Fluorescent light fixtures come in a variety of sizes and designs. Most common are the high bay or low bay strip fixtures which fit standard 4ft fluorescent tubes and offer directional lighting for spaces in both residential and commercial settings. Fluorescent fixtures utilize a ballast to operate the fluorescent lamps installed in them, and can even be converted to use LED tubes instead. Overall, fluorescent fixtures have become a recognizable, dependable, and functional lighting feature since their inception, and GoodBulb can’t wait to help you find the right fixture for your project!
LIGHT BULB MOMENTS
Fluorescent light bulbs save energy in comparison to incandescent. This is a fact, and has been proven. Fluorescent bulbs use less power to operate at the same brightness as a comparable incandescent one, however, fluorescent lamps require a much higher start-up voltage to get their juices flowing. As such, using fluorescent lamps in areas where the lights will be switched on and off constantly might take a lot longer to see a ROI when upgrading or retrofitting to fluorescent fixtures. The best energy savings with fluorescents come into play in settings where the fixtures will be flipped on and left alone for several hours at a time. This is why many businesses with larger open spaces or warehouses have opted to go the fluorescent route for so many years. Every dollar counts, and finding the best energy savings possible is equally important for the wallet as it is for the environment! Where possible, opt for the lighting solution that meets your demands for quality as well as value.
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2012, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite took images of the Earth from orbit and developed a map that showed the footprint of human civilization as seen by the lights used at nighttime. More populated areas of the different continents shined brighter than rural areas, obviously. Unexpectedly, however, this map also showed something a bit more sinister than light pollution on the surface of the planet - it demonstrated that uninhabited areas were very brightly illuminated, and no one knew why. How could vast land masses, located mostly in Western Australia, that are known to be largely unpopulated be so bright? Are there pockets of developed societies living in these areas that are unknown to the country and the rest of the world?
Turns out that vast portions of the continent were illuminated on this map due to massive wildfires that were burning, unchecked, throughout the uninhabited areas of the landmass. These fires were burning so largely and so brightly that they were putting out more light than the capital cities! Other notable night lights appearing on this map in unpopulated areas of the surface, aside from the wildfires, are from oil drilling in North Dakota’s Bakken Formation - right in GoodBulb’s backyard!
