Saving Money with Photoluminescent Exit Signs Return to Exit Sign Home Page

While photoluminescent safety products have been available for decades, new generation pigments have ushered advanced, photoluminescent emergency Exit Signs into the mainstream. With today’s luminosity and increased luminance duration, it's no wonder that many building codes and are now including the use of new generation photoluminecent Exit Signs into the mainstream. What we call photoluminescent material is actually a special inorganic pigment that is incorporated into the lettering of the Exit Sign. The photoluminescent pigments used in the sign absorb and store energy from normal, ambient light. In the case of sudden darkness such as a power outage or the spread of smoke, the Exit Sign releases this energy in the form of a luminous glow and is immediately visible.

According to recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, there are over 100 million electric exit signs operating across the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The companies, schools, government facilities, hotels and other public buildings that use these electric signs pay a combined cost of over $1 BILLION a year in energy and maintenance costs. When it comes to saving on energy costs, photoluminescent exit signs are clearly the solution. By switching to photoluminescent exit signs, it is estimated that U.S. companies could save thousands of kilowatts of electricity each year. That translates to an annual energy cost-savings of hundreds of millions of dollars.

As we see national safety trends moving towards the mandated addition of low-level exit signage and emergency egress systems, U.S. businesses and public and private institutions will look to save money on product installation and maintenance costs. Photoluminescent exit signs and egress pathway components can save you money in many ways:

1. Compared to electric exit signs, photoluminescent exit signs are simple to install and require no additional electricity to operate. This means you will not incur the additional labor and electrical costs associated with the installation of electric exit signs.
2. Whereas electric exit signs also require electricity to operate the individual components, the photoluminescent exit signs are fueled by the absorption and storage of ambient fluorescent light and require no additional electricity to operate.
3. Maintenance costs are also less with photoluminescent exit signs. Most electric exit signs are illuminated through the use of light bulbs and as we know, light bulbs burn out over time. There are no bulbs to replace with photoluminescent exit signs, and once installed they are easily maintained for 25+ years. This increased reliability also ensures against potential life safety hazards that could result due to the lack of maintenance for electric exit signs.

Information provided by Emergency Guidance Systems, Inc.