How much energy can DAYTRONIC save you?

A lot: Upwards from 35% (compared to modern electronic ballasts), often more than 60%. There are 2 levels of energy savings and how much you will actually save depends on what sort of lighting you have at the moment. Every fluorescent fitting has a ballast - either magnetic or electronic.

Comparison of DAYTRONIC to magnetic ballasts

Magnetic ballasts - time to change!

Many buildings are still equipped with magnetic ballasts. These are the ballasts where you have a starter that you can replace. When you switch the lights on, they usually flicker a few times before they come on. In this you should urgently do something about your lighting.

If you upgrade from a magnetic ballast to a standard electronic ballast (not dimmable), you will save about 25% to 28% of energy. The reason for this are the lower losses in the ballast and the better internal efficiency of the gas in the lamp due to the high frequency operation compared to 50 Hz. On top of this come the savings from Daylight Harvesting, so add another 35% (at least, more details below). The overall savings figure in this case will easily exceed 60%.

Why you should urgently upgrade from magnetic ballasts: Energy Savings and Flicker

If you still have magnetic ballasts you should urgently consider an upgrade to DAYTRONIC fittings - not just for energy saving reasons but also for productivity and health reasons. Magnetic ballasts create a 50 Hz flicker which puts a strain on your eyes, especially when you work with computer monitors. Many countries have already forbidden the use of magnetic ballasts in any application where persons could be working at computer screens.

Comparison of DAYTRONIC to constant electronic ballasts

In this case, with all other things equal, when you equip all fittings that receive some daylight with DAYTRONIC, this will deliver an average saving of approx. 35%. This figure is based on climatic conditions in Western Europe (Germany & The Netherlands).

If you only equip window rows and if you live in sunnier regions, the savings from Daylight Harvesting will be significantly higher.

A typical upgrade scenario

Inefficient school lighting

A school has lots of old 2 x 36W T8 light fittings with inefficient acrylic diffusers which produce a lot of useless glare. The room seems bright but the light levels on the desks are very low.

These fittings have 2 magnetic ballasts and starters (one per tube) and consume in excess of 104 VA at power factor of 0.86. The fittings are about 20 years old and have reached their end of life - wiring is becoming brittle and some of the fittings had to be repaired already.

The school decides to upgrade to new fittings: They chose modern 2 x 28W fittings with high quality reflectors, louvers and DAYTRONIC ballasts. These give them much better lighting quality and (at least) same light levels as the old fittings. The DAYTRONIC ballasts make sure that any available daylight is used to save energy on fluorescent lighting.

The new fittings consume 56W at power factor of 1 (at full output). The Daylight Dimming feature contributes on average 35% savings (probably more in this installation: very sunny climate, DAYTRONIC on first 2 rows from windows), so the average consumption of each new fitting is 36.4 W at power factor 1. The students enjoy better lighting conditions, less glare and the school makes huge energy savings every day. To boost savings even further, the school installed EPV Occupancy Sensors in all areas that are not constantly used. The school's lighting now complies to all modern building codes.

Other savings in addition to energy savings

In addition to the obvious energy savings, there are 2 other saving contributions: Reduced cooling load and reduced maintenance.

Dimming has the added benefit that less heat is given off into the room. This notable reduces the heat load in the room, thus lowering coolig requirements, especially in warm countries.

Secondly, you will lower your maintenance costs. The fluorescent tubes achieve a longer lifetime when they are run on DAYTRONIC ballasts - not running them at 100% all the time increases their lifetime. This will lower your costs for maintenance - less labour, less replacement tubes.