ARE LED T8 LAMPS READY FOR PRIME TIME?

Stan Walerczyk, CLEP, LC

January 3, 2013 expanded and updated version of what was
published in the March 2012 edition of the Electrical Distributor (tED) Magazine
Since there are hordes of sales people across the country pushing numerous brands of LED T8
lamps, many end-customers think these products must be credible.
But high lumen or extra long life full wattage fluorescent T8 lamps with high performance electronic
ballasts are so much better with regard to cost, lumen maintenance, lamp life, cost effective energy
savings, distribution and safety.
LED T8s may cost $40 - $60 per lamp. Even with the recent price hikes, high lumen or extra long
life full wattage fluorescent T8s may cost $2.50 - $6.00, depending on quantity and other factors.
Good fluorescent T8s only lose 8 10% of initial lumens by end of rated life, compared to 30% for
LED T8s. So what may be sufficient light initially with LED T8s, may be underlit near end of rated
life.
High lumen fluorescent T8s are rated up to 42,000 hours with program start ballasts @ 12 hour
cycles, and extra long life fluorescent T8s are rated up to 62,000 hours the same way. Most LED
T8s are rated for 50,000 hours, but that may be suspect with heat in enclosed fixtures.
High lumen or extra long life full wattage fluorescent T8s and high performance electronic
ballasting with or without a reflector kit are much more cost effective than LED T8s replacing T12s
and magnetic ballasts or basic grade T8s and generic electronic ballasts.
The following two tables show that good fluorescent systems are better than LED T8s. Most rebate
programs, for good reasons, do not rebate LED T8s. Now that production of most T12 lamps has
ended, rebates on high performance T8 systems to replace them may be based on the wattage of
equivalent basic grade T8s and generic electronic ballasts.
2x4 lensed troffer with 4 F34T12CWs
$0.15

blended rate

3500 annual hours

1.1

reduced AC savings x

$0.05 /KWH saved incentive

existing
type

annual
watts
elect. cost

4 F34T12 CW
2650 lumen
lamps, 2 2lamp energy
saving
magnetic
144
ballasts,
angled sides
with good
white paint &
clear prismatic
lens

15

cumulative years in long term benefit

proposed
lamp life
end of
@ 12
life lamp
hour
lumens
cycles

$75.60 25,000

retrofit and relamping options

appr.
end of
end of
improved
life
life lamp thermals and
fixture
lumens
fixture
lumens
efficiency x

lamp life
@ 12
hour
cycles

notes
watts

watt
reduction

annual
elect.
savings

68

76

$43.89

$0.00

$260.00 5.9

incen- tive

appr.
installed
cost

payback
(yrs)

comprehensive
long term
benefit

4 1700 lumen 17W LED T8s

4760

1.10

50,000
(iffy in
5236 enclosed
fixture)

2 3100 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s in outboard lamp holders & 2lamp .89 BF high performance parallel
wired program start ballast

5077

1.35

6854

36,000 42,000

58

86

$49.67

$15.05

$58.00 0.9

$1,074.51

2 2950 lumen extra long life 32W

fluorescent F32T8s in outboard lamp
7100 holders & 2-lamp 1.00 BF high
5428
performance parallel wired program start
ballast

1.30

7056

52,000 62,000

65

79

$45.62

$13.83

$60.00 1.0

$1,048.77

2 3100 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s, 2-lamp .89 BF high
5077
performance parallel wired program start
ballast & white reflector

1.40

7108

36,000 42,000

58

86

$49.67

$15.05

$68.00 1.1

$1,064.51

2 2950 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s, 2-lamp 1.00 BF high
5428
performance parallel wired program start
ballast & white reflector

1.35

7328

52,000 62,000

65

79

$45.62

$13.83

$70.00 1.2

$1,038.77

much less
$661.69 light long
term

footnotes: Numbers in colored boxes can be changed, which automatically alters computations.
Copyright of Stan Walerczyk, LC, principal of Lighting Wizards. December 22, 2012 version.

