Unfortunately, there isn't really a "guide" or "primer" on all of this.

I guess so many people have different ideas that there isn't enough consensus to write such a document?

I am presuming that a 24" 20W bulb provides roughly the same light to a 2' area that a 48" 40W bulb provides to a 4' area? In other words if I put two 24" 20W bulbs end-to-end, they'd produce roughly the same light (but more wasteful, energy-wise), that a single 48" 40W bulb would produce?

To me this is a key question but have a hard time finding the answer here.

There's also a lot of question about using cool white vs. plant/aquarium light bulbs.

At $8.50 a pop for plant/aquarium light bulbs x 4 ($34) every year plus $30/month in electricity, it's almost not worth growing peppers indoors I think. If you figure 6 months of growing a year that's $214 or over 100 red bell peppers with tax.

In your case, the light from flourescents beyond 6" is going to be insufficient to provide the necessary energy to your plants. To grow full-sized pepper plants, which typically grow 18" tall, you are going to have to create an expensive fluorescent lighting rig that provides light on the top AND sides.

Unless these are some fancy varieties that you can't get at the store and unless you have absolutely no outside or balcony space, I would reconsider that free energy provided by the sun.

More questions than answers for you, I'm afraid...

I am brand new to the lighting forum and sometimes I think I have more of a headache AFTER reading than BEFORE. :(

try growing your plants horizontally. susoend chicken wire 6 inches over the top of the pot,as they grow tall bend them over and tie them to the chicken wire with twist ties.

bend em back and forth to totally fill in the chicken wire. does this make sense?

Typically expect a 20W tube to put out less than half the light of a 40W tube. So 2x20W is not quite equal to 1x40W. You might consider a T5 setup, they are available in 24" lengths that really provide good light. More expensive to buy but much more efficient on the electricity. Even with T5s you are going to struggle to grow tall plants like a fruiting pepper. Mounting them vertically at the sides of the plants in one option, but you'll need more than two tubes.

Hey thanks everyone for your responses.
Feldon30, It does seem a little ridiculous and not worth it to grow indoors somtimes. I grow different types of hot peppers and am just interested in experimenting indoors during the winter. So I think I am going to give it shot and see what happens.

Utsharpie, I have to admit I don't know if I fully understand the set up you are describing, but am interested. . .

Shrubs n bulbs, thanks for the tip on the T5 setup. I had been getting confused with all the T5, T8 ,T12 language as I don't really understand what it all means. I have thought about mounting bulbs verically along the walls, so the sides have light.
I have a question, can you buy the high output flourescent bulbs and put them in a standard fixture that you can buy at places like home depot?
thanks all!

ok picture this. as the plant grows tall just bend it over so it grows horizontally,youll have to tie it down as it grows since it wil naturally bend back up to the light. as it grows keep tieing it down horizontally.

make a square frame out of 2"X2" sticks, staple chicken wire to the frame the same size so it looks like a chicken wire window. then put this over your plants.as the plant grows up through the wire pull it down and feed it under the wire.

as the plant gets older you will have snaked and bent the plant under the wire so much that it will look like a carpet of plant.

google SCROG gardening aka screen of green for pictures.

sorry forgot to say you maximize you growspace for your light this way by getting a lot of light close to a lot more plant material

T5, T8 and T12 are different thicknesses and designs of the "typical" fluorescent lights. T5 fixtures easily cost $50 and you can spend $200 for special high output fixtures. I'm sure bulbs are pricier too.

T12 and T8

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T5

Some info about T5.

T8 is supposed to be more efficient than T12.
T5 is supposed to be more efficient than T8.
The big question is the price comparison between fixtures and replacement bulbs may or may not beat the price differential in your electric bill.

There isn't much difference in efficiency between the best T5, T8, and T12 tubes. The difference is between the worst. T8s and particularly T12s have been around much longer and there are more old halophosphate, low quality, low efficiency (and low price!) tubes out there. Every T5 tube is a new design with the latest triphosphors and is a premium product, top efficiency and top price. Pick a modern triphosphor T8 and there is very little difference.

and unlike tomato varieties, fluorescent lights and fixtures can be quantified.