Garage lights

37chief · Dec 28, 2011

I am a little tired working in the dark in my garage. I am installing a couple florcent lights. I have the choice of a fixture with 4 bulbes. or a fixture with 2 bulbs. Anyone know how much a fixture with 2 bulbs will cost to run for one hr. I realize everyone has a different electricity rate, but just a average. Thanks
Stan

gregk · Dec 28, 2011

I would go with the 4 bulb light personally. With fluorescent lights being one of the cheapest to run I wouldn't worry too much about the cost to run, I would worry if the garage will get too cold where you live for them to start easily. The new t-8 fluorescent light bulbs with electronic ballasts are supposed to cold start down to 0 degrees just to give you an idea

John T · Dec 28, 2011

This is ONLY a rough estimate, they make different watt rated lamps and different watt ballast so to know exactly the cost of operation you need the watts per lamp,,,,,,,how may lamps used,,,,,,the wattage of the ballast,,,,,,,the KWH your utility charges...

A two tube fixture if each were 40 watts plus maybe a 20 watt ballast (figures to make it easy they are NOT accurate) is 100 watts total, if you used that one hour thats 100 watt hours thats .1KWH and if the utility charges you say 10 cents per KWH thats one cent

Now figure how many lamps,,,,,,,,,,wattage of each,,,,,,wattage of ballast,,,,,,KWH rate,,,,,THERES THE ANSWER

Im in a hurry, just pulled the RV into Bradenton Florida have to go into wally world, If its not correct Im sorry

John T

pat sublett · Dec 28, 2011

Just make sure they are T-8 type

Animal · Dec 28, 2011

I hear ya about a dark shop.. I put florecents in mine when I had it built, and this month I am taking them out and putting incandesents in their place. I am sick of florecent lights. They are a pain in the rear. I bought the halogen with stands to put around the projects that I work on.

MarkB_MI · Dec 28, 2011

8 foot T8 fixtures (four bulbs per fixture) are what I have in my shop, and I'm very happy with them. Figure around 160 watts per 8 foot fixture or 80 watts per four-foot fixture. The T8 fixtures are a little more efficient that the T12's. If your electricity runs ten cents per kW-hr, it will cost you less than two cents per hour to run an eight-foot fixture. You can't have too much light!

farmallstrong · Dec 28, 2011

I had both 4 & 8 ft. florescent & removed all of them. I replaced them with halogen work lights that I mounted in the ceiling. I am very happy with this setup. I got the lights at Tractor Supply at a cost of $9.99 each.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 28, 2011

I have 8 - 500 watt halogen in a 40 x 60 building.Each light has it's own on - off switch so I don't have to run them all at one time. Also have several portable units.I was going to use florcent but standard florcent won't light in a cold building and cold weather balst are not cheap and at the time the buiding was built very few places handled them.

GordoSD · Dec 29, 2011

Get the double eight foot cold weather HO fixtures. They are spendy but I put 10 in my shop and I like the sunburn I get while working out there in the winter.
Have had them installed 11 years and have replaced 1 bulb. They come on instantly at 40 degrees.

Texasmark1 · Dec 29, 2011

You got-r-right John......Haven't forgotten as much as you admit to. Grin. Course this one was pretty easy. Another Grin.

Mark

Anonymous-0 · Dec 29, 2011

last year I installed the new t-8 fluorescent light bulbs with electronic high energy ballasts - 6 bulbs per fixture with a reflector - got them from home depot with 5,000 kelvin bulbs.

bright as can be and start when it's freezing although dimmer as it gets cold - but allways start.

best thing I ever did - shop is bright making it easier to work on stuff. gone are the days of a single 300 what bulb

Bartt · Dec 31, 2011

Got the game set-up as GordoSD. I also have replaced one bulb in about ten years. Great lights.Make sure you get the cold temperature bulbs.

Garage lights

37chief

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gregk

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John T

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pat sublett

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Animal

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MarkB_MI

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farmallstrong

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Anonymous-0

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GordoSD

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Texasmark1

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Anonymous-0

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Bartt

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