When I refer to "ambient" I mean the temperature of my house/basement/inlet air. So the differential is between my basement and my tent/cabinet. So if I'm 12 degrees above ambient, and my canopy is 80f, then my basement is therefore 68f ambient.
That's how I look at my rooms. Bonus when my basement is 60f, and I can run more lights without extra fan noise. I could go 20f above ambient and have the same 80f canopy.
I think it's best to measure multiple areas in a room, make sure your roots aren't 55f and your canopy 90f etc. For instance, my basement is 60f right now, but against the wall it's more like 50f.
Edit: plants supposedly don't like 20f differentials between day and night.