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re: T-8 lamp and ballast questions (Looooong post)



> From: Christopher Newell <newellcr at yahoo_com> 
> Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 15:18:52 -0800 (PST) 
> 
[snip]
> Ill save $.81/month per shop light with the Home 
> Depot electronic ballast vs the old cheapie light on a
> 
> calculated $2.25 ($.07 per kilowatt-hour energy cost) 
> per month per shoplight in energy costs.   That works 
> out to about $.02/month in savings for each hour I 
> spent researching this.  Lets hope I live a long
> time.
 

Chris,
Your payback will be a lot faster when you factor in the replacement
costs of the lamps.  GE F32T8/SPX41 or Philips F32T8/TL741 (I think I
got that number right) are about $2 each, and will maintain most of
their luminance for 20000+ hours.  Real 40W equivalent lamps are about
$10 each.  I haven't priced decent T12 "wattmizer" 34W lamps. 
"Shoplite" lamps that you can get for 97 are only 25W and put out a
pitiful amount of light.  All of the T12 lamps may last about 20000
hours, but they lose their luminance much faster than T8's and will thus
require more frequent relamping.

I bought a few Motorola "high light output" ballasts (b.f. = 1.28) a few
years ago for $23 each and use them in my grow lights for starting
seedlings (with SPX30 lamps).  I don't know if these ballasts are still
available; they used to be rebranded by G.E., but not since G.E. bought
Magnatek.

Best regards,
Bob
--
"I have seen the future and it is just like the present, only longer."
 --Kehlog Albran