VOLT® Lighting, Tampa-based factory-direct lighting manufacturer, receives today their second Product Innovation Award (PIA) for the VOLT® Coachman™ LED Path & Area Light. The awarding organization, Architectural SSL (Solid-State Lighting), honors the most innovative LED lights on the market. They also acknowledge leaders in the lighting field working to advance the technology.

Alan Brynjolfsson, Founder and President of VOLT® Lighting, comments on the award-winning product, “Coach lights are found outside nearly every home, and they all share the same problem - excessive brightness or glare. This was never an issue in pre-industrial days when these lights contained candles or gas flames. Later, with the advent of electric bulbs, coach lights became brighter and brighter to the point where they are painful to behold. Most people don’t realize that coach lights were once dim and easy-on-the-eyes - even romantic.”

“That’s why we set out to re-invent the coach light. To replace the bulb with a romantic candle. And, to provide an area light for safety and security - strategically positioned so it is glare-free and hidden from view. This is the solution that came from our talented and creative product development team. And, the solution that so impressed the judges.”

The judges commented on their reasons for giving the award, “Very innovative! This manufacturer is thinking outside the LED box… excellent invention… hiding the light source while offering a beautiful life-like candle is leading-edge… innovative approach.”

The awarded product, the Coachman™ has several distinctive features. Its stature is impressive. Standing 62 inches tall, it positions the life-like candle at eye level. This LED candle, with its flickering flame, is the only one of its type - powered by a low voltage current and removable from its bi-pin socket.

Brynjolfsson describes other features of the Coachman™, “Since the candlelight is about the same as a real candle, it is dim enough so the viewer can look upon it without discomfort. But coach lights have another purpose that requires a brighter light, they need to illuminate the surrounding area - for safety and security.”

“We provide that illumination by hiding a second LED light under the lantern - hidden from view. This light has the same color as candlelight, and projects a light pattern similar to the hexagonal lantern. The result is glare-free illumination that seems to come from the candle - an illusion that preserves the beautiful appearance of the fixture and its surroundings.”

VOLT® Lighting is known for its prolific product development program (see VOLT Lighting Launches Over 100 New Products in 2016 …). This aggressive pace is largely due to the company’s investment in their Innovations Lab, a state-of-the-art facility with CAD-driven 3-D prototype printing and an array of photometric test equipment. Unlike many other manufacturers that outsource their new product development, VOLT keeps it in-house.

At the time of this news release, VOLT Lighting received another Product Innovation Award. This one for their Shadowmaster™ LED Path and Area Light - another product conceived in the VOLT® Innovation Lab.

About VOLT® Lighting
VOLT Lighting, leading factory-direct landscape lighting manufacturer, pursues an aggressive strategy of continuous product improvement and new product development. For more information, go to http://www.voltlighting.com.

About The Architectural SSL Product Innovation Awards (PIA)
The Architectural SSL Product Innovation Awards (PIA) determine and honor the most innovative LED solid-state luminaires and fixtures on the market, while also recognizing the companies behind the components that make up these light sources. The PIA program also recognizes leaders pushing to make solid-state lighting a truly sustainable technology.