of bulbs:

What's best balance of lumens with low wattage bulbs?

I've seen CL bargains for bulbs as low as $1 each . . . but I think those were 3500K bulbs.

What is best recommended T-8 fixture setup along with bulbs for 8 ft ceiling? Wire them end-to-end in rows so that light switches could turn on certain rows of lights?

 

[luvit]

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CNGsaves, Your answers will likely be in this video

Falcon67 & ForceFed70, Thanks for the confirmation!

...one of the reasons I went with recessed cans in my garage....I can put in a 7w CFL (or LED) or a 40w CFL...
If it helps any....I think 4500K or so is a great color for overall garage lighting....

Unfortunately, I'm finding it less costly to maintain what I have.. to remove my current lights, i'll have all kinds of ceiling re-work to do.
There's a chance, in a few years, I may remove the ceiling altogether, so recessed lighting would not fit in that plan. -- Thanks for the color tip!

That's about as low as you will find,however unless your ballasts are up to date,you may be better off sticking with the full 32W lamps.
Unless you are [replacing]thousands of lamps... 5 or 6 watts per tube will save you virtually nothing.

Thanks for the ballast tip, I'll give that a shot. I will not be saving any noteable costs with this single lighting project... but every little step has been adding-up savings.. it's not just lighting.. i'm really enjoying my $80-ish electric bills as noted here.

I have some 4' LED's at work that are rated at 18 watts and do not use a ballast. The light quality is very directional though.

Yeah, for the number of fixtures i have, i'll likely never be able to switch to LED until T8 is phased-out. lol.

He is on a quest TO KEEP HIS Kwh CONSUMPTION BELOW 800 Kwh PER MONTH, even if it means that he is virtually blind in his shop and injures himself because he cannot see what he is doing due to the lack of good light.

Charles

I did wonder who would give me the first ribbing over this thread.
I can see the perspective for those that may take this too literal, though. -- I've had only a few opportunities where a single task light was practical. I'm going to enjoy flooding the room with lighting, because all my utilities/services and energy consumption is pretty optimal and keeps improving. -- I'm not a tree hugger.. i;m just cheep.


Other than that, all my lights are usually all turned-on.. as shown in all my garage pics.. Well.. actually only two-thirds of the lighting works.. i'm going to repair the other one-third.
I have up-to 8 ballasts that need replaced and up to 16 bulbs to add..
I spent a few hours moving around known-good bulbs into every fixture to test them.

Here is a 3d-model and the pic, below, of what i'm up against.. in a few years, i believe this arrangement will be just a memory...

Everyone, Thanks for the confirmations on my bulb options!