25-watt T8 lamps are Capital Lighting’s preferred choice for maintenance projects – helping the majority of its customers save dollars and energy when they re-lamp.

Based in Renton, Wash., Capital Lighting has more than 20 years of experience in the lighting maintenance and retrofit market. In 2011, the lighting supplier was looking for a better way to maximize energy savings for its customers.

“We saw that 25-watt T8 lamps had the same light quality as 32-watt bulbs, cost nearly the same, and of course, saved much more energy,” said Mike Caldwell, President of Capital Lighting. “The other benefits were improved color rendering, and being able to take care of strobing and glare issues our customers reported with 32-watt lamps. The 25-watt T8s were the perfect solution.”

Since then, Capital Lighting favors recommending 25-watt T8 lamps for its customers’ projects.

“Everyone wants the energy savings that 25-watt T8s can bring them, and our customers tell us they like 25-watt lamps more than the 32 because they quickly realize they don’t need the level of light they had been using,” Caldwell noted.

Capital Lighting’s successful maintenance projects include:

• Seattle High-rise:
To help a commercial office building in downtown Seattle save on energy costs, Capital Lighting replaced its 32-watt T8 lamps with 16,000 25-watt versions and low ballast factor electronic ballasts. They’ve seen an estimated 387,000 kWh in energy savings annually and an estimated $24,000 in annual utility cost savings since the project completed.

“We were able to provide the tenants with improved lighting conditions and the owners with an attractive payback on the investment.”

• James Tower – Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill Campus:
Sabey Corporation partnered with Capital Lighting in 2011 to begin a group re-lamp scheduled to replace end-of-life 32-watt T8 lamps with 25-watt lamps. Over a three-year period they switched over to more than 4,000 25-watt T8 lamps. “Thanks to the incentives we received from Seattle City Light, it was an easy decision to go with 25-watt T8s.”

Medical Dental Building:
Capital Lighting was tapped to help tenants in this eight-floor Seattle building find the right lamp that would best render color in their dental offices. After a few demonstrations to determine the ideal degree of color, Capital Lighting switched the building to 4,000 25-watt T8 lamps, and the tenants were excited to find the right light quality they needed

Capital Lighting has helpful guidance for those considering 25-watt T8 lamps:
• Install your demonstration kit near a wall
Because office occupants don’t usually look up at the actual fixture as they work throughout the day, the key is to compare how your replacement lamp reflects light off of surrounding surfaces.

• Use guards for some outdoor applications
Some avoid 25-watt T8 lamps in outdoor applications, but Capital Lighting has found that fixture guards are a great way to maintain lamp temperature in closed parking garages.

• Make adjustments for more light
If occupants ever find that the light output is not bright enough, they can usually adjust the color temperature from 3000 Kelvin to 4100 or 5000 Kelvin.