Premier Lighting Ltd.

GUIDE TO LAMP SELECTION

There are thousands of different lamps in production today, each with a different BASE, VOLTAGE, LAMP LIFE, COLOUR TEMPERATURE and EFFICIENCY. Premier Lighting provides the most modern, widely available, power-smart options on the market.

The chart below explains the qualities of the lamps recommended for each of our fixtures.

These lamps comply with the Power-Smart/Energy-Star programs recommended by electrical authorities and government agencies throughout North America.

Premier recognizes that the maintenance requirements for a lighting system are a significant cost to the end user. The bulbs we recommend have a long life expectancy.

The colour spectrum of lamps is generally limited to a narrow range. For parking lot illumination, where yellow hued high pressure sodium lamps are often used, colour temperature is sacrificed for lamp life and light output. For intimate dining facilities the flattering effect of pink hued incandescent lamps is often recommended. For most indoor applications, lighting designers try to approximate daylight or white light by using quartz/halogen or fluorescent lighting.

Colour Temperature Reference Guide

Guide to Lamps

INC. (incandescent lamps) have greatly evolved since first invented by Thomas Edison over a hundred years ago. Common incandescents have a colour temperature of 2700K.

Quartz Halogen lamps, a more modern variation of incandescents, give a much whiter light of 3000K. The lamp life of incandescents ranges from 2500 to 5000 hours.

CFT, CFQ, CFTR, FT & F28D are all COMPACT FLUORESCENT or PL lamps, sized from 13watts to 48watts. These are smaller, more efficient versions of the fluorescent lamp. Gasses within the lamp are ionized, causing phosphors in the exterior coating of the bulb to vibrate and glow. There are a broad range of colour temperature choices, from WARM WHITE at 2700K to DAYLIGHT at 5000k. The lamp life of compact fluorescents is around 10,000 hours, or one year of continuous operation.

MS (metal halide – 3000K to 4000K) & HPS (high pressure sodium – 2200K to 2700K) are HID (high intensity discharge) lamps. These are sized from 40 watts to 400 watts. They create light when a filament ionizes a combination of gasses and metals. The lamp life of HID lamps is around 10,000 hours, or one year of continuous operation. Pulse start Metal Halide bulbs are rated as high as 20,000 hours.