Why Choose a LED Exit Sign?

Traditionally, exit signs have been lighted with internal incandescent lamps. However, in recent times, we’ve seen a change from incandescent to LEDs for illuminating these signs. With most home and other lighting switching over to fluorescent, specifically CFL (compact fluorescent) lighting, why aren’t exit signs following suit and switching over to CFL as well?

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Recent technological advances in LED technology have made them able to produce much higher level of illumination than available before. This increase of illumination has opened the door for LEDs to be used in many ways that weren’t possible before, including using them for exit signs.

View Popular LED Exit Signs

There are two great advantages in using LEDs instead of incandescent lamps in our exit signs:

• They consume less electricity, reducing operating expenses
• They last longer, reducing maintenance costs

Although the acquisition cost of LEDs is slightly higher than other types of lights, it has been dropping all the time. In reality, the cost of these units is now almost identical to incandescent units. However, we really must consider the lifetime costs of the exit sings, not just the acquisition cost. Lifetime costs include all costs that are included in using the device, throughout the life cycle of the device. Since exit signs are normally considered to have a 10 year life cycle, we would have to consider the costs for the signs over ten years of use.

LED Exit Sign Cost Savings

In most facilities, exit signs are illuminated 24 hours a day, since OSHA regulations require that they be illuminated whenever the facility is occupied. So, when we talk about the lifetime costs of an exit sign, we should perform out calculations based upon 24 hours of use per day.

Since the cost of installation is the same, regardless of the type of lighting used to illuminate the exit sign, we’re going to leave this cost out of our calculations.

LED Exit Signs Are Cost-Effective

Looking at it this way, you can see that the great advantage of using LED Exit Signs is in the cost savings over the life cycle of other Exit Sign. There’s a nine-fold savings over the cost of an incandescent sign and a two-fold savings over the cost of the theoretical CFL sign (theoretical, because nobody makes them).

LED Exit Signs Have Long Lifespans

Additionally, the longer life expectancy of the LEDs adds an increased margin of safety for the personnel in your facility. Incandescent light bulbs will burn out about every 50 days, while LEDs will last over six and a half years. This greatly reduces the risk that there will be a bulb burn out right when you need it.

By Jonathan Carter+