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8’ LED Tube: LED Distributor Guide
According to the report by the Department of Energy (Doe), released in January 2012, there are a surprising number of 8' LED Tubes and specifically the inefficient T12 LED Tubes in American Ceilings. For the Tube Breakdown, see Page #35 for this DoE Report. Here are the highlights: For T12 fluorescent tubes greater than 4ft, there are 28,685,000 Residential tubes; 109,066,000 Commercial tubes; and 10,830,000 Industrial tubes; all totaling 148,581,000 tubes.
For T8 fluorescent tubes greater than 4ft, there are 1,369,000 Residential tube; 27,914,000 Commercial tubes; and 3,349,000 Industrial tubes; all totaling 32,632,000 tubes. The “Greater than 4’ tubes” are typically 8’ since the deployment of 5’, 6’ and 7’ tubes has been so much smaller than the 8’ length over the past several decades. The Industrial sectors “Shines” because of the combination of T12 and T8 tubes which total over 14 Million units. Many Industrial facilities like warehouses, factories, and distribution centers run more than one standard shift. So, the longer run time increases the advantage of the LED retrofits by lifting the Return on Investment (ROI).
This article provides a profile of how a US Manufacturer of LED Tubes is communicating the 8' retrofit opportunities to its reseller network. Independence LED has found that, "The 8' LED Tube is an excellent replacement for the less efficient 8' T12 Fluorescent Tube, as well as the 8' T8 Fluorescent Tube, but property owners and managers naturally ask about the 8' LED Tube price. Our Independence LED Distributors have learned that the key to effectively sell 8' LED Tubes is to make sure that the buyer or facility manager fully understands his or her current annual electricity and maintenance cost to operate each tube. Plus, the key to sales success lies in familiarizing yourself with the current available incentives such as the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) Tax Deductions that help the end-user reduce their costs through an LED retrofit." The company advises its resellers to focus on the wasted electricity in the ceilings and the lifetime savings through the LEDs.
The “VALUE” of each 8 ft LED Tube is directly related to the savings that it generates. Many end-users search online as part of their research and companies like Independence LED direct them to “Technology Differentiation” files like the one on this page: LED Boot Camp. The company has found that the ten point advantage to their LED technology helps end-users understand the value of the Independence LED 8 ft LED Tubes over other options. The “Support Info Charts and Graphs” file on the same Boot Camp page also highlights the difference between the other Fluorescent Tube options as they relate to 8' ft T12 Fluorescent Tubes, 8' ft T8 Fluorescent Tubes, 8' ft T5 Fluorescent Tubes. Given that there are still a surprising number of T12s in American ceilings, the T12 to LED White Paper also provides key information to support the LED retrofits. Plus, the White Paper also includes research with a breakdown from the Department of Energy (DoE) listing the volume of different types of fluorescent tubes and their lengths across different property sectors. Since the payback on T12s to LEDs is so strong, the White Paper research can help guide the “hunt” for the right type of prospects that can benefit most from a retrofit with LED Tubes.
Over the course of conducting research, end-users may look to order a sample or buy 8' LED Tubes to test in their own facility. Independence LED typically directs inquiries to the Independence LED Distributor that has the closest service location or has the most experience for the designated property type.
The volume of online requests for an 8 ft LED Tube price has increased dramatically over the past two years and now comes frequently through searches on terms like Made in America LED Tubes. The searches and inquiries are sometimes general, without calling out the length such as an 8 foot LED Tube. In some cases end-users are not searching for LED Tubes at all, but they are simply looking to replace 8' T12 Fluorescent Tubes and T12 LED Ballasts with 8' T8 Fluorescent Tubes or 8' T5 Fluorescent Tubes. The searches for online 8 ft LED Tubes creates come confusion among end-users in the marketplace over Engineering, Quality, and Value, so electrical contractors, value added resellers (VARs) and Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) can encourage their clients to review any form of “Technology Differentiation” files and files like the White Paper on T12s referenced above. These type of files help to inform clients about the need for robust LED thermal management and the reasons to buy 8 ft LED Tubes over any 8' Fluorescent Tube. US Made LED Tubes also build confidence that is backed by multiple years of sales traction and installations ranging from small business owners to national chains and from cultural institutions to Fortune 100 corporations. One of Independence LED's recent chain location retrofits includes over 6 miles of LED tubes (over 100 football fields of light) and another Distribution Center facility has over 2 miles under roof (over 38 football fields of light). These are benchmark accounts, and they represent two of the largest LED tube retrofits in US History to date.
Naturally, when a company like Independence LED fulfills the Purchase Order from one of its LED Distributors and sells 8' LED Tubes, they have already, in advance, provided the pricing structure for the wholesale 8' LED Tubes. The color temperature and wattage options are variables in addition to the clear or frosted lens choices across most competitive lines of LED Tubes. When it comes to multi-tube LED fixtures, look for a manufacturer that can accommodate requests for 8 foot LED Tubes in addition to the other LED Tube lengths.
The wholesale 8 ft LED Tubes are available to qualified Distributors or other company types such as: Stocking Distributors for Wholesale Electrical Supply, Dealers, Maintenance Companies, Lighting Product Specifiers, Electrical Contractors, Value Added Resellers, Energy Service Companies, Lighting Design and Installation Firms, Construction Management Firms, and Cleantech providers for Solar, Wind, Fuel Cell, etc. that want to increase the ROI for their clients. For this 8 foot LED length, the goal is naturally to buy an 8 ft LED Tube at wholesale and then sell the 8 ft LED Tube at a reasonable margin to delivers a favorable gross profit to the reseller and ROI for the end-user.
In certain cases a member of our Authorized Reseller Network may have a lead on an account that they are unable to service through either geographic or time constraints. In these cases, companies like Independence LED work to align the account and provide a Lead Provider commission. The alignment is unnecessary to sell an 8' LED Tube as a sample but the coordination for Lighting Audits, Savings Reports, and Installation oversight increases as the size of the projects increase to sell 8 ft LED Tubes. Often manufacturer's also work with LED installers across the country to retrofit properties by changing out the old fluorescent ballasts for the new external LED Drivers or in the case of internal drivers...the contractors open the ballast cover plate and bypass the ballast. The choice of the installation provider is typically left in the hands of the end-user or the Authorized Reseller.
Given the growing market traction and commercial adoption of LED technology, property owners and managers increasingly look for sample photos so “Retrofit Photos” are key to assist in the sales process across this American Energy Revolution. Naturally the Specifications are integral to the purchase decision and here is a sample.
LED Tube Series Spec Sheet Highlights:
8’ length fluorescent replacement lighting: The Independence LED 8’ LED Tube comes as a 30 Watt LED Tube as well as a 36 Watt LED Tube and a 40 Watt LED Tube. These LED Tubes are also referred to as 96” LED Tubes or 96 inch LED Tubes. To fit standard size 8’ fluorescent tube fixtures, these 8 ft LED Tubes are 93.503” for the Single Pin Base and 93.815” for the DC Bayonet (HO) Base.
