A simple and easy to read list of outdoor lighting terms you may come across on our website.
Accent Lighting:
Directional lighting for highlighting certain areas or objects such as architectural features.
Ambient Lighting:
Also known as general lighting, it provides a comfortable level of light and is perfect for evening times. Often used as primary/main lighting for an area or room.
Backlighting:
When lighting is designed to illuminate an object from behind, making it more appealing via a glow effect around its edges. Backlighting is a variation of accent lighting.
Beam Angle:
The angle of where light from a light fixture is distributed.
Colour Temperature:
The measurement of the colour of light from a light source (in Kelvins). It ranges from 1700K (match flame) to 6500k (daylight).
Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL):
A high voltage lamp which isn’t usually as efficient as conventional fluorescent lamps but still does offer around 60,000 hours of service life.
Downlighting:
Using a downlight fixture that directs its output downwards. Can often be recessed or surface-mounted when concerning outdoor lighting.
Efficacy:
Measured in lumens per watt, this describes how well a lighting fixture converts electric power into actual lighting.
Efficiency:
Measured in watts, this is the rate of conversion between electrical input and lighting output.
Filament:
Used in halogen and incandescent lamps, this is the wire coil which is heated to produce light.
Floodlight:
Floodlights are generally used outdoors to light up specific objects or landscapes. They are high-power lighting fixtures which often use HID bulbs or LEDs.
Fluorescent Lamp:
A versatile type of lighting known for high energy efficiency in comparison to incandescent and halogen light bulbs. Cheaper than LEDs.
HID (High Intensity Discharge):
Used to illuminate larger spaces whilst being more efficient and brighter than incandescent light bulbs.
Halogen Lamp:
Comprised of a filament enclosed in halogen gas so they can burn hotter than incandescent bulbs whilst using less energy.
IP Ratings:
IP ratings are the measurement used to know how protected a light bulb or light fitting is from water or foreign objects like dirt or sand.
Lens:
A plastic or glass accessory that can be placed over a lighting fixture to manipulate the light’s colour or beam.
Louvre:
An accessory which can be added to uplights to minimise the light’s glare.
Low-Voltage Lighting:
Lighting with 12-24 voltage power. Made possible when using a transformer to lower the volts coming out of an exterior light outlet.
Lumens:
The measure of how much light the human eye can see from a lamp or light source. Higher lumen ratings mean a brighter lamp. Most household light bulbs emit between 300-1000 lumens, while higher-powered floodlights can emit up to 20000 lumens.
RGB:
Standing for red, green, and blue, it’s often used when the bulb’s colours can be changed. These three colours also combine to create different colours, including white light.
Transformer:
The power source of the lighting system, the transformer is used to convert high voltage (120 volts) to low voltage (12 volts).
Voltage:
How much power the light has.
Watts:
Units used to measure the rate at which power is generated or consumed. The higher the wattage, the brighter the bulb, generally.