2x4 lensed troffer with 3 basic grade F32T8s

$0.15

blended rate

3500 annual hours

1.1

reduced AC savings x

$0.05 /KWH saved incentive

existing
type

3 basic grade
2800 lumen
F32T8s,
generic 3lamp .88 BF
electronic
instant start
ballast, angled
sides with
good white
paint & clear
prismatic lens

lamp life end of

annual
watts
@ 3 hour life lamp
elect. cost
cycles
lumens

89

$46.73 20,000

15

cumulative years in long term benefit

proposed
retrofit and relamping options

appr.
end of
improved
life lamp thermals
lumens and fixture
efficiency x

notes

end of
lamp life
life
@ 3 hour
fixture
cycles
lumens

watts

watt
reduction

51

38

$21.95

$0.00

$200.00 9.1

annual
elect.
savings

incen- tive

appr.
installed
cost

payback
(yrs)

comprehensive
long term
benefit

3 2000 lumen 20W LED T8s

4200

1.10

50,000
(iffy in
4620 enclosed
fixture)

2 3100 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s in outboard lamp holders & 2lamp .89 BF high performance parallel
wired program start ballast

5077

1.30

6600

30,000 40,000

58

31

$17.90

$5.43

$58.00 2.9

$323.38

2 2950 lumen extra long life 32W

fluorescent F32T8s in outboard lamp
6650 holders & 2-lamp .89 BF high
4831
performance parallel wired program start
ballast

1.30

6280

46,000 60,000

58

31

$17.90

$5.43

$60.00 3.0

$348.23

2 3100 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s, 2-lamp .71 BF high
4050
performance parallel wired program start
ballast & white reflector

1.40

5670

30,000 40,000

46

43

$24.83

$7.53

$68.00 2.4

$461.01

2 2950 lumen long life 32W fluorescent

F32T8s, 2-lamp .89 BF high
4831
performance parallel wired program start
ballast & white reflector

1.35

6522

46,000 60,000

58

31

$17.90

$5.43

$70.00 3.6

$338.23

much less
$227.93 long term
light

footnotes: Numbers in colored boxes can be changed, which automatically alters computations.
Copyright of Stan Walerczyk, LC, principal of Lighting Wizards. December 22, 2012 version.

The DOE has done numerous testing of LED T8s and incumbents. There is a lot of information at
the DOE Solid State Lighting website, which you can get to by Google searching doe ssl. One
very good DOE document is LED Performance Specification Series: T8 Replacement Lamps,
which requires at least 2700 lumens while not exceeding 20W.
The Department of Energy (DOE) and others have found that many LED T8s shine most of the
light straight down, which can provide sufficient light there, but not enough light between fixtures
and on walls. LED T8s are terrible in parabolic troffers, because with no uplight, the top of the
fixtures are dark. These are not problems with fluorescent T8s.
Safety may be the most important concern.
Some manufacturers may not warranty their lamp holders to hold LED T8s, which are considerably
heavier than fluorescent T8s, and to powered by continuous 277 line voltage.
Installing LED T8s, especially when keeping the existing fluorescent type of lamp holders, may
void the UL listing of the fixture, which was UL listed as a fluorescent fixture. If that is the case and
if something bad happens, like a fire, the insurance policy may not cover damages.
The most common LED T8s have internal drivers, so the existing fluorescent ballast should be
bypassed and line voltage should go to the lamp holders. What some retrofitters and end-users do,
to save time, is to use some of the wire that went from the ballast to the lamp holder. But that wire
may be the wrong color and gauge, which may not meet electrical code.
UL has found that some of the LED T8s create fires in fixtures with internally shunted T8 lamp
holders. Numerous relatively new T8 fixtures with instant start ballasts have internally shunted
lamp holders with just one input jack.
What if somebody replaces an LED T8 that has line voltage, especially 277V, to the lamp holders
with a fluorescent T8? Fluorescent T8 lamp manufacturers have stated that this could cause
significant damage.

