🚀 go-pugleaf

Ian Stirling <root@mauve.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:<b54qdc$4h4$4$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk>...
> In sci.electronics.misc DaveC <anon@bugus.net> wrote:
> > I've been asked to help light a small office building hallway. The 
> > fluorescent lamps are way too harsh for the office workers, and the tenants 
> > favor the overhead QH approach. 
> <snip>
> 30 lamps at 50W is 1500W.
> Or ~$500/year.
> 
> I'd ask what they mean by 'too harsh', and perhaps look into the large number
> of colours of fluorescnts avaialble.
> 
> Maybe something as simple as a paint job might help.


Bare bulb QH lighting is very nice to look at but there is an
interesting effect that happens with exposed bulbs in QH lighting. The
eye adjusts to the intensity of light coming from the bare bulb and
makes the rest of the room look dark. So then you have to get more
lamps and before you know it you are negotiating your own rates with
the power supplier.

We recently made our own lamps because everything on the market was
either really ugly or really expensive and commonly both at the same
time. We replaced 150W of QH lighting with 55W of folded fluorescent
lights (the type that IKEA sells) in diffusive fixtures and the
results were dramatic. More light, less glare and less energy used.
The down side is that they can't be dimmed.

So of course now I am wondering if I can take the bulbs apart,
redesign the ballast and build a dimmer for them. Or maybe replace
them with cold cathode fluorescent. I don't think any inspector
anywhere would like the idea of CC lighting.