1. Common Lighting Measurement Terms:
 
Color Temperature - Unit of measure-Kelvin (K). The color temperature of a light source in comparison with a "black body radiator" and plotted on a "Planckian Curve". The higher the color temperature the greater the blue component in the spectrum and the smaller the red component. Daylight bulbs have a color temperature of 6000 K where a warm light would have a color temperature of 2700 K.

Cool White - Reference to the color tone or appearance of light produced by a lamp for a specific color temperature. Cool White is the least expensive and most widely used fluorescent lamp color in lighting today. Its name comes from the cool, airy atmosphere it creates wherever it is used. Modern, efficient and business-like, it is popular in stores, classrooms, offices, corridors and factories.

Warm White - Reference to the color tone or appearance of light produced by a lamp for a specific color temperature. The color of the light from this lamp makes a factory, office or store seem warmer and friendlier. Together with the "white" lamp, this is the most efficient of all fluorescent colors. It is a good choice to blend with incandescent bulbs.

Color Rendering - Lamps may have the same color temperature but different rendering properties due to the spectral composition of their light. Certain colors of the spectrum are transmitted and appear to the human eye to be brighter than others; e.g., yellow appears much brighter than red to most of us.

Luminous Flux - A unit of measure: lumen (lm). All of the radiated power emitted by a light source and perceived by the human eye.

Luminous Intensity - Luminous intensity is a unit measure of the luminous flux in a solid angle.

Luminous Efficiency - Unit of measure: Lumens per watt (lm/W). Indicates the efficiency with which the power consumed is converted to light.

Lumen - A unit of light flow or luminous flux. The lumen rating of a lamp is a measure of the total light output of the lamp. The most common measurement of light output (or luminous flux) is the lumen. Light sources are labeled with an output rating in lumens. For example, a R30 65-Watt indoor flood lamp may have a rating of 750 lumens. Similarly, a light fixture's output can be expressed in lumens. As lamps and fixtures age and become dirty, their lumen output decreases (i.e., lumen depreciation occurs). Most lamp ratings are based on initial lumens (i.e., when lamp is new).

Lux - The metric unit of measure for illuminance of a surface. One lux is equal to one lumen per square meter. One lux equals 0.0929 footcandles

Electrical power costs are a significant portion of the operating cost of corporate retail outlets. With the increase in lighting requirements to differentiate the corporate image and attract customers, the cost of these lights is also increasing. LED Inc. has developed an alternative that will provide for lower energy costs. LED module can reduce the energy cost for image lighting by up to 90%.

The following chart is an example of the power consumption of LED vs. neon. This information is based on neon band on a typical fast food restaurant, convenience store or gas station.