  Industry TermsLamp EquivalencyBallast Option ComparisonBallast Analysis |
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ADA:
Americans with Disabilities Act
which states all walkways, corridors and halls must have 80” of clear head room and all objects mounted on walls that
are between 27” – 80” high, should not project more than 4” into the hallway.
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Average Rated Life:
The median time it takes for
a lamp to burn out.
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Color Rendering Index (CRI):
International system
used to rate a lamp’s ability to render object color. The higher the CRI (based upon a 0-100 scale), the better colors appear.
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Color Temperature:
Color temperature is directly
related to the physical temperature of the filament
in incandescent lamps. A higher color
temperature (ºK) describes a visually cooler,
bluer light source. Typical color temperatures
are 2700ºK (incandescent or the GE SPX27 fluorescent),
3000ºK (halogen or the GE
SPX30 fluorescent), 3500ºK (GE SPX35 fluorescent),
4100ºK (cool white or the GE SPX41
fluorescent), and 5000ºK (daylight-simulating
fluorescent colors such as the GE SPX50).
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Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL):
The general
term applied to families of smaller diameter fluorescent lamps, some of which have built-in ballasts and medium screw bases (retrofit lamps). These fluorescents are referred to as PL, FL, or CF by the major lamp manufacturers.
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Electronic Ballast:
A shortened name for a
fluorescent high frequency electronic ballast. Electronic ballasts use solid state electronic components and typically operate fluorescent lamps at frequencies in the range of 50/60 kHz. The benefits are: increased lamp efficacy, reduced ballast losses and lighter, smaller ballasts compared to electromagnetic ballasts.
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Halogen Lamp:
A shortened name for the tungsten-
halogen lamp. Halogen lamps are high pressure incandescent lamps containing halogen gases such as iodine or bromine which allow the filaments to be operated at higher temperatures and higher efficacies.
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Instant Start:
A type of fluorescent ballast circuit
designed to start fluorescent lamps as soon as the power is applied. Instant Start ballasts decrease lamp life in frequently switched situations.
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Programmed Start:
A type of fluorescent ballast
circuit that provides precise heating of the lamp filaments while tightly controlling the pre-heat duration before applying starting voltage to ignite the lamp. Programmed Start ballasts are recommended by lamp manufacturers for situations where the lamp is switched frequently.
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Rapid or Quick Start:
A type of fluorescent ballast
circuit in which the lamp filaments are heated while open circuit voltage is applied to facilitate lamp ignition.
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