Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: New Bulbs

[Philip Proefrock (architect]

T12 fluorescent tubes (which are 1-1/2" diameter) will probably be
manufactured for many years to come, so I don't think there's an immediate
need to stock up.  But fixtures for T8 (1" diameter) and T5 (5/8"
diameter) tubes are increasingly the norm.  These newer fixtures are
higher efficiency than the older, larger ones, and they also contain less
mercury, so there is a multiple benefit to using them.

As for the question about what to do with old incandescent bulbs after
installing compact fluorescents, I have a couple fixtures that have
dimmers, so I cannot use compact fluorescent bulbs there.  Compact
fluorescents are also sometimes problematic for use outdoors or other cold
locations (restaurant refrigerators or freezers, for example), so the
incandescents could be used for those purposes, as well.

Philip Proefrock


> -----Original Message-----
> I was recently told by my electrician that the "regular" 4 & 8' style
flourescent bulb were being fazed out. Specifically, they are being
replaced
> by lower-energy use, smaller diameter bulbs. This will mean either stocking
> up ahead of time with lots of the "regular" flourescents or coverting
all
> your fixtures to the new smaller ones. Has anyone else heard about this?