I had problems with the 5 foot tubes, first time was on the building of Sizewell 'B' my boss had decided to light the tunnels with 110 volt fluorescent, quick calculation 2 x 58 = 116 so should be around ½ amp each, 16 amp MCB so likely can power 30 units, but to be on safe side will use 25 units per string.
Wrong
After they tripped put a clamp on ammeter on them and nearly 24 amp, so at this got a lamp on the bench and did some tests.
They were 230 volt fittings with an auto transformer marked 127 - 0 - 110 and the 110 volt was on the 0 - 110, moving this to the 0 - 127 tapping instead and the current dropped to what I had expected, so 20 fittings were wired 0 - 127 and last 5 0 - 110 volt. And they worked great used around 15 amp so no more trips.
However what this pointed out was how critical the voltage is, a very small volt drop and they will not start, and small over voltage and they use well over the rated current.
So my kitchen had an old 65 watt 5 foot fitting, and the 65 watt tubes dried up, it would work with a 58 watt tube, but they did not last as long, as with many homes when the voltage officially dropped from 240 volt to 230 volt nothing actually happened, my meter would show 245 volt most of the time, until a whole load of bungalows had solar panels fitted, then the volts dropped to 230 volt, and at that point the fluorescent stopped working.
I am sure I could have got a new electronic ballast and got it to work again, but it was brighter than I needed so fitted a 24 watt LED and removed the ballast from the circuit, it did not last that long, around 18 months, so then a 22 watt LED fitted, at which point I moved out.
There were some power saving consumer units made with auto transformers to try and save electric by dropping the voltage, I am sure the auto transformer could be used to boost the voltage to keep the lights working, but the point is if worth the effort?
I am not sure of the history of voltage, but I know we had loads of warning signs saying 440 volt, with 240 volt three phase was 415, and with 230 volt three phase was 400, and 220 three phase was 380 volt, so it seems likely at one point we used 250 volt.
I think 1919 was official date when 240 started, the law was passed in 1925 for the national grid, and 2003 when it dropped to 230. But in around 1960 when I went on holiday they still used 110 volt DC. 2nd June 2004 the last Welsh village went on the National grid, so likely we had 250 volt well past 1919 it was 1937 before the national grid really started. It was 1947 before it was nationalised.
This is what makes me laugh when they talk about electric cars and heat pumps, history shows how long it takes to upgrade, there is no way it can be done in 5 years.
Although I agree there is little gain going from fluorescent to LED, the work involved to keep the old stuff running is simply not worth the effort.