What is the difference between power factor and ballast factor?
Power Factor: Power factor (pf) is a measure of how “efficiently” an electrical or electronic product uses its power. It usually expressed as a percentage from 0% to 100%. In a more technical format, power factor is the fraction of power actually used by a customer’s electrical equipment compared to the total power supplied by the utility or the ratio between watts (W) and volt-amperes (VA). PF= W/VA Ballast Factor: Ballast factor (BF) is the ratio of the lumen output of a lamp on commercial ballast (system lumens) as compared to the lumen output of the same lamp on a reference ballast (rated lumens). The reference ballast is set-up and calibrated according to ANSI test procedures (American National Standards Institute). The commercial ballast is a ballast that would be purchased through a ballast manufacturer or store such as an electrical distributor or home improvement warehouse. BF= (Lumen using commercial ballast)/(Lumen using reference ballast) Currently, ballast