The US Department of Energy has announced the results of the 2014 indoor Next Generation Luminaires (NGL Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition at The LED Show in Los Angeles, CA. Koncept, Finelite, Cree, and Acuity Brands received Best in Class accolades while a total of 57 LED-based luminaires were recognized for design excellence. The program is sponsored and managed by the DOE, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the International Association of Lighting Designers.
The DOE reported that 266 products were proposed for NGL submission with 153 making it to the judging phase of the 2014 indoor NGL competition. That total is about double the entries of the 2013 indoor NGL competition. The 2013 program only anointed 28 products with the "Recognized Winner" designation. Presumably the maturity in the SSL industry has yielded more products that meet the scrutiny of the judges. The 10-member panel is charged with recognizing products that are deemed worthy of architectural specification.
The DOE said that the NGL requirements have become more demanding with the maturity in the industry. "Any product that earns the recognition of the NGL judges has to be pretty special," said DOE SSL program manager Jim Brodrick. "They’re a tough audience – impossible to fool and hard to please."
The Best in Class winners include:
- The Mosso Pro LED desk lamp from Koncept
- The Series 112LED Micro Profile cove luminaires from Finelite
- The LS Series utility luminaire from Cree
- The Mark Architectural Lighting Slot 2 and 4 ceiling luminaires from Acuity Brands.
The Best in Class recognition comes on top of Recognized Winner status with the Best in Class products deemed to stand out from the rest of the Recognized Winners.
The Recognized Winners are broken into categories.
Accent Luminaires:
- Luminii
- Intense Lighting (two fixtures)
- Juno Lighting Group (five fixtures)
Downlights:
- GE Lighting
- Meteor Lighting (two fixtures)
- Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Business
- Juno Lighting Group (three fixtures)
- USAI Lighting (two fixtures)
- Focal Point
- Intense Lighting
Linear pendants:
- H.E. Williams
- Finelite (three fixtures)
- Acuity Brands – Peerless (two fixtures)
Industrial luminaires:
- GE Lighting
- Juno Lighting Group
- Advanced Energy Ideas
- Horner Lighting
- KMW Inc
- Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Business
Ceiling grid luminaires (troffers):
- Juno Lighting Group
- SAMJIN LND Co (two fixtures)
- Acuity Brands – Lithonia Lighting
- Focal Point
Cove lighting:
- Philips
- Lumenpulse
- Tempo
Decorative pendants:
- Eureka Lighting (three fixtures)
- Blackjack Lighting
Ceiling-mounted utility luminaire:
- Kenall Lighting
Personal task luminaire:
- The Lighting Quotient
Step lighting:
- Luminii
Wall washers:
- The Lighting Quotient
- Juno Lighting Group
- Archlit
Wall grazing luminaires:
- EcoSense Lighting
- LED Linear GmbH
Healthcare luminaire:
- Visa Lighting
Signage display luminaire:
- Edge Lighting
The indoor NGL winners are the second set of products recognized by the DOE program during 2014. The 2013 NGL outdoor winners were announced at Strategies in Light in February 2014.
