Twenty-six commercial LED outdoor lighting products were recognized for excellence by the Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition. Continuing an NGL trend, the recognized products showed notable improvement on all fronts.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and International Association of Lighting Designers, NGL was launched in 2008 to promote excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination in commercial lighting applications. The competition began evaluating indoor and outdoor products separately in 2012, and the winners announced last night are the 2013 outdoor winners.
Compared to previous years, the 2013 NGL outdoor results show a marked improvement in overall performance, with efficacies continuing to climb. Although the efficacy requirements were raised by 20 percent in 2013, the recognized products exceeded the challenge, with an average efficacy of 94 lm/W, compared with 66 lm/W in 2012. Light distribution is also improving, as is color quality – important considerations and significant advances in both cases. The most frequent negative comments from judges focused on the need for improved glare control. In terms of design, the judges continue to see a few new approaches but would like to see more innovation across the board.
The idea behind NGL is to make it easier for lighting designers and specifiers to find LED lighting products that are worthy of specification. This means recognized products have to measure up on many fronts. Does the product perform the intended function for the planned application? Does it control glare? Is it the right color? How easy or difficult was installation? Is it serviceable? How will it perform over time?
NGL outdoor entries for 2013 were judged visually on color, appropriate illuminance, light distribution, glare control, appearance, serviceability, and value. Energy efficiency and lumen maintenance were evaluated quantitatively based on required documentation, and flexibility, innovation, and controllability were taken into consideration when appropriate. “The Next Generation Luminaires design competition links energy efficiency with lighting quality,” said DOE Solid-State Lighting Program Manager Jim Brodrick. “To be recognized as a winner, a product has to be considered specifiable by the judges, who are a mighty tough bunch to please.”
A total of 102 products were proposed for submission to the 2013 NGL outdoor competition, but only 68 were approved to continue in the competition. The rest either weren’t ready for market or lacked the required documentation, which included such things as LM-79 test reports and LM-80 life claim documentation and helps ensure that actual performance matches claims.
The products making it to the judging phase were evaluated after dark at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. To evaluate the lighted performance and appearance, street and roadway luminaires were installed on poles at appropriate heights along roadways, parking lot luminaires were installed on a truss in a parking area, parking garage luminaires were installed indoors, and building-mounted or landscape luminaires were installed on or near exterior facades or indoors. The hands-on process allowed judges to evaluate not only how the products performed but also how easy they were to install and service – a critical consideration for outdoor applications, where installation and maintenance are typically very costly. Judges were able to record comments for manufacturers on iPads that were used throughout the evaluations.
The 68 products that were judged represented 41 different manufacturers and covered 12 different outdoor-lighting categories. Of those products, 26 were chosen as “Recognized” winners, meaning the judges considered them worthy of specification.
Of the 26 recognized products, six received the additional designation of Best in Class—the largest number of Best in Class winners of any NGL competition to date. A Best in Class distinction meant the product stood out significantly above the others in its category that were recognized as specifiable. The Best in Class winners came from five different manufacturers:
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LED Roadway Lighting was selected for its NXT-S local residential roadway fixture
Juno Lighting Group for its Finia building perimeter wallpack and its PL2 series bollard
Cooper Lighting by Eaton for its McGraw-Edison Top Tier parking and area luminaire
Louis Poulsen Lighting for its LP ICON LED pedestrian walkway fixture
Cree for its CPY250 canopy luminaire
In the “Recognized” category, EcoSense Lighting, the Lighting Quotient, and Philips earned praise for their facade accent lighting. Selux Corporation (two fixtures) was recognized for bollards, and Eureka Lighting for decorative lighting. In parking and area lighting, fixtures by Evolucia, Horner Lighting Group, and Cooper Lighting by Eaton were selected. Intense Lighting was also chosen for its pedestrian walkway handrail/guardrail fixture.
Major roadway lighting was also popular, with recognition given to designs by Toshiba, Evolucia, and Schreder Lighting LLC. Evluma was recognized for local residential roadway lighting, Schreder Lighting LLC for collector roadway lighting, and Horner Lighting Group for canopy lighting. Three building perimeter wallpack fixtures were recognized: from Juno Lighting Group, Hubbell Outdoor Lighting, and RAB Lighting. In the “other” category, the Acuity Brands – Holophane tunnel/underpass fixture received recognition.