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Federal Ballast Ruling Bans the Manufacture and Sale of Magnetic T12 Fluorescent Ballast
On September 19, 2000 the US Department of Energy (DOE) amended the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPACT) with a revised ruling covering the efficacy of certain T12 Lamp and magnetic ballast combinations. This DOE mandate, which goes into effect on April 1, 2005 raises the minimum Ballast Efficacy Factors* for T12 fluorescent ballasts used in non-residential installations to levels that can only be achieved by electronic ballasts.
Effectively, this requires electronic fluorescent ballasts to be used for 2 ft U tube, 4 ft linear, 8 ft linear instant start and 8ft linear high output lamps in luminaries for commercial and industrial applications. The federal ruling bans the production of affected magnetic ballasts by ballast manufacturers after 3/31/05 and bans the sales of the affected ballast to lighting manufacturers for use new lighting fixtures after 6/30/2005.
This ruling affects the following magnetic core and coil ballast and corresponding SIMKAR products. Contact your SIMKAR representative or regional manager for all listing of affected SIMKAR products.
Federal Ruling Discontinues the following Ballasts |
Affects SIMKAR products ending with following suffixes |
1) F40 (40 watt, 4-foot) Rapid start, both one-lamp and two-lamp |
140 E1 120 & 277
240 E1 120 & 277
340 E1 120 & 277
440 E1 120 & 277
2140 E1 120 & 277
2240 E1 120 & 277 |
2) F40 (40 watt 2-foot) U tubes both one-lamp and two-lamp |
240 U E1 120 & 277 |
3) F96 (75watt, 8-foot) Slimline one-lamp and two-lamp |
196 E1 120 & 277
296 E1 120 & 277
396 E1 120 & 277
496 E1 120 & 277
2196 E1 120 & 277 |
4) F96 (110-watt, 8 foot) High Output, one-lamp and two-lamp |
196 HO E1 120 & 277
296 HO E1 120 277 |
The following ballasts are exempted from the federal ballast ruling.
- Ballasts designated for use with energy-saving version of T12 lamps (four-foot 34 watt, eight-foot 60-watt slimline, and 95 watt high output only, both magnetic and electronic.
- Dimming ballasts that are capable of dimming t12 fluorescent tubes to 50% of full output or less.
- Ballasts designated for use with two F96T12/HO lamps at -20 degrees F operation and used for outdoor signs.
- Ballasts designated and labeled for residential building applications (provided their power factors are less than .90
Ballast and lighting manufacturers must comply with the following deadlines.
Date |
Parties Affected |
Action |
April 1, 2005 |
Ballast Manufacturers |
Ban of fabrication of affected ballast by ballast manufacturers |
July 1, 2005 |
Ballast and Fixture Manufacturers |
Ban on U.S. sales of affected ballast by ballast manufacturers to fixture manufacturers for use in new lighting fixtures. |
April 1, 2006 |
Fixture Manufacturers |
Ban on U.S. sales of affected ballast in lighting fixtures. |
July 1, 2010 |
Distributors |
Ban on U.S. sales of affected ballast for replacement purposes by ballast manufacturers. Replacement ballast must
- Must be marked "For Replacement Use Only"
- Must have leads shorter than the length of the lamps intended to be operated.
- Must be contained in packages not exceeding ten ballasts.
- Must meet minimum existing T12 magnetic efficiency criteria.
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The ballast discontinuations as mandated by the Federal Fluorescent Ballast Ruling have limited and will eventually eliminate the component supply of T12 magnetic ballasts for use in our products. Please contact your SIMKAR representative and regional manager to develop a supply plan.
For more information on the DOE/EPA'S ruling on "Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts Energy Conservation Standards" (September 2000) in its entirety, visit the Federal Register at http://www.epa.gov/EPA-IMPACT/2000/September/Day-19/i24004.htm
* Ballast Efficacy Factor (BEF) = Ballast factor / Input power
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