Release Date: January 19, 2007

Contact: Kelly Gordon, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
503-417-7558, kelly.gordon@pnl.gov

Lighting for Tomorrow 2007 launched in Dallas

New competition includes solid-state lighting

Lighting for Tomorrow is looking to the future with its 2007 fixture design competition – not just for new products but innovative technologies as well. Along with the promotion of attractive energy-efficient residential lighting fixtures, Lighting for Tomorrow is also encouraging innovation in the use of new light sources. Officially launched on Jan. 19 at the Dallas Market, the 2007 competition includes a solid-state lighting (SSL) component, recognizing creative energy-saving designs that use white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Lighting for Tomorrow is organized by the American Lighting Association (ALA), the U.S. Dept. of Energy (represented by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE). About two dozen energy-efficiency organizations nationwide have combined to pledge more than $150,000 to sponsor this latest competition.

First SSL competition held last year
The first Lighting for Tomorrow Solid-State Lighting Competition, held as a separate event in 2006, attracted 30 entrants and produced four winners: American Fluorescent, Lucere Lighting, Lucesco and Progress Lighting.

Colored LEDs have been used for more than a decade in applications such as traffic signals, exit signs and instrument panels but white LED lighting is an emerging technology. White LEDs are not appropriate for most applications but, with their long life and resistance to vibration, can be highly useful for certain functions. Entries for the 2007 competition are invited for specific niche applications, including under-cabinet and in-cabinet lighting for kitchens, portable desk/task lights, recessed downlights and outdoor lighting.

“The use of LED light sources for residential and commercial applications has created quite a buzz in the lighting industry,” said Rebecca Foster, senior program manager at CEE and a co-manager of Lighting for Tomorrow. “We’re still learning about this new technology but, as the products improve and become more cost competitive, it could be the wave of the future.”

Fixture design competition
Since its inception in 2002, the fixture design component of Lighting for Tomorrow has pulled new high-efficiency residential lighting products into the market. Virtually all of these fixtures use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) but the competition is open to any light source that meets ENERGY STAR® criteria.

Beginning with the 2006 competition, Lighting for Tomorrow required manufactures to submit entries of fixture “families” for indoor and outdoor lighting products. A large number of fixture families will be featured in a Lighting for Tomorrow Yearbook that includes color photographs, program information, technology updates, and other useful information for consumers, retailers and builders. The Yearbook will be distributed to lighting showrooms and homebuilders.

The deadline for entries is May 31. Winners will be announced during an award ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference in San Antonio Sept. 9. For guidelines and rules for the 2007 competition, see www.lightingfortomorrow.com.