The Home Machinist!

My fluorescent supply was running out and I wasn't convinced there wasn't ballast issues as some lights worked with buzzing in one fixture but not at all in another.

I bought the 25 pack of LED bypass bulbs from 1000bulbs, 5000k, for either wiring style. I tried a pair in the laundry room wired single ended. Now I have hospital lighting.

I'm not sure which wiring method is better but after thinking about it, perhaps doubled ended is preferred so both hot/neutral are not so close on those wimpy fixtures?

Also, I wondered about safety if forgetting about the rewire and installing a fluorescent bulb. Fortunately or not, it seems you just burn out the bulb when wired single ended, and nothing if wired double ended. At least is what was demonstrated on youtube up to 900V, which lit the bulb very bright wired double ended. The transformer burned out but I would expect the bulb to go at some point too.

OK, this weekend will install 18 new LED bulbs in the shop.

I write 110V in magic marker in an easy to see location since I also take out the ballast and use direct wire bulbs.

I took a weekend and replaced all 124 bulbs in my shop, so I have no excuse to have anything else around.

After dumping all incandescent bulbs in my house, the elect bill dropped about $70/month.

Granted, it cost me $1100 to make the change, but worth it.

Bill
Your lighting investment will be amortised in about 15 months. Win win.
RussN

or less as the $$$ of everything goes up, including the KWH

now if I can just figure out how to get eggs from my neighbor's chickens without him noticing.....

One thing I learned is to mix the color temperatures. My overheads are 8-ft "daylight" at 5K or 6K. My task lighting is re-purposed track lights with 3K yellowish color. These are far enough up that you get a nice median on the bench or machine. Makes the entire shop more pleasant.

I do this at home now as well.

Once you go LED you never go back.

Em ..
I´ve done a lot of work on this stuff.

(With new 10 kW PV panels, among other things.)

1.
First, some of the old downlights consume 60W / 3, while others consume 12 W/3.
5:1 difference.
Just replacing the downlights with leds DOES NOT cure the base problem.
Several of the old style downlight transformers simply leak current, aka eat power, 24x7, even if they are off.

CURE:
GET RID OF all old transformers - use 220V leds of high efficiency.
Circa 3000K warm light (my wife likes), 4500K neutral, 6000 K cold and strong light (industrial type).

2.
LEDs are vastly different.
I tried several, and some 120 cm long roof panels consume 100W -- .. or with better tech 34 W.
For the same light output.

Good leds are 60% better than *other* leds.
Good leds are not more expensive than other leds.

I measure real consumption in real time, and the results are uniform, repeatable.
My bill went from 400€ to 50€, and going down.
--
Recap:
Junk all transformers in the roof spaces.
Use efficient leds.

Also.
! Measure Your consumption.
Some lights are likely to use 5x the power of real proper use.

A meter like a clamp on ammeter etc. could show your use, while not requiring any wiring etc.
Swith on various lights, and note before/after use of power.
It is quite likely one or some will show large variations vs similar lights.

E.g. I have at least 4 strings that are "bad" aka using 3-5x the power they should use.
They are not yet all fixed ..
It´s high up, a proper fitup is laborious and complex, etc.
Clamping the ferrules, etc etc.

I´m swapping 40 lights fwiw .. and they cost about 10€ each including housing, base, bulb, everything.

"I´m swapping 40 lights fwiw .. and they cost about 10€ each including housing, base, bulb, everything."

I looked at that...and fwiw it was easier for me to cut out the transformers and reuse the fixtures.

not sure about 'transformers leaking power even if off' - must be a European thing at 220V since the fixtures I have worked with (seen) here, the ballast transformers are power off when the lamp is not lit - which may well be different with 220V service vs 110V service.

don't get me started on color of bulbs....and women.....

The last LED tubes I bought were not only able to run on various wiring configurations, but had a switch on each tube to select the color. A nice feature.

Install done. I went with single ended bypass wiring and just left the ballasts in the fixtures so I did not have to toss them out. I discovered my eyes are not as bad as I thought they were