Release Date: January 23, 2006

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

Lighting for Tomorrow 2006 launched in Dallas

Fourth competition features yearbook of ENERGY STAR fixtures

As a follow-up to its highly successful past efforts, Lighting for Tomorrow has announced a new competition in 2006. Officially launched on Jan. 19 at the Dallas Market, the 2006 Lighting for Tomorrow lighting fixture design competition will feature a new approach that recognizes more winners and promotes them more broadly to retailer and builder audiences.

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.

The competition is designed to stimulate the market for high-efficiency residential lighting fixtures that use up to two-thirds less electricity than standard incandescent fixtures. By encouraging new designs and technologies, Lighting for Tomorrow aims to increase market acceptance and awareness of the growing opportunities in energy-efficient lighting. Past winners of Lighting for Tomorrow include Lithonia, American Fluorescent, Lightolier, Forecast, and Justice Design Group.

Yearbook of ENERGY STAR Fixtures
To achieve its objectives, Lighting for Tomorrow organizers are taking a new approach in 2006. Rather than promoting only a small number of winning designs as has been done in the past, the 2006 competition will recognize a larger number of fixture families that are highly attractive as well as energy efficient. These winners will be included in a Yearbook of the best ENERGY STAR-qualified decorative residential light fixtures, selected on the basis of style, innovation and functionality. The Yearbook will be widely distributed to lighting showrooms and homebuilders.

The Yearbook will be unveiled and winners will be announced during an award ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas Sept. 10-12.

“Lighting for Tomorrow offers manufacturers and designers an opportunity to receive invaluable assistance in marketing and publicity from a well recognized promotional program,” said ALA Director of Engineering and Technology Terry McGowan, who is co-managing Lighting for Tomorrow.

“We’ll be distributing 10,000 copies of the Yearbook to retailers and builders nationwide, stimulating orders for the winning companies. The winning designs will also be heavily promoted by energy-efficiency organizations that are sponsoring the competition. In many cases, these efficiency organizations will be offering financial incentives for the purchase of these energy-saving fixtures.”

Full guidelines and rules for the 2006 competition are at www.lightingfortomorrow.com.