Tragedies such as the Bangladesh Clothing Factory Fire earlier this week highlight the need for emergency preparedness, including proper exit signage and emergency egress lighting. Unfortunately, a number of similar tragedies have shaped the laws and requirements throughout the United States:
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Read about other historical events that shaped fire code requirements in your own state (as well as current code requirements) using our Fire Code Map.
The push to “Go Green” has been gaining steam in the past decade. From small businesses trying to save money on their electric bill to multi-billion dollar corporations needing to meet certain requirements to be labeled “eco-friendly” or “green”, everyone is buying in to the trend. Many power and utility companies offer rebate programs or other incentives for replacing inefficient lighting. No matter the circumstances, there are many benefits to doing so.
This “green” movement has also made its way into exit and emergency lighting. We are often asked for exit signs or emergency lights that carry an ENERGY STAR® rating. You may have noticed that none of our exit or emergency lighting products have the ENERGY STAR certification listed. Why?
The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) suspended the ENERGY STAR rating for exit signs on May 1, 2008. This was due to new federal standards approved by Congress for exit sign efficiency for units manufactured after January 1, 2006. The EPAct 2005 references the ENERGY STAR version 2.0 specification. In short, all exit lighting produced after this date must have an input power demand of 5 watts or less, thus ending the need for an ENERGY STAR rating in this category.
These requirements have been met by using new energy-efficient lighting sources, most popular being Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). LEDs have become the main component in exit sign illumination and in recent years have also started replacing incandescent bulbs for emergency lighting needs. You can further research the differences in lighting technologies on our FAQs page. Because of these changes, battery technology has also improved dramatically. Due to lessened power needs, smaller and more reliable Nickel Cadium (NiCad) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have replaced the bulky, less so Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) types. The size and weights of exit and emergency lighting units have decreased tremendously because of this, while still providing equal or, in most cases, increased performance and reliability. Other energy efficient lighting types include fluorescent, photoluminescent, radioluminescent and electroluminescent light sources.
While efficient in power usage, these improvements in lighting technology also lower maintenance costs. LEDs have a lifetime of 25+ years and NiCad batteries hold an approximate lifespan of 5 years under appropriate conditions. Although ensuring that your units are working properly with monthly, quarterly and yearly testing is still recommended (and required in some areas), the amount of time spent replacing batteries and bulbs is significantly reduced. Stay in touch for next weeks blog regarding testing recommendations!
Can you believe another year is almost over? The year 2010 is approaching fast and we want to thank all our loyal customers for making 2009 a great year for the Exit Light Company! We want to remind you that the end of the year is a very important time for maintenance crews of shopping malls and buildings to ensure customer safety. With staggering crowds streaming to shopping centers it is critical that all safety measures are up to standard. This means testing all exit and emergency lights to ensure that they are working properly in case of an emergency.
Routine maintenance of exit and emergency lighting is frequently overlooked until an emergency occurs, which is often too late. According to the NFPA Standard No. 101, chapter 31, section 1.3.7. “A functional test shall be conducted on every required emergency lighting system at 30-day intervals for a minimum of 30 seconds. An annual test shall be conducted for the 1 1/2 hour duration. Equipment shall be fully operational for the duration of the test. Written records of visual inspections and tests shall be kept by the owner for inspection by the authority having jurisdiction.” Some of our exit signs and emergency lights have an automatic test feature that will self-test every 28 days for 5 minutes and 90 minutes every 6 months. This self-testing feature allows you to simply look up at the indicator light on the sign to see if it is still functioning properly.
If your exit and emergency lighting does not offer this feature, the Exit Light Company offers testing and repair services within California. Our certified electricians will test and repair your lights and will also provide you with written records indicating what was tested and the outcome/recommendation. We offer monthly, quarterly and annual testing service. Rely on real professionals to avoid serious liability and save money.
Our Testing Procedures for Exit and Emergency Lights include:
Contact our service department at (877) 352-3948 to arrange for your testing service today!
The debate on how to save the environment has been going on for decades. Recently, new restrictions have been going into effect across most of the European Union in an endeavor to cut greenhouse emissions. The sale of incandescent bulbs has been banned across Europe. This is the continent’s latest effort to get people to save energy and fight global warming.
