Electronic HID ballasts are a growing part of the market. These units combine the capacitor, ignitor, and mounting brackets into a single unit along with the ballast itself. There are advantages to this design that many companies are starting to use to their benefit. One benefit is up to 25% better energy efficiency than traditional magnetic ballasts, which can add up to significant savings every year. Another advantage of these ballasts is their decreasing costs and increasing versatility. Over the past few years, the size and cost of electronic HID ballasts have been steadily decreasing. This evolution has increased the wattages available in these ballasts. Right now, much of the market is concentrated in the lower wattage range between 40W and 70W; however, the cost savings mentioned above is making the higher wattages more popular in many applications. Most manufacturers now offer wattages up to 450W.
Manufacturers now create electronic HID ballasts that can handle lamps of different voltages and mounting types. This increases versatility and the number of applications for this type of ballast. Some manufacturers have even introduced dimming electronic ballasts that allow interior spaces to take advantage of sunlight during the daytime. Retailers love this advantage and use it to their benefit every sunny day they can.
Electronic HID ballasts continue to build on their advantages, allowing the use of lower wattage bulbs and providing constant illumination through automatic voltage regulation; all of this is accomplished in a quiet, flicker-free, and economical package. All of these advantages make them the ballast of choice for many commercial lighting designers today, and their increasing versatility and rapidly falling prices, electronic ballasts are becoming the industry favorites.