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Why The Right Ballast Matters (and How to Select the Right Ballast)

Posted by Matt Sedlock

Mar 6, 2012 7:00:00 AM

why the right ballast matters selection guideWhy The Right Ballast Matters (and How to Select the Right One)

Talking about the right ballast for a lighting system may not sound very sexy. But if you supply, install, or specify commercial lighting systems, it’s a big deal—especially when it comes to dimming, and saving money.

Educational, institutional, and commercial buildings use predominantly Fluorescent and LED lighting—in part because they meet energy-conscious design criteria such as ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 standards and LEED® guidelines. The energy savings—and related cost savings—are often extremely important in these types of buildings. And one way to save energy and money is through dimming.

You already know that fluorescent lighting uses much less power than incandescent lighting. In fact, in a typical installation, a 32 W compact fluorescent lamp provides approximately the same light output as a 100 W incandescent lamp. But dimming of a fluorescent lamp makes it even more energy efficient. The same is true of LED light sources, because dimming can extend the already long life of LEDs.

While manual dimming of fluorescent lamps and LEDs saves energy, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg in economy.  By combining additional energy-saving strategies, you can help customers and clients maximize their savings. Here are some additional features you can offer.

 Occupancy/vacancy sensors can eliminate wasted energy by turning off lights in unoccupied spaces. Lutron EcoSystem® ballasts communicate through the EcoSystem digital link and are the only ballasts that can connect directly to wired occupancy/vacancy sensors. Other ballasts and drivers can also utilize wireless or wired occupancy/vacancy sensors with a QS sensor module.

Click meOptimize ballast efficiency with lower standby power with the EcoSystem H-Series that uses less than 1 W of power when the light source is off. You can also take advantage of luminous efficacy.  When you add more lamps per ballast, the required startup power is diffused over multiple lamps, conserving energy.

Know your space. You can achieve the greatest energy savings by determining the right number of lumens that are required for a specific space. That means you don’t over-light and area and waste energy. The ballast factor is the percentage of light output for a given lamp-ballast combination. By reducing the ballast factor, it is possible to achieve greater energy savings, meet lumen/foot2 specifications and even qualify for the ighest levels of LEED. Custom ballast factors are available for: EcoSystem H-Series, Hi-lume® 3D, EcoSystem and EcoSystem compact.

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So how do you select the right ballast? That, of course, depends on your specific need. Click to view the ballast select tool to find your perfect ballast!

Topics: Commercial Lighting Systems, Energy Saving Lighting, Commercial Lighting Control, Ballast Selection

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