2 Lamps = 3 Lamps?

You have certainly seen some of the new high performance T8 products being touted by major manufacturers, and if you haven't, give us a call. But is this real or is it marketing hype? Well, straight from the nerd's mouth, I can tell you it works!

Here is the math: (I will use Osram nomenclature but that is only because their catalog is on top of the pile. Others make great products as well.)

Good ol' 700 series phosphor T8
FO32/735/ECO = 2800 lumens with a 0.90 lamp lumen depreciation (LLD)
A standard 3-lamp GEB would be a 0.88 ballast factor and use 86W
So we have 3 x 2800 x 0.88 x 0.90 = 6653 lumens

High performance T8
FO32/835/XPS/ECO = 3100 lumens with a 0.95 LLD
A 2-lamp high efficiency ballast would be a 1.20 ballast factor and use 74W
So we have 2 x 3100 x 1.20 x 0.95 = 7068 lumens

That is apples-to-apples, no smoke and mirrors, right out of the book ... and it even outperforms by more than 6%. Right know I hope you're thinking one or both of two things:
1) Why have I not been using this before?
2) I am going to use that on all my projects from now on.

Notice how that 7068 is green? You have 96 lpW instead of 77 lpW. That can make all the difference when you need to hit mandated lighting power density and meeting IES recommended practice, both of which are sort of a good thing to do, right?

We are always poised with real-world experience to help you through these things, so never be bashful about giving us a call.