During the annual American Lighting Association (ALA) Conference in Palm Beach, Fla., the ninth annual Lighting for Tomorrow competition announced the best-designed, energy-efficient, residential lighting products on September 13. For the second year in a row, the competition expanded its scope to include solid-state lighting (SSL) replacement lamps and lighting controls.
Lighting for Tomorrow challenges manufacturers to improve the design of SSL fixtures and enter high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) replacement lamps designed to meet consumers’ expectations. In addition, the competition invited lighting control manufacturers to enter their lighting control devices as long as they are compatible with energy-efficient technologies such as fluorescent or LEDs.
The 2011 judging panel reviewed a total of 52 products including 39 SSL luminaires at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) University in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Of the 22 companies that submitted SSL fixtures, 8 received some type of recognition. A total of 6 winners and 2 honorable mentions were selected.
Designers Fountain, a past winner, again received top honors for its simple and modern Aero 4-head fixed track, while Holtkötter International garnered an award for its innovative Berne Chairside reading lamp.
The following 3 winners received awards for their high-performing recessed downlights: Cooper Lighting for its Halo 4-inch adjustable round and square model; OSRAM SYLVANIA for its ULTRA RT4 LED recessed downlight kit; and CREE LED Lighting for its CR4 downlight.
Lithonia Lighting® was the top winner in the SSL fixture category for its Outdoor LED versatile area/wall light. The remaining manufacturers received honorable mentions: MaxLite, a past winner, was recognized for its LED FlatMax flat panel; and Edge Lighting received kudos for its Premium Soft Strip LED and mounting.
Out of the 7 companies that submitted LED replacement lamps, 2 were recognized by the competition. OSRAM SYLVANIA was selected as the winner for its ULTRA A19 and also received 2 honorable mentions for its ULTRA LED PAR38 and B10. CREE LED Lighting was also given a honorable mention for its LRP PAR38 lamp.
Both entries in the lighting controls category received accolades. Lutron Electronics won for its Diva® CLTM dimmer and also received an honorable mention for the RadioRA® 2 phase-adaptive dimmer.
The Lighting for Tomorrow competition is designed to stimulate the market for attractive, energy-efficient residential lighting fixtures that use a fraction of the electricity of standard incandescent fixtures. By encouraging new designs and technologies, Lighting for Tomorrow aims to increase market acceptance and awareness of the growing opportunities in energy-efficient lighting. Winners will be showcased in an awards brochure that highlights the winners for both the LED-based products and the lighting controls section. Winning products and companies will be featured in articles and trade show exhibits throughout the coming year.
