Does Mismatched Power Between Ballast and Lamp Reduce Lamp Service Life?

Higher-power ballast with lower-power lamp

Excessive operating current overheats the filament, causing blackened tube ends, severe light attenuation, and the service life may drop to less than one-third of the rated life. Flickering also accelerates filament damage.

Lower-power ballast with higher-power lamp

Insufficient starting voltage results in frequent flickering and repeated ignition shocks to the filament. Continuous overheating of the ballast raises ambient temperature and speeds up tube aging.

Summary: Only matched rated power can guarantee the lamp reaches its designed service life.