Lighting Terminology
Watts
A watt
is a unit of measurement for the amount of electricity a light fixture uses.
Lumens
Lumens is the unit of measurement for the brightness of a light.
Footcandles
Footcandles are the unit that is used to measure the amount of light reaching a surface that is one foot away from one candle when no other light is present.
Color Temperature
Is measured in kelvins. A higher kelvin number means the light is cooler/more blue, and a lower number means it is warmer/more yellow.
Fundamentals of Residential Lighting
Any discussion regarding your home lighting must begin with five important concepts:
- Task Lighting - the type of lighting necessary to carry out specific activities in the home such as food preparation, reading, shaving or applying makeup, etc. Generally, task lighting is higher in intensity than other types of lighting.
- Ambient Lighting - is a term used to describe the total amount of light that is present in a space.
- Accent Lighting - is any type of lighting that brings attention to itself or to an object. Do you have paintings, framed photographs, posters or three dimensional art that you would like to draw attention to?
- Layered Lighting - this is the process of placing multiple types of lighting in a single space. Generally, three layers are a good target for achieving a good balance.
- Dimming and Lighting Controls - allows you to turn lighting on/off and control the intensity of light in a space.
Our lighting experts, Certified by the American Lighting Association, have the knowledge and experience to help with all your lighting needs.