Restricted from selling incandescent bulbs, companies in Europe now have to switch to the new compact fluorescent lamps, which use up to 80 percent less energy and do not burn out as quickly. According to James Kanter from the New York Times, “A bulb can cost €10 ($14 USD) or more, depending on type — whereas traditional incandescent bulbs cost about 70 cents each. But E.U. officials argue that the energy savings would cut average household electricity bills by up to €50 a year, amounting to about €5 billion annually. That would help buoy the economy if consumers spent their savings.”
The reason for the ban is the E.U.’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. The E.U. is implementing new energy-efficient ways to save the environment. Everything from televisions to washing machines are starting to be made with this in mind. The E.U. is not the only country banning incandescent light bulbs. Australia has already introduced the new light bulbs and Cuba is only using compact fluorescent bulbs. In the United States, incandescent bulbs are planned to be phased out in 2012.
James Kanter says: “E.U. officials sought to reassure consumers that they still would have plenty of choice, and that the changes would be gradual. The clear 60-watt bulb, one of the most commonly used, would remain available until at least September 2011, and clear 40-watt bulbs until 2012. E.U. officials said that they would find ways to push the industry to reduce the amount of mercury to levels around 2 milligrams per bulb from the current level of 5 milligrams per bulb.” But WWF, an environmental group, says standard halogen bulbs should also have been removed from the market. “Getting rid of incandescent bulbs is a no-brainer, but halogens are nearly as wasteful,” said Mariangiola Fabbri, a senior energy policy officer for WWF.
For over 10 years The Exit Light Company has carried environmentally friendly products, most of which use LED lights that are even more efficient than fluorescent bulbs. Many of the products meet or exceed ENERGY STAR guidelines. All of the exit signs have an input power demand of 5 watts or less per face. The LED Retrofit Kits convert older exit signs which utilize incandescent bulbs into vastly more energy-efficient LED lighting. We ship our products using packaging made from 100% recycled polystyrene that meets Green Cross certification standards for post and pre-consumer waste content. The Exit Light Company not only has their customers in mind but the environment as well.
The Exit Light Company is committed to providing emergency egress lighting and signage that is not only life-saving, but environmentally friendly. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings, we advocate the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. The Exit Light Company sells a variety of products that are LEED® points eligible and can help your project or building become LEED® certified.
Many of our products meet or exceed ENERGY STAR guidelines. All of our exit signs have an input power demand of 5 watts or less per face. Our Photoluminescent Exit Signs and Tritium Self-Luminous Exit Signs operate have absolutely no power requirements. We carry LED Retrofit Kits to convert older exit signs using incandescent bulbs to utilize vastly more energy-efficient LED lighting. We also carry a full line of Photoluminescent Tape & Photoluminescent Emergency Egress Signs for all your emergency sign needs. Finally, we ship our products using packing made from 100% recycled polystyrene that meets Green Cross certification standards for post and pre-consumer waste content.
With your help, we can make a difference. Call us if have questions about how to make your emergency lighting or egress signage project more environmentally sound.
The Exit Light Company is pleased to announce that the new Product Catalog is available online at our website for immediate download.
This beautiful full-color 32 page catalog provides details for just some of the hundreds of exit signs, emergency lights, exit lights 
(exit sign/emergency light combos), and accessories that we carry. (We just couldn’t fit everything in!) Be sure to visit www.exitlightco.com for pricing, and to see an even larger selection of products.
We take great pride in our industry leading pricing and service. For nearly a decade, 95% of our orders have shipped the same day from our own warehouse stock.
Download the 2012 Exit Light Company Product Catalog (3.1 MB) today.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
As one of the first online retailers of Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting, we have heard just about every question there is about emergency lighting products. As the ONLY internet retailer who has a staff of electricians, has an electrical contractor’s license, and actually does installations, we’ve already experienced every potential problem or issue that you may be concerned about. In the future, we will be posting some of those along with general gotchas that can catch both new installers and grizzled electrical vets. Plus, look for helpful notes on some of our bestselling products.
As always, thank you for your continued support.