How to better understand the options and technical features of your lighting fixtures?

Scared and lost in the face of electrical language? Don’t panic! It is true that some technical terms can sometimes be complicated to understand and use. That’s why we decided to explain to you in more depth the technical characteristics of your lighting fixtures!

The Protection Index (IP)

It is very important to look at the IP of your lighting fixtures when they are for outdoor use or for rooms in contact with water (bathroom or kitchen). The protection index classifies the level of protection that a material offers against the intrusion of solid and liquid bodies. The IP consists of two digits:

The first digit indicates the level of protection of an object against foreign bodies:

0: No protection
1: Protected from particles larger than 50mm
2: Protected from particles larger than 12.5mm
3: Protected from particles larger than 2.5mm
4: Protected from particles larger than 1mm
5: Protected from dust
6: Completely protected from dust

The second digit indicates the level of waterproofing against water and humidity:

0: No protection
1: Protected from vertically falling water drops
2: Protected from water drops at an angle of 15°
3: Protected from rain at 60°
4: Protected from water sprays from all directions
5: Protected from water jets
6: Protected from powerful water jets
7: Submersible, attention to the recommended pressure and time
8: Prolonged submersion.

You understood it, the higher the numbers, the more your light fixture is protected against various weather conditions or impacts.

Check out our article dedicated to the protection index to learn more.

LEDs and Watt Equivalents

The watt, symbol W, is the international unit of power or energy flow. One watt is equivalent to one joule per second. This unit measures the electric power produced by the light source, that is, its electrical consumption. With energy-saving bulbs like LEDs and compact fluorescent bulbs, this unit of measurement no longer reflects the luminous efficiency of a bulb, but rather its electrical consumption: the higher the wattage, the more electricity the bulb consumes.

LED or compact fluorescent bulbs produce more light while consuming much less energy.
Here is a table of equivalences between different types of lighting.

Learn more with our article dedicated to Watts and LED equivalents.

Kelvins (K)

First of all, the kelvin (K) is a unit of measurement that indicates the temperature of light. Thanks to this unit, you can evaluate the color emitted by a lamp when it is fully lit. Generally, the temperature of light ranges from 2,000 to 10,000 kelvins. The lower the temperature, the more the light tends to warm colors. Conversely, the higher the temperature, the more dynamic the light becomes, shifting towards blue tones.

Above is a color equivalence chart that helps you better visualize how kelvins relate to light colors.

A quick tip: standardize the color temperature across your rooms to avoid straining your eyes!
Check out our article dedicated to kelvins to learn more.

Lumens (lm)

The lumen (lm) refers to luminous flux. It’s a unit of light output that indicates how much useful light is emitted by a bulb or lamp. Generally, lumens answer the common question: « How much light does it produce? » This unit helps quantify the amount of light that you actually perceive.

Here’s a quick reference that will simplify your everyday lighting needs!

If you’re more familiar with watts, don’t hesitate to use them to find the number of lumens needed for your lighting. Keep in mind that 1 watt corresponds to approximately 10 lumens. Therefore, to find the appropriate number of lumens, multiply the wattage by 10.

Dimmable Lights

The term « dimmable » is frequently used and means « adjustable. » A dimmable light allows you to control the brightness according to your needs and mood. To ensure that a dimmable lamp works properly, two major conditions must be met:

First, you must use a compatible bulb. If the bulb is incompatible, no dimming will occur.
Second, your fixture must be equipped with a dimmer switch.

Here are two explanatory videos on how dimmable lights work.

Learn more about the dimming concept in detail with our article dedicated to dimmable lighting.

Color Rendering (CRI)

Initiated by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in 1948, research on color rendering continues to evolve. Initially, this study aimed to characterize fluorescent lighting and discharge lamps used in public spaces. The CRI (Color Rendering Index) measures how well a light source renders colors. The CRI scale ranges from 0 to 100. The lower the index, the less distinct the colors appear. On the contrary, the higher the CRI, the better the color rendering. For reference, daylight offers a CRI of 100.

Below is a color rendering chart. As we can see, the lower the CRI, the fewer color nuances are visible.

To better understand, compare these two light spectra. With a CRI of 85, many color nuances are visible, but with a CRI of 50, these nuances are significantly reduced.