Patent ID: 7688007

Claim:
A method for operating a high intensity lighting fixture including a lamp comprising an arc tube and a rated operating wattage and rated operating life, and substantially surrounding the lamp with a reflecting surface and a glass lens to produce a controlled, concentrated beam that is generally converging in nature from the lighting fixture, comprising: a. installing a new lamp in the lighting fixture; b. retrofitting a circuit that operates the new lamp at a reduced wattage relative to the rated operating wattage over a substantial period of operation time of rated operating life, the reduced wattage selected to be above a wattage that tends to produce an unacceptable amount of light output for a given application or substantially affect light characteristics or risk lamp failure or damage, wherein the circuit comprises switch-able capacitance in electrical communication with the new lamp, one switch-able capacitance adapted for operating the new lamp at a reduced wattage over a substantial period of operation time to save energy.