How Do LED Exit Lights Compare to Photoluminescent Exit Lights?
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by keith in Fire Safety
Both LED and photoluminescent exit lights are talked about as being superior choices in terms of cost savings and environmental friendliness, which is true. But behind this general admission are some facts that reveal photoluminescent exit lights—also known as eco friendly signs—to be the superior choice.
One advantage that eco friendly signs have over LED exit lights is that they don’t use electricity. LED signs use the least amount of electricity of any electrical sign on the market. But the fact that eco friendly signs are electricity-free gives them a slight advantage over LED signs in terms of both cost and environmental friendliness. But there are also some known problems with LED signs that never occur in eco friendly signs.
For one, LED’s burn out, and they sometimes begin to dim before they burn out, potentially causing problems during low visibility evacuations that result form fire. In addition, some LED signs are wired in series, meaning that the failure of one LED will cause the others to fail. Most operational drawbacks suffered by LED’s result from manufacturers’ “overdriving” the signs with greater voltage than they need. In any case, technical problems don’t occur with photoluminescent exit signs, making them the most dependable choice.
If you’re considering replacing your incandescent exit signs with photoluminescent exit signs but remain on the fence, you might be moved by the fact that recent research shows that companies can save roughly $3,700 a year in energy costs by replacing 100 incandescent exit signs with eco friendly signs. As an added bonus, eco friendly signs are the only 100 percent recyclable exit signs on the market. After their 25-year life span expires, all you have to do is drop them in the appropriate recycling bin.
