You have to take the fluorescent tubes control gear into account which also requires a certain amount of electricity to operate.

Do you need control gear to operate the LED tube?

All the control gear and drivers are included inside the Tubes enclosure

What voltage does the tube run on?

The tube can run on any voltage between 85v and 250v

Does the tube lose brightness in colder conditions?

The tube can operate at -20deg Celsius and loses no brightness and instantly starts.

Why do you state two different Lumen measurements for the fluorescent tubes and the LED tubes?

Fluorescent tubes can lose as much as 20% of there initial light output in there first 1000 hours of operation and will continue to degenerate over the lifespan of the tube. This is why we use the “Mean” lumen measurement as a better representation of the lumen output over the lifespan of the tube.

When comparing specifications between fluorescent and LED tubes it is important to understand that the quoted Lumens can be very misleading, this is due to the fact that a fluorescent tube radiates lights through 360 degrees whilst an LED tube is directional at 120 degrees. This is why we have “Actual” and “Effective” Lumens. The effective measurement being what is on the ground below.

What Information do we need to give you for cost of ownership?

We need the cost of the electricity in KW per Hour (usually between 8 + 12p) We also need the quantity and size of the tubes involved and how long there on for per day.