Energy Efficiency Standards for Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts Proposed
EarthVision Reports
03/21/00
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2000 - A public hearing has been scheduled for April 18th on proposed standards to improve the energy efficiency of fluorescent lighting in commercial and industrial applications. The proposed standards, published by the US Department of Energy in the March 15th Federal Register, are based on an agreement worked out between lamp ballast manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates in October 1999.
"Lighting accounts for about 20 percent of all electricity consumed in the United States, and as a nation, we spend billions on it each year. It is a victory for consumers, for the environment and for industry. This agreement marks a turning point in the process by which energy efficiency standards are set," said Assistant Secretary of Energy Dan W. Reicher.
Fluorescent Lights and Ballasts
Fluorescent lamps are a type of gas discharge tube similar to neon signs and mercury or sodium vapor street or yard lights. A pair of electrodes - one at each end - are sealed along with a drop of mercury and some inert gases (usually argon) at very low pressure inside a glass tube. Since the current passing through the low pressure gas produces a lot of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the inside of the tube is coated with a phosphor to convert the UV to visible light. Fluorescent lamps are more efficient than incandescent lamps at producing light at the wavelengths that are useful to humans. For example, a fluorescent tube taking 40 watts of energy produces as much light as a 150-watt incandescent bulb. Thus, they run cooler for the same effective light output and the bulbs themselves also last a lot longer - 10,000 to 20,000 hours vs. 1000 hours for a typical incandescent.
When the lamp is off, the mercury/gas mixture is non-conductive. When power is first applied, a high voltage (several hundred volts) is needed to initiate the discharge. However, once this takes place, a much lower voltage is needed to maintain it. The ballast serves two functions - to provide the starting "kick" to get the light going and to limit the current to the proper value for the light you are using.
Although Residential ballasts are exempt from the proposed standards, parties to the agreement support efforts by the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the residential lighting market, including consideration of standards for residential ballasts as well as market-driven initiatives. DOE has authority to set minimum efficiency standards for lamp ballasts as well as a variety of other residential and commercial appliances and equipment, and residential ballasts will be studied in the future as funding allows.
DOE expects adoption of the efficiency standards to save between 1.2 and 2.3 quadrillion BTUs of energy over a 30-year period, or enough energy to supply 7 to 15 million homes in the US for one year. The agreement is also expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11 to 19 million metric tons and nitrous oxide emissions by up to 60,000 tons over a 20-year period. That's the same as eliminating the emissions of 9 to 15 million cars in a single year.
Electronic ballasts are major components in fluorescent light fixtures. They increase the frequency of the electricity to higher levels, which improves the efficiency of the fluorescent tube. The efficiency of the ballasts has a direct impact on energy consumption. Electronic ballasts are also far more efficient than older, magnetic ballasts.
Under the proposal, new efficiency standards for electronic ballasts will go into effect on April 1, 2005. After that time, all fluorescent lamp ballasts produced by lighting manufacturers for the commercial and industrial new construction or renovation market must be energy efficient electronic ballasts that meet the new standards, rather than the older less-efficient magnetic ballasts. In the case of the replacement market, the magnetic ballasts will be available until 2010 for building owners to repair current systems.
Parties to the agreement upon which the proposed standards are based include the Natural Resources Defense Council, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Alliance to Save Energy, the Oregon Department of Energy (representing the states), the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (represented by ballast manufacturers Philips, MagneTek, Osram Sylvania and Motorola), lamp manufacturers, luminaire manufacturers, and ballast component suppliers.