There are many reasons fluorescent lighting is used in homes and offices. Some prefer the designer look fluorescent lamps can provide, some prefer the brightness of standard fluorescent lamps, while others prefer the bright light from high output fluorescent lamps to flood a work area.
High output fluorescent lights, sometimes referred to as “HO,” deliver more light than the standard fluorescent lamps. The high output lamps have the same diameter and length as standard fluorescent lamps but produce more light. They are ideal for workshops, commercial buildings, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Composition of High Output Fluorescent Bulbs
High output fluorescent bulbs are cylindrical glass tubes containing a small amount of mercury and filled with argon or krypton gases. The tubes are coated on the inside with phosphors. The electrical current passes through the lamp to the mercury which produces ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light is absorbed by the phosphor coating on the tube and redistributed as visible light.
Brightness of HO Lights
The brightness and color characteristics of the light are mainly determined by the by the chemical elements used to create the phosphor coating.
Fluorescent lamp colors such as “cool white” and “warm white” are produced with halophosphors coating the inside of the tube. Other colors are produced by adding a coat of triphosphors or rare-earth phosphors over a layer of halophosphors, or it can be used alone.
Benefits of High Output Fluorescent Lighting
Because of the way fluorescent works, they do not consume as much electricity as incandescent lights. The high outputs fluorescent lamps are high efficiency, rare-earth phosphors that produce more light than the older phosphor lamps. They are high performance, environmentally friendly, use less mercury, and help reduce pollutants by being TCLP compliant.
High output fluorescent lights can brighten a space easily and quickly. They are available in various lengths and diameters and have a significantly longer lifespan than incandescent lamps.
