January 23, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Foster, CEE Program Manager
617-589-3949, ext. 207
Terry McGowan, ALA Director of Engineering and Technology
216-291-1884

PRESS KIT

Lighting for Tomorrow, a national competition, is underway
Contest designed to pull high-efficiency residential fixtures into the market

CEE is partnering with the American Lighting Association and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to organize Lighting for Tomorrow, a national lighting fixture design competition for designers and manufacturers. This competition, which began in December 2002, provides incentives for the development of innovative – and decorative – residential lighting fixtures that are also energy efficient. In this case, energy efficiency is defined as meeting the efficacy requirements in the ENERGY STAR fixture specification.

"There is an absence of mid- to high-end decorative fixtures, like chandeliers, that are energy efficient," said CEE Residential Program Manager Rebecca Foster. "Manufacturers are interested in making these products and showrooms are interested in selling them, but they need assurance that the fixtures will be successful in the market."

In addition to receiving cash prizes, winning entries will be heavily promoted by CEE members as well as ALA (and its member showrooms) and ENERGY STAR. In this way, it is expected that a whole new generation of efficient lighting products will become viable in the residential market.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the ENERGY STAR program, which are CEE allies, are co-sponsoring Lighting for Tomorrow. The following CEE members are also co-sponsoring this project:

• Bonneville Power Administration
• Cape Light Compact
• Connecticut Light & Power
• Efficiency Vermont
• Fitchburg Gas & Electric
• Long Island Power Authority
• Massachusetts Electric
• NYSERDA
• Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
• Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
• NSTAR
• Pacific Gas & Electric
• Public Service Electric & Gas
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• San Diego Gas & Electric
• United Illuminating
• Western Massachusetts Electric Co.