I'm for the energy efficiency thing myself. The seer upgrade and brand name when I installed my a/c was small compared to the overall cost and its saved me a bundle on a/c and heating costs so far. That unit took a direct lightning strike as it turns out, a few weeks ago and all its taken to repair it was a $15 dollar contactor switch. Generally, we get what we pay for. If this ballast is similar, then its worth it for me. Keep us posted as its possible that I will be in the market in the future if you want to buy together later on and see if we can get a discount that way. I really like the software dimming control for sunrise and sunset as well as bulb performance, etc.