Are LED T8s more environmentally friendly than fluorescent T8s? Yes, fluorescent lamps do have
mercury, and LEDs do not. But there are several issues with LEDs, including toxic chemicals used
in production, amount of water required in production and the amount of metal that is mined,
melted and transported for heat sinking. The DOE has not yet determined if LEDs are really more
environmentally friendly cradle to cradle. But some LED T8 marketing literature and sales people
state toxic when referring to fluorescent. Fluorescent lamps now have much less mercury than in
the past. Now most fluorescent T8s have 1.7 to 5.0 mg, which is considerably less than what is in
typical can of tuna fish. Plus many areas require fluorescent lamp recycling.
I have also seen LED T8 literature and heard sales people stating that fluorescent T12 and T8
lamps only last 10,000 or 15,000 hours, which is incorrect. As shown above, there are fluorescent
T8s, which are rated for up to 62,000 hours, which is longer than the ratings on most LED T8s.
DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has approved some LED T8s in two classifications. One is LED
T8s, and the other is lamp-style retrofit kits in the linear panels category. If LED T8s do not have
sufficient lumens to qualify as individual products, two or more typical LED T8s may qualify in the
lamp-style retrofit kit category, mainly because of the higher lumens from more than one lamp in
this pseudo kit. Is this just gamesmanship?
http://www.designlights.org/solidstate.about.QualifiedProductsList_Publicv2.php
It is my understanding the California large investor owned utilities, which include Pacific Gas &
Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, which generally will provide
rebates on DLC listed products, will not rebate any LED T8s, even if they are approved one way or
the other by the DLC. Hopefully other rebate organizations will not rebate LED T8s. I do not
understand why ConEd in New York is accepting rebates on LED T8s.
It is usually not a good idea to cram LED technology into incumbent shapes, including 1 diameter
and 4 long lamps.
I ask manufacturers to stop trying to sell LED T8s in North America, but develop LED light bars,
which could be about 1 wide and 4 long. These could be screwed into the top of the fixture, using
the entire fixture as a heat sink. Having the light higher in the fixture could also help improving side
light out of the fixture. The driver could be installed in the ballast compartment, which would be
better for heat for both the LEDs and driver. The existing lamp holders would not be used. One
existing example is the Albeo T8 Conversion kits. If you are not aware, GE recently bought Albeo.
Here is an installation video of the Albeo LED light bar kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxCzjfJp-A
Several manufacturers have already developed or are in the process of developing hardwired LED
kits with their own optics and lenses, which in most applications is much better than just LED T8s
or LED light bars, while keeping existing lenses or louvers.
There are already some very good dimmable and fixed Kelvin LED troffers, including the Cree CR,
Finelite LED HPR and Lithonia RTLED. Pricing on some of these can be as low as $200 or lower.
There are also some good dimming and Kelvin changing LED troffers and troffer kits, such as from
PlanLED, which cost about the same and have the same lumens per watt as fixed equivalents, but
also go from warm to cool white. PlanLED also has dimming and Kelvin changing task lights.
Please check out the Human Centric Lighting website.
http://humancentriclighting.com/

About the Author

Stan Walerczyk is principal of Lighting Wizards, an independent energy efficiency consulting firm.
His 24 years lighting experience includes distribution, maintenance, retrofit contracting, 3rd party
review, consulting, design and research. He has been assisting on DOE research on
spectrally/scotopically enhanced lighting. He is a DOE CALiPER Guidance Committee member on
LED products. He has written over 50 published papers and presented over 700 seminars,
including in 2011 speaking twice at Lightfair and ArchLED and all day at WEEC. He is a Certified
Lighting Energy Professional by the Association of Energy Engineers and is Lighting Certified by
the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions. He was a member of the
Illuminating Engineering Society from 1995 to 2008 and is currently on its Visual Effects of Lamp
Spectral Distribution and Energy Management Committees. He is chair of the Human Centric
Lighting Committee. Complete bio, seminar schedule, testimonials and other information are
available at www.lightingwizards.com.