2020 Lighting & Homes for Tomorrow, Connected Home Competition Launches

The Lighting & Homes for Tomorrow (LHFT) competition presents manufacturers the opportunity to distinguish their products and services from other connected home devices and platforms in the market.

The Lighting & Homes for Tomorrow competition emphasizes products that are simple, reliable, well-designed, and highly functional so that they save energy and provide added amenity to the consumer. Building on the fifteen-year success of Lighting for Tomorrow, LHFT 2020 is organized by the American Lighting Association (ALA), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), and UL; it is sponsored by over a dozen energy efficiency utilities, trade associations, and research entities across the US and Canada.

To realize the CEE Integrated Home vision, Lighting & Homes for Tomorrow is designed to help drive the adoption of efficient, connected products that demonstrate interoperability, reliability, and simplicity. In 2020, the competition addresses residential connected lighting, connected plug load controls, connected HVAC and thermostats, connected windows and window attachments, and other connected home devices that successfully deliver a positive consumer experience, energy management, and grid benefits.

Products will be evaluated as part of a two-step process: screening by the LHFT Steering Committee and an in-person evaluation by a panel of expert judges. Only the most promising entries will proceed to the in-person judging. The diverse Judging Panel will include individuals with expertise in usability, interoperability, the connected home, IDSM program administration, product/system installation, specific technology performance, and sales. The Judging Panel will score entries according to the following criteria:

·     Energy Savings ·     Functionality ·     Interoperability ·     Reliability ·     Simplicity: Value Proposition ·     Simplicity: Installation, Set Up, and Use ·     Data Sharing

·     Quality (Appearance & Style, as applicable) ·     Value to Cost ·     Innovation in Design / Form Factor ·     Innovation in Engineering ·     Future Proofing ·     Cybersecurity

In addition to the above criteria, the Judging Panel may reward entries that exhibit other desirable characteristics such as resiliency, accessible design, and field serviceability. All entrants will receive constructive feedback from either the LHFT Steering Committee after the screening process, or from the expert Judging Panel following the conclusion of the in-person evaluation.

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