So I've been thinking about setting up a 2nd grow space, or just putting a light up and vegging out in the open room. The main two things I'm looking at are T5 Fluorescents, and LED lights. From what I gather, the T5's are going to produce less heat, and cost less up front. The LED lights will cost more initially but will have substantial power savings. The LEDs will produce more heat, but they will also produce more light and a fuller spectrum.
This lamp is only $54 on amazon with all the bulbs included. It would likely be enough to do the trick for what I am needing, but is it enough to do what I want? Which is produce the best!
This T5 takes 125 watts and produces 10k lumens of light.
Horticulture Lighting Group HLG 100 V2 Quantum Board
The HLG 100 is another light I've been looking at. It produces more light for less power than the T5 Fluorescents. I expect it will also produce more heat. It costs nearly 3x the T5 at $149
The HLG 100 uses 96 watts and produces over 15k+ lumens.
Are there any other lights you would recommend for a small 2.5 x 2.5 ft grow space?
If you want to light up a 2.5 x 2.5 space, that's 6.25 sqft. The T-5 at 125 watts gets you 20 watts per square foot, and the HLG at 96 watts gets you 15 watts/sqft.
Both are on the low side, but the HLG puts out 50% more lumens, so that would be equal to 150 watts of fluoro, more like 24 watts/sqft.
As far as heat, wattage = heat, unless you can mount the driver/transformer outside the tent.
The HLG costs 3 times as much and you get 50% more lumens with 80% of the heat. Fluoro bulbs will decay and fail while QBs last 50,000 hours.
Long-term, the HLG is the better choice, but T-5 prices won't be decreasing, while mid-power white LEDs will. You can probably buy the equivalent of the HLG cheaper next year.
I'm all QBs now, and I love 'em! But ... 3 times the cost - hard to make the case for other people to spend money they don't HAVE to.
Nice thanks for the info.
Wattage = heat isn't 100% accurate. Yes, generally speaking, more wattage means more heat, but only wattage that isn't converted into light will be converted into heat. So when comparing different lights, one light may be converting more of it's energy into heat than the other.
If we're talking about a single light fixture, yes, increasing wattage will result in a heat increase. But if we're comparing different lights, their wattage doesn't necessarily translate into the same amount of heat.
I beg to differ. That light becomes heat when it's done being used. Numerous tests show it to be true.
The point is that an efficient source produces the same lumens with less heat. If, instead, you take more lumens with equal watts, you get equal heat - with more lumens - but still equal heat.
Believe me, I looked into it thoroughly, because it seems wrong. But it isn't. Watts are heat = same, same. The light becomes heat, but first we get to use it, so we get more light, yes. But equal heat with equal watts.