Most companies today are concerned with saving energy. In fact, you can greatly lower your operating costs with some improvements in your lighting system. This is the reason many people are installing new T-8 sockets and changing over to T8 LED lighting. You may realize a number of benefits to switching over and here is why.
What is T-8?
For more than 40 years, fluorescent lighting companies have been producing products designed to save energy. Many of the early attempts did save energy but also produced significantly less light. In the early 1980s T-8 lights were introduced.
The term “T” in T-8 means the bulb is “tubular”. The number “8” refers to eights of an inch, so T-8 sockets mean 8/8ths or will hold a bulb which is one inch in diameter. On the other hand, a T-12 bulb would be 12/8ths or one and one half inches. By creating different sizes, the bulbs cannot be interchanged.
T-8 lights are made to save energy over standard T-12 lights and the savings can be substantial. In addition, the lights can be either straight tubes or “U” shaped.
Benefits of T-8 LED Lights
T-8 lighting is nothing new but many companies are considering changing from fluorescent to LED. You may need to remove the old T-8 sockets and perform a retrofit, but this strategy can pay off.
Dimming the Lights
In many situations you can save money by dimming the lights. For example, maybe you have sky lights which let in a great deal of light in the day. You might not be able to turn off your lights, but dimming them will help a great deal. Dimming fluorescent lights may not work well. However, T-8 LED lights can easily be dimmed and brightened.
Directional Lighting
With standard fluorescent lighting, it becomes diffused and covers a large area. But this does little good if you need more light in one area. It is much easier to direct LED light where it is needed.
Light Control
LED lights are easy to control. In fact, you can connect them to different types of light sensing equipment to have lights turned on and off easily.
Eco Friendly
LED lighting is more eco friendly than fluorescent. In addition, you will enjoy a significant amount of savings when you change out the old T-8 sockets and install new ones specifically designed for your new LED light system. In fact, it may not take very long to recoup the initial costs of your investment.
