Wattage
Wattage measures the amount of electrical power a lighting product consumes. Lower wattage does not always mean lower light output, especially when comparing LED products to older fluorescent, HID, or incandescent systems.
Lumens
Lumens measure visible light output. Commercial lighting projects should be selected by required lumen output, not wattage alone.
Efficacy
Efficacy measures how efficiently a lighting product converts power into visible light, usually expressed as lumens per watt.
CCT
Correlated color temperature describes the appearance of white light, commonly ranging from warm white to neutral white to cool white.
CRI
Color Rendering Index measures how accurately a light source reveals colors compared to a reference light source.
Voltage
Commercial lighting products may support 120V, 120–277V, 277V, 347V, 480V, or other voltage ranges depending on the application.
Dimming
Dimming compatibility determines how a fixture or lamp can be controlled. Common systems include 0–10V dimming, TRIAC dimming, ELV dimming, and control-ready LED drivers.
IP Ratings
IP ratings describe protection against dust and moisture. Higher ratings are commonly used for outdoor, washdown, industrial, and wet location applications.
NEMA Ratings
NEMA ratings classify electrical enclosure protection for indoor, outdoor, wet, dusty, or corrosive environments.
DLC
DLC listed products meet performance criteria commonly used by utility rebate programs for commercial LED lighting.
UL Listings
UL listings indicate that a product has been evaluated for applicable safety standards. UL listed lighting products are commonly required for commercial installations.
NSF
NSF rated lighting products are designed for food processing, washdown, commercial kitchen, and sanitation-sensitive environments.
IK Ratings
IK ratings describe impact resistance and are useful for vandal-resistant, industrial, public, and high-abuse lighting applications.
Type I
Type I distribution produces a long, narrow pattern commonly used for walkways, pathways, and narrow roadways.
Type II
Type II distribution is used for wider walkways, small parking areas, perimeter roads, and narrow site lighting applications.
Type III
Type III distribution projects light farther forward and is commonly used for parking lots, roadways, and general area lighting.
Type IV
Type IV distribution pushes light forward from the mounting location and is commonly used along building perimeters and parking lot edges.
Type V
Type V distribution provides a broad, symmetrical pattern used for open parking lots, intersections, large outdoor areas, and center-mounted poles.
- Pole Mount: Used for area lights, parking lot lights, roadway lights, and site lighting.
- Slipfitter Mount: Adjustable mount commonly used with tenons on poles or brackets.
- Trunnion Mount: Adjustable heavy-duty mount commonly used for flood lights and area lighting.
- Knuckle Mount: Adjustable mount used for smaller flood lights and landscape lighting.
- Yoke Mount: Adjustable bracket mount used for flood lights, sports lighting, and industrial lighting.
- Pendant Mount: Suspends fixtures from conduit, stems, or ceiling-mounted hardware.
- Surface Mount: Installs directly to a ceiling, wall, or structural surface.
- Recessed Mount: Installs into a ceiling opening for a flush or low-profile appearance.
- Wall Mount: Used for wall packs, sconces, emergency lights, exterior fixtures, and perimeter lighting.
DLC
DLC qualification is commonly used by utility rebate programs to verify LED product performance for commercial and industrial applications.
Utility Rebates
Utility rebate programs vary by location, product category, efficiency level, and installation type.
LED ROI
Return on investment is typically based on energy savings, operating hours, utility rates, product cost, installation cost, and available rebates.
Maintenance Savings
LED lighting can reduce maintenance costs by lowering replacement frequency, service labor, lift rental needs, and downtime compared to legacy lighting systems.
Indoor Projects
Indoor lighting projects should consider ceiling height, task requirements, glare control, fixture spacing, occupant comfort, and control compatibility.
Outdoor Projects
Outdoor lighting projects should consider mounting height, light distribution, weather rating, pole spacing, glare control, security needs, and local code requirements.
Retrofit Projects
Retrofit projects require matching new LED products to existing fixtures, voltage, mounting conditions, controls, and desired light output.
New Construction
New construction projects allow lighting to be selected around building plans, energy codes, fixture layouts, controls, and long-term facility requirements.
Design Build
Design build projects often require coordinated fixture selection, lighting layouts, submittals, lead time review, and product compatibility checks.
Maintenance Replacement
Maintenance replacement focuses on finding compatible fixtures, lamps, drivers, ballasts, emergency components, and controls for existing systems.
