How to replace T8 Fluorescent Lamps with T8 LED Tubes

Buy Type A T8 LED Tubes Existing Ballast Type B T8 LED Tubes to buy Shop Any Type C T8 LED Tubes

Fluorescent was once the cost-effective and environmentally preferred lighting solution. Those days have been over for a while as technology has grown over recent years, turning the tide in LED's favor and making it hard to find fluorescent tubes. Yet there are still millions of fluorescent tubes in use waiting to be retrofitting to LED. Despite fluorescent being efficient themselves, T8 LEDs hold a number of advantages when comparing the two.

  • Light Quality - LED's produce light in a variety of color temperatures which are similar to fluorescent, but do not exhibit the flickering issues.
  • Dimmable - There are many LED options with complete dimming qualities. Fluorescents are expensive to dim and do not do it as effectively as LEDs.
  • Energy Efficient - On average, new T8 LED tubes are around 30% more efficient than Fluorescent T8 tubes.
  • Mercury Free - LEDS are mercury free, making them environmentally friendly and free from recycling fees.
  • Easier to Control - Fluorescent lights burn out faster when controls are administered (like occupancy sensors). LEDs have no such problem as their lifespan is not affected by being turned on or off.
  • Directional Lighting - LEDs offer effective directional lighting, allowing light to be illuminated where it is needed. Fluorescents produce multi-directional light, meaning some light is lost within the fixture.
  • Lifespan- The average life of a T8 Linear Fluorescent Lamp is 30,000 hours, while a T8 LED will last 50,000 hours. That said there are newer linear fluorescent T8 lamps that can last up to 84,000 hours.

The initial factor in holding down LED tube sales was cost, but now with fluorescent lamps hard to find and quality commercial grade LED coming down in cost, it's a no brainer. Also consider tax incentives and local rebates, and you will find that LED's will produce a ROI that pays for itself very quickly. Premier Lighting will work with you to analyze your unique situation and provide a cost/benefit analysis for your LFL to LED switch. You will have a few options for going forward with LED T8s.



Type A - LED tube has an Integrated Driver for use on Existing Fluorescent Ballast

Type A LED tubes need an existing T8 electronic ballast to operate. If you have T8 electronic ballasts this makes installation very easy. All you need to do is remove the existing T8 fluorescent lamp and install a new T8 LED Type A lamp. However, using an existing ballast is not as efficient as the methods further below as their lifespan is affected due to the ballast needing to be replaced before the LED itself. It is also contingent on the Type A LED tube being compatible with your particular ballast. Residential-grade ballasts rarely work well in this instance but if you have a commercial-grade ballast you may have better luck. But be sure to check ballast compatibility sheets if you go this route.

Buy Type A T8 LED Tubes Existing Ballast



Type B - LED tube has an Internal Driver and is Wired to Main Voltage

Type B LED Tubes require the ballasts be removed from the existing light fixture and the power is then wired directly to the sockets. This results in no power loss as power is not wasted in the ballast, making them much more efficient than Type A bulbs. Not having the ballast also lessens future maintenance costs as it will not have to be replaced. Naturally the downsides include initial maintenance modifications, as the ballasts are removed as well as potentially having to replace the sockets. That said, most Type B LED tubes these days can be single or double-end wired, meaning if your sockets are in good shape you can leave the shunted sockets as is and just bypass the ballast. Installation can also be dangerous with connecting sockets to power wires - strict safety measures are required. This adds to a higher total installation cost though the long-term efficiency far outweighs Type A's setup.

Type B T8 LED Tubes to buy



Type C - LED tube has Remote Driver to power LED

The big difference between the Type B LED tubes are that instead of an internal driver, Type C LED tubes utilize a remote driver to power the LED. One remote driver can power multiple LED tubes; this system is quite similar to how linear fluorescent lighting operates. Type C installations still require fluorescent ballasts being removed. They boast maximized functionality such as motion-based control systems and crisp 0-10V dimming. Like a Type B installation, Type C requires an extensive installation process that costs more than Type A.

Shop Any Type C T8 LED Tubes



Type D or Type AB - Combo-Drive LED T8 Bulbs that work on ballast and line voltage

New to the LED T8 market are ComboDrive LED T8 lamps, also known as Dual mode. ComboDrive LED T8 lamps will run on existing fluorescent ballasts (if compatible), and then when the ballast dies they can be wired up direct to line voltage (120-277V). As always if you intend to re-use on an existing ballast, make sure you check the compatibility sheet as they only tend to work on quality, commercial-grade ballasts. In bypass mode you will find that some of these lamps are single-end wired only or double-end wired.

Shop Combo Drive T8 LED Tubes

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