Fluorescent lighting is a great way to get a lot of light output with relatively little energy usage and with T8 technology, it keeps getting better. Engineers kept pushing the limit on this concept, and have produced the  new standard in 3 foot fluorescent bulbs; The F25T8 fluorescent light bulbs. F25T8 bulbs save even more energy and produce a higher level of light output than original fluorescent bulbs, which are known as F30T12 bulbs. You can tell the difference between a T8 and a T12 by measuring the diameter of the bulb. The F25T8 bulb will be 1 inch in diameter, compared to 1 1/2 inch for the T12 bulb.  The T8 are far more energy efficient and operate on an electronic ballast usually configured to run several variances of T8 lamps.  As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures in order to make them work.  Almost all fixtures for these bulbs come with ballasts already mounted and wired. The ballast is important because it is specific for each type of lamp.  You can't change from one type of fluorescent to another without changing the ballast in most cases.  On a rare occasion there may be a ballast that is made for several different types such as in the case of T8 lamps. Most of the time the ballast in the lamp are matched electrically and so it's good to make sure the ballast you have is the right one for the lamp you choose. In fact, the F25T8 operates on the same ballast as most of the other lengths.

You can get these in almost any color you want including the more desirable full spectrum light.  The full spectrum has special phosphors that give it a similar color to daylight or natural sunshine.  These are also available in F25T8 fluorescent light bulbs.  It produces light the way our eyes naturally use it, giving better visual acuity and reducing problems like eyestrain.  The term full spectrum is primarily used when referring to those lamps that fall into the white to blue/white color temperature range. Color temperature is measured by a term called Kelvin. 3000 Kelvin would be a warm tone color and the 5000 Kelvin would be a white color. There are some of the older types of fluorescents that don't use these terms but sometimes are called by a certain color such as "cool white" or warm white".  Those are the F30T12 variety and could be retrofitted to the newer F25T8 fluorescent lamps.  There are any number of applications which use this lamp which include task lighting, furniture, cove lighting and the list goes on and on.

With the increase of electrical costs, many businesses are looking for ways to save energy with lighting.  You can save a tremendous amount of energy while still improving your lighting, getting better colors and more light. There's no need to sacrifice light to get better electrical savings.  There are many choices and one of the most popular type of lamps are the F25T8 fluorescent light bulbs with matching electronic ballasts. This combination has been a standard for saving energy and many times has electric utility rebates associated with it.  What makes them such a natural is that the sockets for F30T12 lamps are exactly the same making it an easy retrofit. If saving energy while delivering minimum impact on our environment is your choice, then these fluorescent bulbs are the right choice for you.

Saving energy is not the only feature of the F25T8 bulb. In addition to this, the color rendering index (CRI) is better than T12 bulbs. CRI is the technical term for the way a bulb makes colors look to the human eye. The higher the CRI, the more subtle variations of the shade of color are seen. T12 bulbs were typically in the 60-65 range. The T8 bulbs range from 75 all the way to 95. (100 is the highest).  There is such a wonderful difference when you use these bulbs an increase the color saturation of the environment around you.  This is true for an office area or a retail store.  You'll find that better color will bring a better feeling to your office, you and your people will notice the difference.  Many offices still use colors like cool white which wash out color and make everything look pale.  It's mostly used in the F30T12 but there are other types using it as well. It's old technology and was used because color was thought to be less important.  Because color correct lighting is good for the eyes, it increases contrast for better readability.

The F25T8 fluorescent light bulbs are the new standard today for energy efficiency in lighting in a 3 foot length. There are also the compact fluorescent type which screw into regular light bulb sockets and there are the plug-in type which are used in many original architectural fixtures.  Whatever type you choose or have, you will be saving energy while getting the most light you can for your money.  We have a large inventory of fluorescent bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying the bulb you have, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.