2.24.11 | Santa Clara, CA | USAI Lighting (USAI) announced today that it received multiple recognitions from the 2010 Next Generation Luminaires™ (NGL) Solid State Lighting Design Competition, including one of only four prestigious Best in Class distinctions for its first-of-its-kind NanoLED™ adjustable product. Three other USAI products — NanoLED downlight, BeveLED™ adjustable and BeveLED wall wash — were also recognized as market ready and recommended for specification. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), the third annual NGL awards were presented at Strategies in Light™ 2011, the leading event for the global LED and lighting industry, held February 22-24 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Launched in 2008, the NGL program promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination in commercial lighting applications — helping to make it easier for lighting designers to find LED products worthy of specification. “This is not just a beauty contest,” said Jim Broderick, Solid State Lighting Program manager for the U.S. DOE. “The winners also have to perform well.”

A panel of 12 judges from the architectural design community evaluated this year’s entries based on rigorous technical requirements and an extensive list of evaluation criteria, including: color appearance, color rendering, appropriate illuminance and luminance, application effectiveness, aesthetic appearance and style, and adjustability/flexibility. Of the record 328 products proposed for the 2010 NGL competition, only 37 products were selected as “Recognized” winners considered worthy of market specification — four of them from USAI.

“These honors are validation of USAI’s leadership in the rapidly emerging LED lighting arena,” said Bonnie Littman, president of USAI Lighting. “We are proud to be able to meet the standards that have been established by the DOE, IES, and IALD for energy consumption and performance while also providing answers to the “quality of light” discussion as it pertains to LED lighting in architectural applications.”

First-Rate Quality, Performance

USAI’s NanoLED and BeveLED are two of the company’s most innovative product lines, both offering the efficiency, flexibility and optical control needed to bridge striking aesthetics with functional application in a variety of interior installations.

• NanoLED: sophisticated, first-of-its-kind recessed fixture marries impressive optics and performance features within the industry’s smallest aperture, just 2.5 inches. The product’s compact aperture, glare control, adjustability and serviceability were noted by the NGL judges.
• BeveLED: part of the company’s flagship Bevel product portfolio, which includes a variety of sources, its features include advanced thermal management, a 50,000-hour lifespan, interchangeable optical reflectors and blended optics. BeveLED’s adjustability and wide beam spread features were acknowledged by the NGL judges.

All of USAI’s LED products meet the industry’s most stringent standards for energy efficiency providing new options for designers to meet LEED” certification criteria and energy codes requiring ASHRAE 90.1-2001 standards or later.

For complete information about the NGL program and an overview of all the winning luminaires, including USAI’s four recognized winners, visit www.ngldc.org.

A lighting industry leader, USAI” Lighting is helping to shine an entirely new light on the way commercial and residential properties address lighting design solutions. Driven by its IllumiVation” philosophy, USAI Lighting’s versatile yet robust selection of products fuse together brains and beauty, providing fresh and energy-saving solutions for general illumination and accent lighting. From compact fluorescents and metal halides to its new generation of LED solid state lighting technology, all USAI Lighting products maintain the smallest physical and carbon footprint possible while meeting the strictest standards for innovation and design to ensure seamless specification, simple installation and easy ongoing maintenance. For additional information about USAI Lighting and its high-performance offerings, visit www.usailighting.com or call 845-565-8500. Connect with USAI Lighting on Facebook and Twitter.