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Glowscape provides excellence in photoluminescence, egress markings and signage. Our products are made in the USA, environmentally friendly, energy saving, toxin-free and 100% non electric. Save lives & Save money with Glowscape

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Can GLOWSCAPE photoluminescent exit signs save me money?

Yehoshua Perlstein

Exit signs are required by state and local building and fire codes. The vast majority of exit signs in use in the U.S. today are electrically powered. Electrical exit signs consume electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They require frequent maintenance and bulb replacement for signs from different manufacturers. While new exit signs are limited to 5 watts per illuminated face, there are tens of millions of existing exit signs that consume far more electricity. In a single year, under the EPA’s current recommended standard, each electrically-powered exit sign can consume as much as 88 kilowatt-hours of electricity – ($8.80 at $0.10 per kilowatt-hour). Older types of electrically-powered exit signs can consume as much as 350 kilowatt-hours of electricity – ($35.00 at $0.10 per kilowatt-hour).

Businesses, schools, hotels, hospitals, government facilities and other public buildings pay more than $1 billion every year to power these signs. Every electric Exit sign with a backup battery must be tested 12 times per year. Most exit signs still require manual testing. (Assumes 5 minutes per sign, 12 times per year and $10/hour labor cost.) Bulbs burn out, back-up batteries go dead and LEDs become dim or burnout and require replacing. These parts and the labor to replace them add over $3 Billion more in cost each year. Building operators could be paying as much as $30-50 per exit sign per year just to keep them operating.

There are two alternatives to electrically-powered exit signs:

(1) Photoluminescent exit signs tested and listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

  • Safe, non-radioactive, non-toxic
  • 100% reliable with an unlimited service life.
  • Non-explosive, so can be used in any environment.

(2) Self-luminous (Radioactive Tritium) exit signs.

  • Hazardous, radioactive, toxic (strict US Department of Energy rules & expensive disposal)
  • 100% reliable with a service life of 10, 15 or 20 years.
  • Non-explosive, so can be used in any environment.