Office lighting?

[StaggeringGoat]

I'm finally getting around to setting up my office in my shop after moving in over a year ago. It's approximately 12'x22'x8'. I'd like to have multiple lighting levels - bright for paper work, lower for computer work or watching TV.

Currently there are 4x double T8 fixtures with 5000k tubes. (256w) It is too bright, after an hour working in there my eyes are very tired. If I remove tubes it's not bright enough and the lighting is uneven. I thought about installing dimmable ballasts but wow those are expensive!

What would you install? I'm almost thinking about incandescents (gasp) since they're so easy to dim. What kind of fixtures should I use...recessed lights? Track lights? LED?

 

[Norcal]

Are these fixtures equipped w/ one or two ballasts per fixture? If they have 2 ballasts, then it's EZ to set up for 2 level illumination if there is good access above, because of CA Title 24 energy codes it's been common in offices to do so, in my garage there are 2 rows of eight fixtures per row & every other fixture is on a separate switch for 2 light levels.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I would never want bulbs with a color temp of 5000k in an office. I do most of my work with two 25w task light bulbs and one 40w in the ceiling. All of them are very low (warm) color temp. It depends on what you're doing, of course, but most of my work involves a computer screen, and you don't need to light a screen so much as keep the area behind it from being too dark.

In your shoes, I'd put in some task lighting where you actually do the work, and change out those (fill light) bulbs to much lower wattage and a lower color temperature. 5000k is blue like sunlight, and I don't think anyone wants to work on a computer or on white paper in something that's blue like sunlight.

 

[Familyof8kids]

I would never want bulbs with a color temp of 5000k in an office. QUOTE]


125% correct! My crews install some of the largest retrofit energy based lighting projects in the US and if we use 5000K in a factory environment we will switch to 4100K-4200K in the office, bathroom, lunch room, bathroom, hallways, etc.

5000K will cause headaches quickly when output is only 4-8' above your eyes. Even if you wear glasses it can still affect you.

 

[StaggeringGoat]

Hmmm...I think I have some 4100k tubes I can try out. Do they make 4' T8 tubes that are less than 32 watts each?

The light fixtures only have 1 ballast each...though I guess maybe I could add a second ballast?