Beautiful, Efficient Fixtures Lauded in Lighting Competition

September 24, 2008

Photo of a bullet-shaped light housing suspended from a curved metal track, which in turn is attached to a support that extends upward out of the photo. Nearly all the components are made from unpainted aluminum.

Journee Lighting won an Honorable Mention for its LED-based track lighting, which uses an attractive aluminum housing to help reject the heat generated by the light.
Credit: Lighting for Tomorrow

Most people would agree that the standard "twisted spiral" shape of energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is anything but beautiful, but that doesn't mean that beauty and energy efficiency can't go hand in hand. That point was brought home on September 16, as the sixth annual "Lighting for Tomorrow" competition chose the best in well-designed, energy-efficient lighting fixtures. The competition drew a wide range of entries, including 56 models incorporating light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and 40 models employing CFLs. Companies earned awards for LED-based under-cabinet light fixtures, task and desk lights, recessed downlights (the type mounted in ceilings), and track lights, and for CFL-based indoor fixtures, recessed downlights, outdoor light fixtures, and "outdoor living fixtures," designed for rooms located outdoors, such as kitchens. The competition is organized by the American Lighting Association, DOE (represented by DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, with the help of more than two dozen energy efficiency organizations. But seeing is believing, so be sure to check out the gallery of winners and the press release (PDF 187 KB) on the Lighting for Tomorrow Web site. Download Adobe Reader.