As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce energy waste in our nation’s buildings and help save Americans money by saving energy, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the fifth annual Next Generation Luminaires Design competition for indoor lighting at the LEDucation 7 conference in New York City. Sponsored by the DOE, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the competition promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) commercial lighting fixtures.

According to the DOE, solid-state lighting technologies, which include both LED and organic LED technologies, have the potential to save Americans $30 billion per year in energy costs by 2030.

A panel of 11 judges from the architectural lighting design community evaluated nearly 100 indoor lighting entries based on lighting quality, appearance, serviceability, efficacy, value and dimming. The best-in-class winners represent three different manufacturers and cover three distinct indoor lighting areas:

• Juno Lighting Group, Des Plaines, Ill., won for its Trac-Master T254L ­Cylindra track-mounted accent luminaire.

• Digital Lumens, Boston, won for its XLE-3-10 Xpress high-bay industrial luminaire.

• Acuity Brands/Lithonia Lighting, Conyers, Ga., won for its W Series LED stairwell luminaire.

In addition to the best-in-class winners, the DOE judged that 25 other entries met the rigorous requirements of the competition. These recognized winners represent a range of manufacturers and lighting applications, including linear lighting, linear pendant lighting, personal task lighting, under-cabinet lighting, wall washing and utility lighting. Four additional products were noted for their color-adjusting capabilities. More information on all of the winning entries is available at the www.ngldc.org.