The Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Design Competition recently recognized 57 commercial LED indoor lighting products as part of its sixth annual awards program.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Illuminating Engineering Society and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the NGL competition recognizes excellence in the design of energy-efficient commercial general lighting. In 2013, the competition split into two, one covering indoor products and the other covering outdoor.
NGL bestows its product awards based on criteria including lighting quality (color, light levels, light distribution, glare), appearance, serviceability, efficacy (lumens/W), controllability, power quality, innovation, lumen maintenance and overall value.
The program received 266 products for consideration; of these, 153 were selected for judging. The largest number of entries came in the recessed troffer, pendant and high-ceiling categories, and there was an increase in the number of decorative entries. The judges, which include lighting designers, evaluated the products over three days at the facilities of Intelligent Lighting Creations in Arlington Heights, IL. All products were evaluated as installed in their characteristic installations, including various mounting heights and ceiling conditions.
The judges identified 57 products (37 percent of those submitted) as Recognized, meaning they are considered worthy of specification in their intended applications. Of these, four were award Best in Class, meaning they stand out significantly above the rest. Another four products, which were not yet on the market at the time of judging, were designated as Emerging, meaning they are considered noteworthy for their possibilities. This year, special acknowledgment was given to 10 Recognized products that also demonstrated high efficacy, and to eight Recognized products that demonstrate superior serviceability.
The Best in Class winners came from four different manufacturers and covered four areas of lighting:
• Koncept for its Mosso Pro LED desk lamp;
• Finelite, Inc. for its Series 11LED Micro Profile family of cove mounted luminaires;
• Cree, Inc. for its LS Series utility luminaire; and
• Acuity Brands – Mark Architectural Lighting for its Slot 2 & 4 LED – Direct and Bi-Direct family of surface-mounted and pendant linear luminaires.
Reflecting the continuing improvements in LED technology, there was a marked increase in efficacy in the 2014 NGL competition, with more than half of the Recognized products achieving efficacies at least 20 percent above the DesignLights Consortium minimum, and 10 products exceeding 100 lm/W.
While there was a notable improvement in glare control as well as generally high ratings for color, illuminance and light distribution, serviceability remained a serious concern for the judges.
Download a catalog of NGL 2014 indoor products here.
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