Walking through a parking garage this week, I did what I always do: I looked up. The garage had invested in some energy efficient 2 lamp T8 vaportite units. They were, by my best guess, 4 1/2 years old based on some of the outages I noticed.
Considering they more than likely still have 4-5 years left on their ballasts, I wondered if they thought about the opportunity reduced wattage T8’s (RWT8) presented. Based on my experience in the field, they seemed to be the perfect candidates for a group relamp using RWT8’s.
But why RWT8’s? Can’t you already save energy with T8’s? Well sure, if you’ve upgraded from an older system, you’re going to see improvements , but we’re talking about getting the most out of your lighting system, not almost. And this parking garage, running their systems 24/7, shouldn’t settle for almost.
Don’t let your garage turn into a horror film.
Here’s some things to keep in mind with RWT8’s:
1. They generate more lumens per watt (lpW) than standard T8’s. This means more light is produced while less energy is being used.
2. They maintain their full light output longer (especially when compared to T12 lamps)
3. They provide better quality light–their minimum color rendering index (CRI) is 82 compared to 60 for typical T12s (based on a scale of 1 to 100). This means the greyish/blackish car in your lot that’s supposed to be red will actually look like it.
So what about group relamping? Why not just replace the outages and worry about the other lamps later? Think of it like your car’s headlights; if you periodically replace lamps at different times, you lose out on uniformity, and light levels. On top of that, group relamping assures you know when your lamps were installed and when they’ll start depreciating, so you can better schedule your visits from your service provider (and save time & money!)
Interested in learning more about RWT8’s and if they’re the right fit for your facility? Leave us a comment below or email us directly. Have you made the switch? Let us know how it went!
Jacy Everett
Director of Business Development
(800) 544-4836
