Full Spectrum Lighting

[Phil Devine]

I am an Assistant Maintenance Manager for a County School System. One of our Principals sent us an article on full spectrum lighting and the studies showing decreased hyperactivity and increased work production from employees where used. It also stated that Germany has banned cool white fourescent lighting in schools and hospitals years ago, and that BlueMAx technoligy bulbs should be used in desk and floor lamps.

Anyone have any more data on these? Is there more cost for full spectrum bulbs? Are they compatible with any standard flourescent light fixture? What is the life cycle of full spectrum bulbs over our current fluorescent bulbs? Is there any payback in energy costs?, etc.

Any help on this would be appreciated.

R,

Phil Devine

 

[barbeer]

http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/

Check this site out!

 

[ultramegabob]

full spectrum tubes cost around 5 dollars each (depending on brand) and can get as much as 25 dollars apiece depending on the color rendering index of the tubes. I install them in print shops, body shops, and dentist offices (for color matching dentures). you can get them in t-8, t-10, and t-12 configurations, no need to change ballasts, although the wattage is the same, they appear brighter because of the color.

 

[ultramegabob]

also, if you go much higher than 5000k on the color of the tube, they start to look really blue, the higher the number the more into the blue spectrum they get.

 

[Mr. Bill]

Waste of money. The better business bureau has investigated these claims over 10 years ago with no documented benefit to occupants.

Ask why they call it "full spectrum" when the Color Rendering Index (CRI) is about 92. A value of 100 is daylight and incandescent. You can get affordable fluorescent lamps with a CRI of 82.

Every couple of years this idea of full spectrum lighting pops up. I see it as right up there with energy saving PF correction devices for residences.

http://www.sylvania.com/content/display.scfx?FILTERNAME=%40URL\&FILTERVALUE=www%2Esylvania%2Ecom&id=003680192

 

[ultramegabob]

Waste of money. The better business bureau has investigated these claims over 10 years ago with no documented benefit to occupants.

Ask why they call it "full spectrum" when the Color Rendering Index (CRI) is about 92. A value of 100 is daylight and incandescent. You can get affordable fluorescent lamps with a CRI of 82.

Every couple of years this idea of full spectrum lighting pops up. I see it as right up there with energy saving PF correction devices for residences.

http://www.sylvania.com/content/display.scfx?FILTERNAME=%40URL\&FILTERVALUE=www%2Esylvania%2Ecom&id=003680192

I dont know anything about the heath benefits of the lights, but they do make a difference when you are color matching things.

 

[Mr. Bill]

As long as the person paying for them understands that the only benefit is slightly improved color rendering.

I saw one factory where they had a bunch of high bay fixtures. All of the fixtures alternated between metal halide and high pressure sodium. I kinda laughed and thought that was one way to improve the CRI of the lights in a space. It could probably work with fluorscent. Specify half of the lamps with 3000K and the other half with 4100K.