How much does a fluorescent tube cost per hour to run?

[coolhands]

I'm just talking about a standard, regular 5 or 6ft single bulb. 58 watt T8 type of thing. The type of which there are fitted in millions of garages across the land.

look like this:

I know electricity companies charge all sorts of ridiculous tariffs, but assume a standard electricity charge for a normal houshold, what would a bulb cost to keep lit.

I'm just wondering as I'm still of the school that thinks once it's lit, leave it on if you're in and out the garage of an evening, whereas the missus thinks I should switch off.

Any ideas?

 

[RF Lighting]

Switch it off!

In real terms it costs no extra to stike the lamp, so every minute you leave the light on with no one in there you are wasting electricity and money.

 

[EFLImpudence]

unit price x 58 / 1000

 

[bhm1712]

well its 58 watts so it will use 0.058 units per hour. The cost depends on the price per unit and there is no such thing as a standard price, as all energy companies standard price per unit is different. Of course there is an initial in-rush current when starting which will cause a slight, and i mean very slight difference in the cost per hour to run, but as a general rule of thumb, the longer the tube is lit, the more power it will use.

Your wife is correct that if you leave it on, it will cost more than turning it on and off as and when you need it. More time on = more energy used. Based on 15 p/ph it would cost 0.87p per hour to run. If it was on for 45 minutes in total within one hour it would cost 0.65p. As you can see.....its cheaper to turn off and on

 

[big-all]

1kw [1000w] is one unit around 15p so 58w will burn for about 17 hrs for one unit
or just under 1pence an hour per lamp
i also turn off when not in use

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

don't forget to calculate any standing charges in but
would be less than a penny any hour on simple calcs.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

The old school thinking was that the reduction in lamp life caused by switching cost more than the electricity used in keeping it on. Noone so far has addressed this, though I doubt it is a significant influence.

 

[EFLImpudence]

1kw [1000w] for an hour is one unit

 

[coolhands]

thanks - I shall switch off in future!!!

 

[Spark123]

If the unit is a magnetic ballast then it will take a bit more power than 58w, if it is a high frequency unit then it will be somewhere around 58w.