Lowering our electric fuel costs is one of the easiest ways to green our shop and also add some green to our pocketbook in savings and in ways that may surprise.

 

Lighting may be the most visible place to start when considering options that can lower monthly electric bills, and a number of utilities share in the cost of retrofits to modern and more efficient lighting that speed the return on investment.

 

Many shops are lamped with familiar large (1½-in. diameter) T-12 fluorescent lights that have been in place for years and can flicker and also use magnetic ballasts which hum. A retrofit to modern and smaller T-8 fluorescent lights will brighten most shops, and a quick comparison shows T-8 bulbs to be about 25 percent more efficient than most T-12 fluorescents.

 

The deciding factors which make for more efficient lighting don’t stop there. Modern fluorescent lighting use electronic ballasts that are rated for efficiency called ballast factor, and some electronic ballasts can surprisingly be more inefficient than the old style magnetic ballasts while the more efficient ballasts are significantly more efficient.

 

The importance of reflectors above the fluorescent bulbs can be easily overlooked.

 

Most existing reflectors were designed to be 89 percent efficient but may be significantly less. Although cleaning can help old reflectors approach 85 percent efficiency while new aluminum white paint reflectors (91 percent) or Miro 4 reflectors (95 percent) provide an opportunity to maximize shop lighting. Additionally, quality of lighting is measured in terms of horizontal reflection which causes glare while some reflectors do a better job at minimizing glare.

 

The environmentally conscious will be pleased to know that bulbs which carry the EPAʼs TCLP rating for low mercury can be disposed of as non-hazardous material.

 

LED lighting is emerging on the scene and significantly more expensive for what is a modest efficiency gain —LED lighting can approach 100 lumens/watts and fluorescents approach 90 lumens/watt. Costs of a retrofit, though, are mitigated a bit as LED fluorescent replacements can run on household current and don’t require ballasts, which serve as step up transformers and generate higher voltages required by most fluorescents.

 

The most progressive minded may be pleased to know that some LEDs run on 12V and can be run from a solar panel for those aiming to integrate an off the grid lifestyle into their shop.

 

Anyone who is considering using LEDs may want to give things a try, first, before making a larger commitment as LED lighting color can approach sunlight and some bulbs have very few LEDs which generate a more piercing light that can be a distraction when implemented across a broad space.