Some of the highest light output lamps come in extremely thin tubes and are the latest way to great illumination in a small space. Sylvania engineers kept pushing the limit on this concept, and have produced a new emerging fluorescent bulb; The Sylvania Pentron T5 high output fluorescent light bulb. T5/HO bulbs save even more energy and produce almost twice the light output than the original energy saving fluorescent bulbs, which are known as T8 bulbs. You can tell the difference between a T5/HO and a T8 by measuring the diameter of the bulb. A T5/HO bulb will be 5/8 inch in diameter, compared to 1 inch for the T8 bulb.  The T5/HO are more energy efficient and operate on an electronic ballast usually configured to run several variances of lamps.  We can't overstate how much brighter these are and can be used in a number of applications that never really worked well before with lower light output lamps.

As with all of the new fluorescent bulbs, they rely on electronic ballasts in order to make them work. Ballasts are available from Universal ballasts, Sylvania Quicktronic, among others. Almost all fixtures for Sylvania Pentron T5 high output light 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 T5/HO 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.  Many fixture manufacturers have been using the Pentron in applications like indirect lighting where a diminutive shape best fits a suspended ceiling fixture.  The higher output makes it possible to reduce the number of fixture runs as long as the spread from the indirect source is wide.  That's why so many manufacturers of indirect office lighting are using this lamp.  Another way they're used is in warehouse lighting.  Because of the high light output and small size, many manufacturers put them into multiple lamp configurations to replace HID high bays or low bay fixtures.  In many cases, utility rebates are driving some of that migration and businesses are saving money with some great paybacks.  There are many choices in this area right now and one of the most popular type of lamps are the Sylvania Pentron T5 high output light bulbs with matching electronic ballasts. This combination has been an emerging preference for saving energy, watch for more options in this technology in the future.  The most popular lamp of this type used today is the FP54/830/HO/ECO or the FP54/835/HO/ECO.  They are 54 watts and have an incredible 5000 lumens in raw light output.

Saving energy is not the only feature of the T5/HO light bulb. In addition to this, the color rendering index (CRI) is better than older technology 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. You can also get the Sylvania Pentron T5 high output in various colors such as 3000K, 3500K and 4100K.  This makes it possible to match up your current lighting with the newer energy saving standards.

Remember that there are many types of fluorescent bulbs including these new and innovative technologies, we describe some of the most common used in warehouse and indirect lighting here.  Whatever type you  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 a bulb, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.