NAED Manufacturers Awarded at Lighting for Tomorrow 2017

BOSTON, Mass.  — Lighting for Tomorrow is a competition that challenges manufacturers to develop residential lighting products that successfully incorporate advances in both design and energy efficiency. By recognizing exceptional new products, Lighting for Tomorrow seeks to meet consumer expectations and leap over market barriers that inhibit the adoption and use of energy efficient residential lighting products.

The 2017 awards were announced at the American Lighting Association Annual Conference on September 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Keep reading to see which companies were honored as being this year’s best of the best in residential lighting!

• From among the decorative fixture submissions, the judges designated two winners, an honorable mention, and a design award. The Blackjack Lighting Iridium Pendant and Project Greener Planet Dharma are winners; AFX, Inc. Post receives an honorable mention; and the Hubbardton Forge Zephyr LED Pendant is given the Judges Design Award.
• The task lighting fixture category resulted in four winners and an honorable mention. The winners are the Good Earth Lighting 3-Head Motion-Activated Flood Light and three products from WAC Lighting: Duo AC LED Color Option Light Bar, Silo X20, and Oculux. L’Image Home Products takes an honorable mention for the Dimmable Ultra Slim LED Undercabinet Wave with Integrated Wave Sensor.
• Replacement lamp winners are Bulbrite Industries LED Filament Bulb T6 and the GREEN CREATIVE REFINE Series PAR38. Honorable mentions, with the additional designation of being the best 60W and 100W equivalents respectively, are the Bulbrite Industries LED A19 and the MaxLite LED A21 lamp.
• Connected or “smart” lighting winners are Acuity Brands Lighting 6SL Bluetooth Speaker Light by Lithonia Lighting and the Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. Decora Smart with Wi-Fi Technology Universal LED/Incandescent Dimmer.
• The emerging technologies winner is the OTI Lumionics Aerelight A1, with Acuity Brands Lighting Lithonia Lighting LED Grow Light and Dolan Designs Inc. SCENE MASTER Chandelier collecting honorable mentions.
• The judges selected Special Recognition Awards for four products that have notable attributes or fulfill a market or lighting application need. Products meeting a particular market need are the Globe Electric Company (USA) Inc. G40 LED Vintage Filament Bulb, which provides a larger sized LED option for additional design applications, and the LEDVANCE SYLVANIA Ultra LED 3-Way A21 lamp which has higher wattage equivalent outputs than previous LED 3-way bulbs. A special recognition award for filament design goes to Globe Electric Company (USA) Inc. A19 LED Spiral Filament Bulb. The PlanLED epikós receives special recognition award for being especially senior friendly.
• The Emerson Volta ceiling fan receives the Judges Challenge Award, which includes a special call to action for the ceiling fan industry. As more ceiling fan companies incorporate LED, they must carefully consider attributes of LED lighting and the impact of the fan on design to enable a positive customer experience.

The 2017 judging panel met on June 6-8 at the UL University facility in North Carolina and reviewed over 130 products, including LED indoor fixtures, LED outdoor fixtures, LED retrofit kits, LED replacement lamps, OLEDs, lighting control devices, connected lighting products, and ceiling fan lights. The judges were very pleased to see outstanding products demonstrating developments in form factor and construction, while taking advantage of solid state lighting technology.

The 2017 Lighting for Tomorrow competition reflected several key technology developments and market trends:

• The market is witnessing a reinvigorated drive for simplicity and user-friendliness in connected or smart lighting products.
• Success of a decorative luminaire is often due to the way the designer uses various materials in conjunction with LEDs as well as the combination of functional lighting and a sophisticated artistic appearance.
• Ceiling fixtures with flat luminous surfaces, as well as traditional slim under-cabinet fixtures, have become even thinner thanks to optical plastics and tiny LEDs designed to uniformly edge light large diffuse surfaces.
• LED filament bulbs are becoming larger and more decorative in their filament design, some even acting as functional light sources in their own right rather than just luminous decorations for dim environments.

The award-winning products are showcased in a brochure and on the Lighting for Tomorrow website. In addition, the awarded products and companies will be featured in videos, lighting publications, and trade show exhibits throughout the coming year. To download the brochure, find information about where to purchase these products, and access complete details on the competition, please visit the website at www.lightingfortomorrow.com.