What the Heck Are These Guys Talking About Anyway?

Color Temperature – Light is measured in Kelvins ranging from 9000K (which appears to be blue) down to 1500K (which appears orange-red). Color temperatures of 4000K or more are considered cool, 3100K or less are considered warm. 5500K is closer to sunlight at noon.

Color Rendition (CRI) – The color appearance of an object when lighted. The higher the color rendering index (CRI), the less distortion of the object’s color. Scales ranges from 0 to 100. Higher number indicates less color shift.

Daylight Harvesting – Systems that use sunlight to offset the amount of electric lighting needed to properly light a space, in order to reduce energy consumption. This is accomplished using lighting control systems that are able to dim or switch electric lighting in response to changing daylight availability.

Electroluminescence –  An optical and electrical phenomenon in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current.

Fixture Efficiency – How much of a lamp’s light gets out of the fixture. (A fixture that’s 90 percent efficient delivers 50 percent more light than one that’s 60% efficient.)

Foot Candles – The unit of measurement indicating how much illumination is reaching a surface.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) – Lamps with an intense point source of light. Today’s electronic HIDs use metal halide lamps with electronic ballasts.

Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) – The unsung heroes in the electronics world. A two-lead semiconductor light source that fits easily into an electrical circuit. Unlike
ordinary incandescent bulbs, they don’t have a filament that will burn out, and they don’t get especially hot. LEDs are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons
in a semiconductor material.

Lighting Power Density – Watts per square foot. This can vary by how a space is used and its occupancy.

Lighting Retrofits – A retrofit is a technology upgrade that makes a building’s lighting more energy efficient. Over time, these energy savings can be significant enough to
not only pay for the equipment, but may produce a return on investment.

Lumens – The total quantity of light produced by a lamp.

Metal Halide –  Lighting, developed in the 1960’s, and produced by a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and compounds of metals.

Photometric Analysis – Specialized 3D technology, which allows lighting technicians to evaluate a building’s layout and obstacles. This process is essential in determining
possible energy saving plans.

Solid State Lighting (SSL) – A type of lighting that uses semiconductor light-emitting diodes as sources of illumination rather than electrical filaments, plasma (used in
arc lamps such as fluorescent lamps), or gas.

Wireless Lighting Controls – This is exactly what it sounds like. Wireless dimmers and adaptive-controls that enable customers to eliminate over-lighting and greatly
enhance savings.