Lighting Glossary
Accent Lighting
Lighting used to highlight certain features or items.
Ambient Lighting
This refers to the general lighting in a room including daylight.
Amperes (Amps)
The base unit used to measure electric Current in the International System of Units.
Average Life Hours
The average number of hours a light bulb will last before it stops working based on the mean failure rate in testing.
Batten Holder or Lamp Holder
A fixture that the light bulb plugs in to. These holders are connected to the wiring in your home, then installed on a wall or ceiling.
Bayonet Bulb
The average number of hours a light bulb will last before it stops working based on the mean failure rate in testing.
Batten Holder or Lamp Holder
A fixture that the light bulb plugs in to. These holders are connected to the wiring in your home, then installed on a wall or ceiling.
Bayonet Bulb
A light bulb base type. Identifiable by the fastening mechanism where the bulb has two pins that “push and twist” into an L-shaped mechanism on the lamp holder to keep the two parts locked together.
All our Festoon Light Bulbs and Fairy Light Bulbs feature a 2700K colour temperature.
Dimmer
A device used to vary the brightness of a light. By changing the settings, it is possible to lower the intensity of the light output.
*Note we do not sell Bayonet Bulbs and our Festoon Cables will not support Bayonet Bulbs
Dimmer
A device used to vary the brightness of a light. By changing the settings, it is possible to lower the intensity of the light output.
*Note we do not sell Bayonet Bulbs and our Festoon Cables will not support Bayonet Bulbs
BC is an abbreviation for bayonet Cap. It is a base type of a light bulb.
Brightness
An attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. The amount of visible light (to the human eye) from a lamp or light source is measured in lumens (lm). The higher the lumen rating the “brighter” the lamp will appear.
Bulb / Globe
A round glass container with a thin piece of metal inside. It produces light when an electrical current runs through it. There are different types of bulbs to choose from to suit your indoor and outdoor lighting needs.Colour Temperature
Is a method for describing the colour characteristics of light and is measured in Kelvins (K). The lower the colour temperature, the warmer (more sunset/orange) the light (e.g. warm white 2000K). The higher the colour temperature, the cooler (whiter) the light (e.g. cool white 3000K).
Edison Bulb
A light bulb base type. Identifiable by the thread on the base that is used to “screw” the bulb into a matching threaded lamp holder. This keeps the two parts locked together. Called “Edison” because it was invented by Thomas Edison. The term “Edison” is also used to describe antique / vintage filament light bulbs with a carbon or tungsten filament that glows when electricity is transmitted through it.
E27 Bulb
A light bulb with an Edison base type. “E” refers to Edison and “27” refers to the diameter of the base in millimetres. E27 is an Edison Bulb with a base size of 27mm.
*Available in all our Festoon Styles excluding the G40 bulb.
E12 Bulb
A light bulb with an Edison base type. “E” refers to Edison and “12” refers to the diameter of the base in millimetres. E12 is an Edison bulb with a base size of 12mm. Available with our G40 Range.
Filament
The slender wire inside a bulb that emits light via electrical currents.
Flush Mount Light
A light fixture that is mounted flush to the ceiling.
Halogen Bulb
An Incandescent bulb consisting of a filament sealed into a compact transparent envelope that is filled with a mixture of an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen (such as iodine or bromine). The combination of the halogen gas and the filament increases its life span beyond that of a standard Incandescent bulb by slowing the process of filament evaporation. These bulbs will give you a shorter lifespan of approximately 800 hours over LEDs which can provide up to 25,000 hours of light.
Incandescent Bulb
A light bulb with a wire Filament that creates visible light (Incandescence) when it is heated to a high temperature by electricity being feed through it. The Filament is protected from oxidation with a glass shell that is filled with inert gas or a vacuum. These bulbs will give you a shorter lifespan of approximately 800 hours over LEDs which can provide up to 25,000 hours of light.
IP Rating
An IP (Ingress Protection) is a classification of the level of protection of a light from solids (first number from 0-6) and liquids (second number from 0-8). The higher the number, the more protection the light has in that class. When looking for waterproof lights suitable for permanent outdoor use always look for an IP65 rating.
Kelvins
A unit of measurement which is used to describe the Colour Temperature of a light source. The lower the Kelvin (K) number, the warmer (more sunset/orange) the light (e.g. warm white 2000K). The higher the Kelvin, the cooler (whiter) the light (e.g. cool white 3000K).
Lamp Holder
The electrical component that allows for the insertion of the light bulb and thereby allows for the electrical current to flow to the light bulb.
LED Bulbs
A LED light bulb is an electric light for use in light fixtures that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LED). LED bulbs/lamps are significantly longer lasting and more energy efficient than other bulb types.
Low Voltage Lighting
Low voltage lighting systems use a transformer to reduce normal mains line voltage (220 - 240 volts) to 12 or 24 volts. It is often used in recessed, track, landscape and garden lighting applications.
*We offer low voltage in our Outdoor Pro Series Fairy Lights.
Lumens (denoted by lm) are a measure of the total amount of visible light (to the human eye) from a lamp or light source. The higher the lumen rating the “brighter” the lamp will appear.
*Most ambient lights will be around 100 - 240 Lumens. Brighter lights will be around 360 lumens and above.
Task Lighting
Lighting used for performing tasks e.g. reading, writing, cooking, socialising etc.
Is the difference in charge between two points. Electricity is the movement of electrons. Electrons create charge, that is harnessed for use as a power source. Mains voltage in New Zealand is 230V 50Hz
Wattage / Watts
The unit of power (W) measuring the rate of energy transfer. For example, LED Bulbs are lower watts however they still have the same level of light output as other bulbs that operate at a higher wattage to product the same light output. That is why they are called “energy efficient”. For example a 25w Halogen Bulb will often produce the same light as a 2w LED Bulb.