Yup.. I switched over to T8 and electronic ballast's a few years ago... But even the elect. ballast's are starting to go..Time for more of a permanent change...
OK...
I have not done the LED conversions, but I had questioned an electrician when you mentioned it a while back, Seams they have a lot of diff ways they can go about it...
Fixtures hanging or in ceiling? Open or closed. Bulbs per fixture? Sometimes you can modify them or simply leave spots open and use less bulbs. Also cleaning, painting or adding inserts can increase the amount of useable light from each bulb. Requiring a lot less bulbs and energy used.