Click image for advert from 8 to 5!
January 2008
PRODUCT AND FLUORESCENT LIGHTING OVERVIEW ~ T12, T8 & T5
The 8to5 Energy Saver allows you to immediately enjoy the benefits of new
T5 technology without the need to replace existing light fittings.
New T5 Technology
The T5 is a very efficient sleek 16mm light tube, providing excellent quality light with a lifespan of over 20,000 hours and energy savings up to 65%. It is environmentally friendly, containing 38% less glass with only a little mercury compared to the old tubes.
Manufactured by companies such as Osram, Sylvania, GE and Philips, the problem with using them in existing fittings is simply that they do not fit. The lengths, the connections and the ballast used are all different.
The 8to5 Energy Saver solution
The 8to5 Energy Saver is designed to bridge the gap between T8/T12 fixtures and the shorter T5 tube and incorporates a new type of high frequency ballast called Electronic Control Gear (ECG) that is designed to work specifically with T5 fluorescent light tubes.
It is the electronic ballast, which provides the excellent energy efficiency and also stops all the slow starts experienced with many T8 and all T12 fittings. This operates at 35,000 Hz so there is no stroboscopic flickering, which causes headaches and eye problems for many employees and is a known and real health and safety issue.
Depending on your electricity costs, conversion to T5 fluorescent light tubes with the 8to5 Energy Saver electronic control gear adapter has a payback time of approximately 1 year.
Popular Sizes Available:
96 inches (2420mm) 56w
72 inches (1820mm) 42w
60 inches (1320mm) 35w
48 inches (1210mm) 28w
36 inches ( 910mm) 21w
24 inches ( 600mm) 14w
A Brief history of the outdated T12 and T8 technology.
Standard fluorescent light fittings found in most commercial buildings in the UK use the large diameterT12, or the smaller T8, which was introduced some years later. The T12 tube has a 1.5" / 35mm diameter tube and the T8 a slighting smaller 1" / 25mm diameter tube.
Most T12 and T8 fluorescent light fittings use very inefficient electromagnet ballasts. These have a frequency of 100 Hz and cause the awful flickering associated with this old technology.
*There is enough mercury in old 6' T8/T12 fluorescent tubes to pollute 30,000 litres of drinking water if it leaked into the water table!
Summary
The simplest and most economical way to use energy-saving T5 lamps in existing T8/T12 fittings is to use the 8to5 Energy Saver, incorporating an extremely efficient high frequency electronic ballast.
The lifetime of T5 tubes is 20,000 hours and the lifetime of the 8to5 Energy Saver is around 50,000 hours, and at 10 hours per day on a 6-day week average that's over 15 years. This means a significant reduction in replacement and maintenance costs!