Category: Electrical

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. Continue reading Another Osram e-ballast bites the dust

In Australia, conservationists have led a push for replacement of a range of appliances that were in good working condition for more energy efficient appliances. For this reason, some types of appliance can no longer be purchased, or serviced with spares as required.

The humble flourescent light is one of those. Although still one of our most efficient lights, rivalled only by the best of LEDs, the push is on to replace the conventional magnetic ballast flourescent T8 flourescent with T5 lights, and in the interim, T8 lights with electronic ballasts. Continue reading The fraud of energy efficient lighting – e-ballasts