Are Compact Fluorescent Exit Signs Energy Efficient?
Posted on 22. Jun, 2010 by keith in Exit Sign Maintenance
The concept of energy efficiency is often discussed in black and white, as if something either is energy efficient or is not. But the reality is that there are grades of efficiency; a fact that makers of products that fall somewhere in the middle ground would rather not acknowledge. One example of such a product is a compact fluorescent exit sign. Compact fluorescent exit signs consume 21 Watts of power, which seems efficient compared to the 40-Watt consumption of incandescent exit signs. However, compared to other exit signs, compact fluorescent signs aren’t as efficient as they initially appear.
One types of exit signs that are more efficient than compact fluorescent signs are LED signs and photoluminescent signs, which consume 5 Watts and 0 Watts of electricity, respectively. So why would anyone choose compact fluorescent signs over LED signs, and especially over photoluminescent sign? In many cases, compact fluorescent signs are placed in buildings because an energy efficiency consultant is obsessed with all things fluorescent. Sometimes, fluorescence technology is appropriate, as when metal halide, incandescent and fluorescent T-12 lighting is replaced with fluorescent T-8 and/or fluorescent T-5 lighting. But in the case of exit signs, fluorescence doesn’t offer the best efficiency.
If you plan on retrofitting your building’s interior lighting for energy efficiency, chances are that an energy efficiency consultant will evaluate your to exit signs. But if you find that fluorescent signs are proposed as a replacement, consider asking for photoluminescent signs instead. In addition to being the best exit signs for the environment, electricity-free photoluminescent signs will also save you the most in utility costs. A compact fluorescent costs $184 in electricity over the course of its lifetime, while a photoluminescent sign costs nothing.
