Greater energy efficiency, more cost savings, better light quality… that’s the Empower promise!

In the Unites States alone, there are an estimated 137 million High Intensity Discharge (HID) street and area lights, most of which are driven by magnetic ballasts. This inefficient ballast technology results in a high degree of wasted energy and premature deterioration of light output.

In addition to inefficiently converting electrical energy to light, magnetic ballasts stress and damage HID lamp electrodes in a manner that results in the formation of residue on the inner walls of the lamp arc tube. Over time this significantly reduces observed light. To compensate for this well-documented “rapid-lumen-depreciation” characteristic of magnetic ballasts, specifiers of lamps and fixtures that use them have been forced to over-specify lamp wattages. Still more energy is wasted by this practice. And if excessive operating costs aren’t bad enough, users wonder why lights that seemed too bright when new appear so dim and ineffective only months later.

Exceptional efficiency and light consistency
Utilizing patent-pending programmable microprocessor technology, Empower’s digital programmable ballasts operate at high frequencies and regulate HID electrode excitation to minimize both power consumption and electrode damage. Lamp arc tube darkening is nearly eliminated resulting in greater and more consistent light output over time. Lamp wattage can be confidently specified at the exact wattage initially needed for the application - not at an artificially high level to compensate for inevitable future lumen depreciation. And because lamp electrode wear is reduced, lamps last up to 50% longer – further reducing operating costs. Overall operational savings can reach 60% over the life of an Empower eHID ballast driven lamp.

Superior dimming capability and light quality
Further cost savings can be achieved through Empower’s eHID ballast dimming control. Use our programmable, integral dimming control or wire your eHID digital programmable ballast to a third party dimming controller to adjust your lighting as needed. Lowering eHID wattage and lighting when it isn’t needed can save additional energy and further reduce operating costs.

Empower eHID programmable ballasts produce a higher Coloring Rendering Index (CRI) measure than is possible with other lighting systems, resulting in a cleaner, more daylight-like effect.

A practical solution now
Lighting efficiency continues to evolve with the promise of new technologies such as LED and Induction lighting on the horizon. But today, these applications remain elusive and expensive, especially at a time when both business and municipal governments have limited capital to spend. A superior, cost-effective solution is needed now. That solution is eHID digital programmable ballasts from Empower Electronics.