With advancing technology in green, environmentally-friendly lighting, many people are turning from the fluorescent tubes and replacing them with light emitting diode (LED) lights. Technology surrounding LED lighting is improving quickly and the efficiency and durability of LED lights leads some to switch to LED tubes over fluorescent. However, some want to use the fluorescent tubes because the fluorescent lighting is brighter or because they like the familiar hue of the fluorescent light. Another reason to switch is that LEDs are more expensive than fluorescent tubes.
18 to 20 Watt LED T8 Tubes
If a room or fixture uses an LED tube of 18 to 20 watts in a T8 LED tube socket, it can reasonably be substituted for a fluorescent tube of 36 watts. The fluorescent tube provides a slightly higher lumen output.
T10 18 Watt tubes
The T10 LED accepts a 40 watt fluorescent tube as a substitute. LED tubes now contain the starter and ballast inside the tube, so the fluorescent tube can usually be substituted directly into an LED lighting fixture.
T5 Tubes
The T5 fluorescent tube can be switched for a T5 LED in most cases. These are smaller tubes often used under cabinets, in warehouses, on buses and as backlighting for signs. Standard outputs for high output fluorescent T5 tubes are 29, 39 and 54 watts while LED versions are 20 watt for high output.