We understand that lighting can seem quite complex and getting the right bulb for your light can seem a bit difficult. We therefore provide you with a list of common lighting terms to help you understand the coding.

2D

Quadrant shaped lamp - looks like two D's back to back.

Ballast

A piece of equipment which starts and effectively controls the flow of power to lamps such as fluorescents and high intensity discharge lamps.

Biax

A GE brand name for their range of compact fluorescent lamps. Equivalent to the Sylvania Lynx, Osram Dulux, and Philips PL ranges.

CFL

Compact Fluorescent Lamp - General term applied to the smaller diameter fluorescent lamps. They use the same technoogy as fluorescent tubes but in a more compact form. They use up to 80% less electricity than standard incandescent bulbs, whilst also lasting up to 20 times longer.

Dulux

An Osram brand name for their range of compact fluorescent lamps. Equivalent to the Sylvania Lynx, GE Biax, and Philips PL ranges.

Efficacy

Light output divided by total power input to the source of light. It is expressed in lumens per watt.

Electronic/High Frequency Ballast

Usually operate fluorescent lamps at frequencies between 23-35 KHz. They boast significant benefits in comparison to standard ballasts: including increased lamp efficacy, reduced ballast losses and the ballasts are much smaller and lighter in comparison.

Energy Efficiency Rating

A rating for how efficiently a lamp consumes energy, with A being the highest efficiency and G being the lowest.

Fluorescent Lamp/Tube

High efficiency lamps which produce Ultra-Violet energy via low pressure mercury vapour. The Ultra-Violet energy excites the phosphor materials on the inside of the tube to produce fluorescent light.

Incandescent Lamp

A light source generated by using a thin filament wire which is heated to produce white heat by an electronic current passing through it.

Lynx

A sylvania brand name for their range of compact fluorescent lamps. Equivalent to the GE Biax, Osram Dulux, and Philips PL ranges.

Watt

A unit of electrical power. The higher the wattage, the more power a lamp or bulb will consume.