I wrote in the fraud of energy efficient lighting – e-ballasts of frustration with green measures forced on us, measures that have replaced tried and true reliable lighting solutions with high tech low reliability solutions in a false promise of net energy saving.
Typically, the cost of repair and replacement of this unreliable technology is much greater than their direct energy saving, indeed much greater than their energy consumption of the life of the equipment.
Above is a ballast removed from a light this morning after 4 years during which it was hardly ever used… perhaps 10 hours at most… so the original capital cost of $80 for luminaire and fitting for 10 hours service gives an average cost of $8/hr for capital and about $0.01/hr for energy.
This Osram brand e-ballast is from a Davis lunimaire, six were purchased and five have failed within five years, 83% failure rate in five years.
If I were working as an electrical contractor, I would not want to be bearing warranty claims (supply and fitting) for these things which should last 30 years or more… as magnetic ballast lamps do.
Another green hoax where the total cost of ownership and real world savings are not part of the justification!