Continuous rows of four 4’ lamp T-8 fixtures (8’ long) on 8’-12’ centers would be the ideal lighting system in terms of performance, efficiency, installed price and maintenance cost. T-5’s are actually slightly less efficient and really don’t make sense at mounting heights less then 20’. Plus T-5 lose more light output then T-8 as temperatures decrease which starts to become noticeable at 60f and really noticeable at 50f. Most shops are kept warm unless they are being used and on the colder days it could take hours for the T-5 lights to get to full output.
I suggest continuous rows because that gives the owner a very uniformly lit space and tons of flexibility when he decides to reconfigure the shop in the future. “I can’t put this machine over there because that’s the dark corner”. The fewer the fixtures the worse the shadows which are a bad thing in work shops and continuous rows are essentially shadow free. For energy purposes I would switch every other fixture for times when not as much light is needed. IE; 42’ long shop/8’ long fixtures = 5 fixtures per row with 1’ gap on each end of the row, 3 fixtures per row on one switch and two on the other. I would suggest the basic commodity grade 8’ white painted fixture that every electrical supplier stocks plenty of. Typical cost is $40-$45 each. No need for hoods (reflectors) at the heights you mention especially if the ceiling is white. 5000k 800 series lamps are the best lamp for this application. F32T8SPX50 would be the GE part number and your local supplier can easily cross that with what ever brand they carry. Best, Travis Creswell Ozark Energy Services _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jeff Wongstrom/ Sarah Anderson Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 9:58 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: [RE-wrenches] Wood shop lighting Hello Wrenches, We have a client with an off grid wood shop and would like your recommendations for the most efficient lighting options. The shop is powered by a quad stack, 4.8KW of PV and a 20KW genset. The main part of the shop is 42'x22' with ceiling heights varying from 10-12', there are benches along two walls, and machinery work stations at several locations. There is good day lighting and we have stressed the importance of light colored surfaces. We have had both T8 and T5 florescent lights with electronic ballasts recommended. From numbers that the electrical wholesaler provided, the watts/lumen between T5's and T8's appear to be similar. However, the T5's are more expensive and have higher maintenance costs but may require fewer fixtures. Is one more appropriate than the other or are there better, more efficient, wood shop lighting options? Jeff Thirsty Lake Solar PO Box 538 Eureka, MT 59917 Jeff Wongstrom NABCEP Certified Solar Installer 406-889-5324 HYPERLINK "http://www.thirstylakesolar.com/"thirstylakesolar.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.9.15 - Release Date: 12/5/2008 12:00 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.9.15 - Release Date: 12/5/2008 12:00 AM
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