- Better light output
- Lower energy use
- Save money
- Environmentally friendly
If you still have T12 lighting you should definitely convert to T8 or possibly T5 lighting. There isn't just one option when you consider retrofitting from T12 to T8. T8 lights are brighter than T12, which in some applications is great. In other applications the extra light from T8s may not be needed or wanted. In these cases you should consider the using the low watt ballasts and/or lower wattage lamps. Most manufacturers make low wattage ballasts.
This low watt ballast has a lower ballast factor, typically around .77 compared to .88 normal light ballast. The low watt (LW) ballasts use less wattage and will drive the lights less than a normal ballast, resulting in lower light levels. With the LW ballasts you can use the 800 series lights and still get approximately the same light levels as T12s, but you get in excess of 40% savings compared to approximately 33% when using normal light ballast. One of our favorites is to use the low watt ballasts with super T8 5000K lights. This gives a much more natural bright look and reduces energy levels on a 4-lamp fixture approx 43%. Other options for T12 retrofits are reducing the number of lamps, while using high output ballasts and super T8 light bulbs. By using (2) T8 lamps in place of (4) T12s you can get same light levels, and reduce maintenance costs significantly because you are only change half of the original number of bulbs.
The consumer switching to T8 lighting from T12 really has a lot of options. They can choose to maximize light levels, energy savings
or trade off somewhere between the two. We provide a free evaluation of your lighting, cost to retrofit using different options, and an energy savings estimate.
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