The Next Generation Luminaires™ (NGL) Solid State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). The NGL competition was launched in 2008 to promote excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination. Recognition by NGL means the judges considered the product to be worthy of specification. That means NGL-recognized products have to measure up on many fronts. The judges care about suitability and quality, not just energy-efficiency.
This year’s indoor competition had 10 judges, drawn from the architectural lighting community, and for them to deem a product specification-worthy means it cleared a mighty high bar. Out of 266 products that were proposed for submission to the 2014 NGL indoor competition, only 153 made it to the judging phase with market-ready samples and complete documentation. That documentation – which included luminaire and component specification sheets, LM-79 test reports, lumen maintenance projections, warranty statements, and marketing materials – helps make sure actual performance matches what was claimed.
The judges awarded 57 products as Recognized, meaning they were considered worthy of specification in the application for which they were designed. archlit LeeSti also received a special acknowledgment because demonstrated superior serviceability.
The Indoor Winners’ Announcement was held on September 17, 2014 at The LED SHOW in Los Angeles, CA.
Judges comments about archlit LeeSti:
The judges admired the innovative design, good glare control and light distribution of this luminare from archlit, noting the ease of serviceability as a particularly valued feature. "Good glare control", "easy service incorporated into the design" were some of the specific comments.
Judges comments about the Competition
“Any product that earns the recognition of the NGL judges has to be pretty special,” said DOE Solid-State Lighting Program Manager Jim Brodrick. “They’re a tough audience – impossible to fool and hard to please.”
Products that have been evaluated by the Next Generation Luminaires design competition have been vetted to a degree that no other evaluation does. They have been documented by third-party testing and that documentation has been evaluated. And then the products have been evaluated for their lighted performance by a diverse group of professionals from the design, engineering and construction sides of the business.
The NGL process allows judges to be at the forefront of these next generation luminaires, to see what the industry is doing.
NGL evaluations go all the way in to see how the entries are managed and maintained.
