Permanent lighting terms, explained

A · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · K · L · M · N · P · R · S · T · U · W · Z

A

Accent lighting

Light aimed at specific features, such as an entry, columns or a tree, instead of lighting everything evenly. More →

Addressable

LEDs that can each be set to a different color, so a line can show bands, chases and flowing effects. More →

Apex (peak)

The top point of a gable, where two angled roof edges meet. Peaks are the most visible part of a roofline.

C

CCT (color temperature)

How warm or cool white light looks, measured in kelvin (K). 2700 K is warm, like a lamp. 5000 K is cool, like daylight.

Certificate of Appropriateness

The approval Oklahoma City's historic preservation districts require before exterior changes, permanent lighting included. More →

Class 2 power supply

A power-limited low-voltage supply (100 watts or less per output) listed for safety. Low-voltage lighting usually runs on these.

COB (chip on board)

An LED strip with hundreds of tiny chips per foot under a coating, so it glows as a continuous line instead of dots. Brightness varies a lot from one maker to the next, so compare lumens per foot. More →

Continuous line

Lighting that reads as one unbroken line with no visible dots, from COB strip or neon flex behind a diffuser. More →

Controller

The box that runs the lights and connects to the app. It holds the scenes and schedules.

CRI (color rendering index)

How true colors look under a light, on a scale to 100. CRI 90+ makes skin, stone and paint look natural.

D

Dark-sky lighting

Outdoor lighting designed to limit glare and upward light: shielded, aimed down and warm. Nichols Hills' code follows these principles. More →

Diffuser

The frosted cover over an LED strip that blends the individual LEDs into one even line.

Downlighting

Light aimed downward from above, such as from under an eave or from a tree. More →

E

Eave

The lower edge of the roof that overhangs the wall. Eave lighting runs along it. More →

F

Facade lighting

Light on the front face of a building: washing, grazing or outlining it. More →

Fascia

The trim board along the edge of the roof, often behind the gutter. Permanent lighting mounts here or on the soffit, never on the shingles. More →

Footcandle

A measure of how much light lands on a surface. Light-trespass rules set limits in footcandles at the property line.

G

Gable

The triangular wall under a pitched roof's two sloping edges.

Grazing

Light placed close to a wall and aimed along it, so texture like stone or brick casts shadows. More →

H

HOA architectural review

The approval many homeowners associations require before exterior changes, permanent lighting included. More →

I

IP rating

Ingress Protection: how well a fixture keeps out dust (first digit) and water (second digit). IP67 survives brief submersion.

K

Kelvin (K)

The unit for color temperature. Lower numbers are warmer.

L

Landscape lighting

Lighting for the yard: paths, trees, walls and steps. More →

Light trespass

Light that spills onto a neighbor's property. Some cities limit it, like Nichols Hills at 0.2 footcandle at the property line. More →

Low voltage

Lighting that runs on 12 or 24 volts from a power supply instead of 120-volt house power. It's safer to install and handle.

Lumens

How much light a source puts out in total.

M

Moonlighting

Fixtures mounted high in a tree, pointing down, so the ground below looks lit by the moon. More →

N

Neon flex

A flexible silicone tube with LEDs inside that glows like glass neon. It's used for continuous lines and signs. More →

Node (puck)

A single sealed LED light. Most permanent-lighting brands use rows of nodes, spaced about a foot apart. More →

P

Path lights

Low fixtures that light a walkway or drive from above the ground. More →

Permanent lighting

Lighting that stays installed on a house year-round and is controlled from an app, instead of hung and taken down each season. More →

Pixel

One individually controllable point of light on an addressable strip.

Power injection

Feeding power into a long run at more than one point, so the far end is as bright as the near end.

R

Rake

The angled roof edge running up the side of a gable. Lighting the rake fascia traces the roof's shape without touching the roof.

RGB

Red, green and blue LEDs mixed to make colors. Whites mixed from RGB tend to look bluish.

RGBCCT

RGB plus warm and cool white LEDs, so the white can be tuned from warm to cool.

RGBW

RGB plus a dedicated white LED, for a cleaner white than mixed color.

Roofline lighting

Lighting along the edges of the roof, in a track under the eave or on the fascia. More →

S

Scene

A saved look (colors, brightness, effect) you can switch on with a tap or a schedule. More →

Schedule

Automatic on and off times for scenes, often sunset to a set time, or tied to dates for holidays. More →

Shielding

A fixture design that hides the light source from view, so you see the light it casts, not the glare.

Soffit

The underside of the roof overhang. Lights mounted here wash down onto the walls. More →

T

Track (channel)

The slim aluminum rail that holds the lights and hides the wiring. It's color-matched to the trim. More →

Tunable white

White light you can set anywhere from warm to cool, or that warms as it dims. More →

U

Uplighting

Light aimed up from the ground at a tree, column or wall. Some cities, like Nichols Hills, don't allow it. More →

W

Wall washing

Even light spread across a whole wall. More →

Warm white

White light around 2700 to 3000 K, like a lamp. It flatters homes and is what most permanent lighting runs most nights.

Z

Zone

A section of the lights you can control separately, such as the front, the garage or the back.