Glossary > I to O

LIGHTING LINGO: I-O

Incandescent
💡 The OG bulb—hot, inefficient, and short-lived. Thanks for your service, but LEDs do it better.

Ingress Protection (IP)
💡 A two-digit code for how tough your light is. First digit = solids (dust, dirt). Second digit = liquids (water). Higher numbers mean more protection. Handy for bathroom and outdoor lights!

IP Rating
💡 Short for Ingress Protection, because who doesn’t love a good acronym?

Kelvin (K)
💡 Your guide to colour temperature, from cozy warm white to arctic cool white. The lower the number, the warmer the vibe.

Get your geek on and learn more about Kelvin here.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
💡 How energy usage is measured. One kilowatt-hour equals running a 1000-watt appliance for an hour. Your utility bill’s best friend.

Leading Edge Dimmer
💡 The old-school dimmer type—great for traditional bulbs, not so much for LEDs. For LEDs, go trailing edge.

LED Driver
💡 The VIP escort for your LED bulb, making sure it gets the right amount of power without any nasty surges.

LED
💡 Light Emitting Diode—a fancy way of saying bright, efficient, and long-lasting. It’s the light bulb of the future… which is already here.

Lumens
💡 Forget watts—lumens are the real measure of brightness. More lumens = more light. Easy!

Luminance
💡 How much light bounces off a surface in a specific direction. Science-y, but useful for understanding reflection and glare.

Luminaire
💡 Fancy word for light fitting. If it holds a bulb and shines light, it’s a luminaire.

Luminous Efficacy
💡 How well a light source converts power into visible light. High efficacy means more brightness for less power—score!

Multifaceted Reflector (MR)
💡 A tiny lamp with a built-in reflector for focused beams of light. Great for spotlighting your favorite things.