We are happy to announce that through our suppliers we have added LED emergency lighting to the Ecolight Solutions range of products.
LED lighting has revolutionised the lighting industry and it is fair to say that we are still only at the beginning of this transformation. LED lighting has made inroads in numerous areas of the lighting industry. LED lights are prevalent in many applications especially as suitable replacements of halogen spot and downlights, in some cases as highbay lighting and perhaps even as fluorescent tubes in offices. Some other applications may not be so obvious to the general observer.
For new installations LED lights are the perfect solution due to energy efficiency requirements while maintaining adequate lighting levels as dictated by Australian Standards (AS 1680). Another area that must be strictly adhered to is emergency lighting in commercial buildings (AS 2293.1:2005). Everyone is familiar with those ubiquitous green EXIT lights (now pictograms) that indicate the shortest path to an exit in an office or a parking lot. There are also lights in staircases and corridors that are not often used but must be there in case of an emergency. What they have in common though is that they are switched on 24/7. In case there is a power failure the backup batteries ensure that the lights remain for 90m minutes in case of an evacuation.
Up until recently there were not too many options for emergency lighting. For many decades the exit signs used T8 10-15 Watt fluorescent tubes that were later upgraded to 8 Watt T5 tubes. However, since these remained on 365 days a year they needed to be replaced at least once a year. Quietly sitting in the background these exit signs are constantly using electricity both for the lamp itself and for charging the batteries.
The biggest cost is the actual maintenance cost on such fittings as typically the fluorescent tubes only last between 5,000-8,000 hours (or anywhere from about 6 to 12 months). While the electricity consumption is not extreme on an individual basis, it must be remembered that in many commercial buildings there maybe dozens or even hundreds of them. (There are of course other factors to consider such as the disposal of the mercury in the fluoro tubes or of the Ni-Cad batteries).
For example if there were 100 exit signs in a building they would cost over $900 in electricity annually based on current prices. On top of this they may cost a further few hundred dollars a year to keep in working order for labour and spare parts.
Enter the LED emergency lights. Surprisingly they don’t cost any more to purchase than traditional exit lights (under $100). In comparison to the previous generation of exit signs the LED versions only use between 0.5 to 3 Watts; depending on manufacturer. That’s a minimum of 70% savings on energy use!
For new installations there is no excuse why LED exit signs shouldn’t be used. If possible they should be used as retrofits as a quick measure to reduce running costs and greenhouse emissions. Through the savings from electricity and maintenance the figures stack up and payback can be under 5 years. As a matter of course of replacing faulty or old fittings the cost of buying a new exit fitting is easily absorbed in any maintenance budget. After all the new LED fittings should last for at least 5 years-maintenance free!
Please contact us for more information on our exit signs and other emergency lighting and LED products or visit our online shop.
e: info@ecolightsolutions.com.au
m:0406 875 097