Ampere: Abbreviated as Amp. One coulomb per second – Expresses the rate of flow of electricity.
Ballast: A device used to obtain the necessary voltage to operate fluorescent and HID lamps.
Color Rendering Index (CRI): Unit of measure of a light source to render color of an object correctly. CRI is measured on a scale of 1 to 100. A CRI of 100 is the best color rendition possible and indicates no color shift.
Color Temperature: Measured on a Kelvin (K) scale, used to determine whether the light emitted from a lamp is "warm" or "cool." Often, light sources below 3200K are considered "warm;" while those above 4000K are considered "cool".
Cool Color Temperature: Color temperature around 4100K. Typically clean and organized effect. Often used in hospitality spaces and offices.
Compact Fluorescent: Abbreviated as CFL -- Often used as an alternative or a replacement for incandescent lighting. Most CFLs last up to 10 times longer, produce less heat, and use less energy than incandescent counterparts.
Electronic Ballast: Uses semi-conductor components to increase the frequency of fluorescent lamp operation. Typically smaller, more efficient, and lighter than electromagnetic ballasts.
Energy Saving Ballast: Magnetic ballast that operates more efficiently, cooler and longer than a standard magnetic ballast (have been out of production in the US since the 1990s).
Energy Saving Lamp: A lower wattage lamp that typically produces fewer lumens.
Fluorescent Lamp: Fluorescent Lamps are an extremely common light source used commercially and industrially - Some estimate that Fluorescent Lamps produce about two-thirds of our nation's illumination. They are generally tubular, filled with argon and mercury vapor, and the interior walls of the tube are coated with a phosphor coating. The electric current causes electrodes to send electrons through the gas. The mercury in the gas reacts and emits ultraviolet light that is converted into visible light by the phosphor coating on the tube.
HID Lamps: Short for High Intensity Discharge Lamps. Term commonly used to designate high pressure sodium, low pressure sodium, metal halide, and mercury vapor lamps. HID Lamps require a ballast to control the electric current in the arc tube. They often need a start up time to reach full brightness. Similar to Fluorescents, HID lamps are composed of gases and metals contained in an arc tube.
High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Lamp: A high intensity discharge (HID) lamp – Commonly used in outdoor settings. This series of HID lamps incorporates solid sodium, mercury, and a gas mixture (either xenon or neon / argon) within the arc tube. HPS Lamps typically produce orange-white light.
Hot Restart: Re-striking the arc in an HID lamp after a power loss.
Incandescent Lamp: Light source that emits light for a hot, solid object. Incandescent Lamp filaments are typically made of tungsten. The filament is protected in either a vacuum sealed or gas filled glass bulb. The basic design of the Incandescent Lamp hasn’t changed much since the late 1800s.
Kelvin (K): A unit of temperature. Absolute Zero (the theoretical absence of thermal energy) is 0K.
Lamp: A generic and commonly used term for a light source.
Low-Pressure Sodium (LPS): A high intensity discharge (HID) lamp – Commonly used in outdoor settings. This series of HID lamps incorporates solid sodium, mercury, and a gas mixture (either xenon or neon / argon) within the arc tube. LPS Lamps typically produce a yellow light.
Lumens: A unit of light flow, or luminous flux. The lumen rating of a lamp is a measure of the total light output (or perceived power of light) of the lamp.
Metal Halide Lamp: HID Lamp in which light is produced by radiation of metal halides (typically sodium iodide and scandium iodide) and mercury vapors in the arc tube. Metal Halides are one of the most popular and widely used HID Lamps.
Neutral Color Temperature: Color temperature around 3500K. Typically inviting and comfortable. Often used in common areas, showrooms, and reception areas.
PAR Lamp: PAR originally stood for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector. PAR Lamps are incandescent, metal halide, or compact fluorescent lamps used to redirect light from the source using a parabolic reflector. Lamps are available with flood or spot distributions.
PAR 36, PAR 38: A PAR 36 lamp is 36 one-eighths of an inch in diameter with a parabolic shaped reflector. A PAR 38 lamp is 38 one-eighths of an inch in diameter with a parabolic shaped reflector.
Rapid Start (RS): Popular fluorescent lamp/ballast combination. This ballast quickly and efficiently preheats cathodes to start the lamp. Starting generally occurs in a fraction of a second.
Retrofit: Installing new (or replacing old) equipment. A light retrofit generally involves replacing components in a lighting system with new ones that make it use energy more efficiently.
T-12, T-8, T-5: The diameter of a tubular bulb is measured in eights of an inch. A T-12 is 12/8 of an inch (or 1.5 inches), a T-8 is 8/8 of an inch (or 1 inch), etc.
Tungsten Halogen Lamp: Also commonly known as a quartz lamp. Typically an incandescent tungsten filament with a casing made of quartz to withstand very high temperatures. This lamp contains halogens (iodine, chlorine, bromine, and fluorine), which can slow the evaporation of the tungsten. The tungsten transport cycle (precipitated by the halogen) is thought to prolong lamp life.
Warm Color Temperature: Color temperature around 3000K. Typically warm and friendly. Often used in homes and restaurants.
Watt (W): The unit for measuring power. Also a measure of the rate at which energy is consumed by a device. One watt is equal to one joule of energy per second.
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