Winners of SEAD Global Efficiency Medal Competition for Super-Efficient Household LED Light Bulbs Announced

The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, an international collaboration of 17 member economies and an initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial, today announced the winners of its Global Efficiency Medal competition for super-efficient household LED light bulbs. Manufacturers of winning products were honored at an awards ceremony at the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris, France.

Winning products in the international competition—LED bulbs from Cree and Nanoleaf—were more than 80% more efficient than comparable incandescent light bulbs and more than 25% more efficient than compact fluorescent light bulbs. With grid-based lighting accounting for 15%–19% of global electricity consumption, greater efficiency can reduce energy consumption, save money, and reduce carbon emissions. If all household bulbs sold were as efficient as the most efficient SEAD award-winning model, 850 terawatt-hours of electricity could be saved globally compared to 2010. This is equivalent to the annual electrical output of 225 large power plants, which would have a construction cost of over U.S. $187 billion.

Nanoleaf won the international award in the commercially available category for 60- to 75-watt replacement lamps with their Nanoleaf One product. Cree, a U.S.-based manufacturer, took top honors in the new technology category for 100-watt replacement light lamps.

The Clean Energy Ministerial recently announced a Global Lighting Challenge aimed at accelerating the phase-in of high-efficiency, high-quality, and affordable bulbs as quickly as possible. This SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition will contribute by identifying and recognizing highly energy-efficient products on the market around the world to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions and spur manufacturers to produce and sell more energy-efficient products.

"There are rapid efficiency improvements and cost reductions taking place in the global lighting industry," said Gabrielle Dreyfus, the U.S. lead for the SEAD initiative. "This competition helps bring attention to that progress and to innovative manufacturers of leading-edge products."

SEAD International Winners

• Nanoleaf One NL02-1200-3000K received the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal for a 75-watt replacement light bulb (greater than 800 lumens light output, warm white color temperature of 2700–3000K). It uses 10 watts, or 87% less energy than a comparable incandescent light bulb and 44% less energy than a comparable compact fluorescent bulb.
• Cree BA21-16050OMF-12DE26-1U100 received the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal for a 100-watt replacement light bulb (greater than 1,500 lumens light output, cool white color temperature of 4000–5500K). It uses 18 watts, or 82% less energy than a comparable incandescent light bulb and 22%–30% less energy than a comparable compact fluorescent bulb.

SEAD also recognized products that demonstrated the greatest energy efficiency in four competition regions: Australia, Europe, India, and North America.

SEAD Regional Winners

• Australia: Nanoleaf One NL02-1200-3000K — Nanoleaf
• Europe: YKA60C2-9.5W — Xiamen Yankon Energetic Lighting Co., Ltd.
• India: YKA60C2-9.5W — Xiamen Yankon Energetic Lighting Co., Ltd.
• North America: 31903 — Globe Electric
• North America: BA21-16050OMF-12DE26-1U100 — Cree LED Lighting

SEAD will announce winners of its Global Efficiency Medal competition for super-efficient commercial lighting products in August 2015.

This is the fourth SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition. The first competition recognized the world's most energy-efficient flat-screen televisions, the second recognized the most energy-efficient computer monitors, and the third recognized super-efficient electric motors. A fifth competition for flat-screen televisions is currently under way, with winners to be announced in September 2015. The SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition is the only international awards program that identifies the most energy-efficient, top-performing equipment, appliances, and electronics demonstrating reduced electricity use.

For more information about the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition for lighting products, visit http://www.superefficient.org/lightingawards.