Quote Originally Posted by jamstigator
The laws of thermodynamics dictate that the 432W box will get hotter, no ifs ands or buts about it. Read the Wiki for an overview of the laws of thermodynamics, or search Wiki for 'Conservation of Energy'.
Fluorescent tubes operate on a completely different principle from the metal halide systems. Whereas the metal halide system relies on light emission from thermal characteristics, the fluorescent system operates through the principles of electron flow and photo-phosphorescence.

To put it in simple words, a metal halide system obey blindly the Kelvin-Planck Statement (systems have a tendency to increase their entropy - heat transformation content). It is a very dirty IR emitter because its principle of operation relies in the increase of entropy itself thus the production of heat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics

The Fluorescents tube vacuum is evacuated (only a small amount of vaporized mercury is added to the tube and an argon stabilizer). That allows the free flow of electrons in vacuum (if you prefer the KINETIK energy of electrons inside a minimum resistive medium - less friction).
Heat in the fluorescent system is a byproduct of two processes:
1. It is produced by the ballasts through the flow of current in its resistive transformers capacitors and other components.
3. Energy is also lost when the fast moving electrons colide with the mercury vapor atoms and the stabilizer. That way, the electrical flow is downgraded to atomic kinetik energy (if you prefer the gentle heat that is emitted from the tubes).

Energy is, also, lost due to Electromagnetic fields that escape from the ballast in the 3D space around. (a factor of the ballasts efficiency)
A complex electronic system with various energy transformations cannot be compared by definition with a dedicated heat production machine (if you prefer, experiment to prove the Kelvin-Planck Statement) like the metal halide systems.

So, back to post #157: Not only light, heat and matter can be present on the equation, as you say!