Lighting and Ceiling Fans Chapter 17

Lighting Terms and Definitions

• Ballast: Regulates voltage and current flow in fluorescent lighting fixtures.
• Ceiling-suspended paddle fan: Ceiling-mounted fan with 4-5 blades for air circulation, often includes a lighting fixture; requires a specially listed support box.
• Class P ballast: Features built-in thermal protection that disconnects the circuit if the ballast's temperature exceeds safe limits.

Lighting Characteristics

• Color rendition: Indicates a lamp's capability to accurately render colors; measured by the Color Rendering Index (CRI), ranging from 1 (poor) to 100 (excellent) with a CRI of 85 viewed as very good.
• Color temperature: Describes a light source's warmth, indicated in Kelvin (K); below 3200 K is considered "warm," while above 4000 K is "cool."

Types of Light Sources

• Fluorescent lamp: Produces light through energized mercury vapor interacting with a phosphor coating inside a glass tube.
• Halogen lamp: A type of incandescent lamp enhanced with halogen elements like iodine or bromine.
• High-intensity discharge (HID) lamp: Gaseous discharge lamp that generates light without phosphor coatings.
• Incandescent lamp: The traditional electric lamp that emits light through a heated tungsten filament.
• LED Lamp: A solid-state light source using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for illumination, requiring multiple diodes for sufficient brightness.

Light Measurement and Efficacy

• Lamp efficacy: Evaluates light output relative to energy consumption, measured in lumens per watt (L/W); e.g., a 100-watt lamp producing 1750 lumens has an efficacy of 17.5 L/W.
• Lumen: Unit quantifying the amount of light emitted by a source.

Lighting Fixtures

• Luminaire: A complete lighting unit comprising lamps and components for light distribution, positioning, and power connection.
• Sconce: A wall-mounted lighting fixture.
• Track lighting: Adjustable lighting heads on a mounted track, allowing targeted illumination of specific areas.
• Troffer: A fluorescent fixture installed in suspended ceiling grids.

Fixture Types and Installation

• Type IC: Allowed to be covered with thermal insulation without risk of overheating.
• Type Non-IC: Requires at least 3 inches of clearance from thermal insulation.

Regulations and Standards

• NEC Article 410: Governs installation requirements for lighting fixtures.
• Type IC fixtures: Must be used when thermal insulation covers recessed incandescent fixtures to prevent overheating.

Additional Notes

• Type IC recessed incandescent fixtures can be fully insulated.
• A Type IC fixture dictates a minimum of 3 inches distance from insulation.
• High-intensity discharge lamps do not utilize phosphors for light production.