Replacing fluorescent light bulbs in troffers with LED lights in an industrial or commercial building can save hundreds or thousands of dollars a month in energy and bulb replacement costs depending on the number of light fixtures in the facility. LED lights outperform fluorescent lights in almost every category and the light they produce is virtually indistinguishable from light produced by fluorescent lights.
Troffers, the rectangular light fixtures in a modular dropped ceiling grid, are commonplace and standard in many office and commercial buildings. In the past, troffer fixtures have used standard fluorescent lights but the improvements in light technology have made LED lights an equally viable option for troffers.
Fluorescent vs LED lights in troffers
The main benefit of LED lights is their energy efficiency. LED lights are significantly more efficient than every other type of lighting on the market today. A LED light uses 10 watts per bulb while a florescent uses 14 watts per bulb. An average fluorescent light bulb will last around 8,000 hours. A LED light producing the same amount of light will last around 25,000 hours. Not only are LED lights more energy efficient, their system efficiency (the amount of light that reaches the target area once all the system’s losses are accounted for) is also greater than fluorescent lights. The LED system efficiency on average is above 50 lumens/watt. Fluorescent lights, on the other hand, have a system efficiency of fewer than 30 lumens/watt because of all the losses due to omnidirectional light output.
Additional advantages of LED lights
Greater CRI range
No warm up period when turned on
Dimming abilities down to 0.5%
Emits like for 180 degrees and does not require reflectors
Less performance drop over time
Very little heat emission
Longer lifespan
Low lifetime costs
Zero maintenance costs
Shock resistant
