Lighting for Tomorrow Competition to Feature New Format in 2018

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) recently announced a change in format to the 2018 Lighting for Tomorrow (LFT) competition. For the past 14 years, ALA has been a strong supporter and co-organizer of this exciting industry event. Recently, Eileen Eaton, who manages the CEE Residential Lighting Initiative, sat down with ALA Marketing Manager Raelle Bell to answer a few questions about the changes we will see in 2018, as well as the exciting opportunities facing the future of the LFT competition.

1. Why are you discussing alternatives to the traditional LFT competition? LFT celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2017, which was a major milestone. The competition has transformed continuously over the years to reflect the newest market and technology changes. As you may know, the competition is largely funded by energy-efficiency programs from across the U.S. and Canada, who find value from pushing the industry forward with high-quality, innovative designs that also contribute to the greater energy-efficiency movement. While there are still significant opportunities to transform the residential lighting market in 2018 (plenty of inefficient lighting is still being sold, for example), energy-efficiency program cost effectiveness is declining, and some are being challenged by regulators that the market is transformed, and budgets are being cut. Besides strains on traditional lighting programs and the importance of new efficiency opportunities, there are several reasons the efficiency program sponsors felt it was time to strategically consider the role of LFT going forward: recent shifts in the lighting market toward greater penetration of SSL and smart home technology; the successful history of the LFT platform; and the remaining adoption barriers to the integrated home that may be overcome from the continued partnership between the program administrator, lighting showroom and manufacturer industries.

2. What 2018 efforts are currently under discussion? Are there opportunities for ALA members to be involved? The Consortium for Energy Efficiency, ALA, and UL are in the process of planning an in-person LFT workshop in 2018; this would be a one-year spinoff effort focused on reassessing market needs and would occur in lieu of the traditional competition. As part of this effort, ALA members will have an important voice in shaping the future of the LFT program in 2019 and beyond.

3. Who would be involved? LFT plans to gather experts and thought leaders from across the lighting, connected home, showroom and retail, and efficiency program industries to imagine and discuss the future of residential lighting. Through the interactive workshop, participants would explore the promise and potential pathways to successfully leveraging new technologies and program approaches to ultimately benefit customers and the energy grid.

4. Is the purpose of LFT changing? The longstanding focus and objectives of the LFT project – increased market adoption of energy-efficient technology, positive customer experience, light quality, innovation, and non-energy impacts – will still be at the heart of the proposed workshop and any future iterations of the competition. The lens through which these objectives are being considered is simply evolving from traditional lighting and controls to connected lighting applications and their role in a smart home.

5. What are the goals of the workshop? Through the workshop, LFT intends to:

• Leverage the collective knowledge of individuals who understand lighting and connected product design, development and interoperability that LFT has built relationships with over time.
• Gain insights on the future of the industry from a variety of thought leaders representing standards organizations, research laboratories, program administrators, manufacturers, and retailers.
• Develop a roadmap for lighting as part of an integrated home; identifying the major barriers to the successful adoption of connected lighting and the best solutions to overcome these barriers.
• Determine how and if the LFT competition platform can be a part of these solutions.

6. Will there still be ample opportunity for ALA members to participate in LFT under its new format? LFT will still support and promote the 2017 product winners throughout 2018 online and at events such as Lightovation and LIGHTFAIR. Jan. 9, 2018, ALA will host a webinar focused on how winning products map to market trends. As always, a LFT presentation will also occur during the ALA Annual Conference in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 24-26. One of the intended outcomes of the workshop would be to shape the future of the competition; we look forward to continuing to work with ALA members on the project and hope to see continued innovation from the industry.