Zandor, If you convert your electric to 240v the only reason it is slightly cheaper is because the ballest runs a bit cooler, true. The reason your lights take so long to produce the full light is because all it is doing is heating up the inner componets of the bulb. Once the temp. is up to par the gas illuminates. Heat makes the bulbs work. If you are constantly cooling the bulb with more electricity it just consumes more to heat it. You are fighting against yourself. The best thing to do is to insulate the hood making it airtight and cooling your room via an a/c unit.

Incandescent light bulbs are energy inefficient, they waste energy producing light and not much of that energy is used for pure light. What makes the light bulb non energy efficient is the remaining energy left over from light production, produces undesired heat. Nearly 25% of the energy produced in the United States, goes to lighting (Incandescent light bulbs account for 40% of the usage, Florescent lamps for 40%, HID for 20% - courtesy of U.S. Lighting Market Characterization" by the Department of Energy, September 2002 ). From the lighting, 50% of the energy used to power the bulbs is wasted by means of heat. Most of this energy loss is by inadequate maintence of the lighting fixture, the use of obsolete equipment, and insufficient use of the light.

http://www.cat.pinellas.k12.fl.us/IS...15/problem.htm

As HID produces the most heat the rate of wasted energy is higher then 50%