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A look at new trends in emergency and exit lighting.
You walk into any older commercial building and you're guaranteed to see the same thing in each one. You look towards the ceiling and you'll soon spot an EXIT sign. Usually, along the wall, you'll also see a white box housing emergency spotlights.
These days, you can walk into a brand new building and, while the EXIT signs are still immediately visible, the typical white box isn't necessarily there. Instead the background is clear, to 'blend' into the architecture and the red EXIT letters are powered by LEDs, making these signs more energy efficient to meet the growing demands to conserve energy.
And in many cases, you no longer have to look up; you can also look down and see low-level EXIT signs near the bottom of a door. In case of rising smoke, these low-level signs are more visible to people crawling on the floor.
It's a little trickier spotting emergency lights. In order to preserve the architecture of a building, some manufacturers have created emergency lights that are concealed, leaving many observers wondering "Where's the emergency lighting?" Hidden behind the wall, these lights only appear when the power goes out.
"Low-profile emergency ballasts for architecturally sensitive lighting designs with space limiting fixtures are also becoming more common," says Porter Wafler, regional sales manager, Bodine Co.
Wafler points out several advantages to using fluorescent emergency ballasts over wall-mounted emergency lighting fixtures. With the use of these ballasts, the original architecture and lighting design is not compromised, emergency lighting now looks like normal lighting, and saves time and installation costs.
Testing itself
Another growing trend in emergency lighting is the use of self-test/self-diagnostic emergency lights. The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Life Safety Code states that a 30-second test must be conducted every 30 days and a 90-minute test must be performed every year.
"This code is often overlooked by property owners and managers. However, emergency lights and exit signs that fail to operate during an emergency can create a rather enormous liability for property owners," notes Vijay Shah, product manager, Big Beam.
"Installing self-test/self-diagnostic equipment products produces some fantastic labor hour savings," adds Dennis Donaldson, manager for marketing communications, Dual-Lite.
For products without this capability, the alternative is to locate each product, climb a ladder, press the test button for 30 seconds, record the results, and move onto the next unit. In facilities with a lot of square footage and many installed units, performing this monthly test can absorb many labor hours that could be devoted to other projects. In addition, with the self-testing circuitry, workers are kept safe from having to climb ladders to reach each unit, decreasing chances of an injury.
"We calculated that a facility with 100 installed products could save up to $4,600 annually by installing self-test/self-diagnostic products. In many cases that might actually help pay off the cost of the product and installation in a very short time," says Donaldson.
Wafler adds, "In many retrofit projects, contractors wishing to offer more value to their customers should consider the self-diagnostic exit signs and emergency lighting and ballasts. In addition, contractors can also offer monitoring services and emergency lighting services."
Computer-based centralized management systems that automate and integrate monitoring and testing of all emergency ballasts within a network can be a value-added service contractors can provide to their customers.
Installations made easy
When installing new emergency and exit lighting, first select the correct product for the application.
"Contractors should take note of the environment of the installation location. Areas with extreme temperatures, windblown dust or splashing water all require very specific systems. It is important to install the correct light for the application otherwise it can cause a product to fail unexpectedly," says Shah.
"In addition," Donaldson notes, "be aware of the 'light on the floor' requirements for many emergency lighting and select and space the units accordingly to conform to the local or national codes."
You also can select units with a pre-determined illumination pattern and follow the manufacturer's recommended installation height and spacing requirements.
"These products can really save on installation time because the manufacturer has already determined the proper lamp size and reflector angle," Donaldson says.
He adds, "When installing exit signs, the required spacing is 100 foot centers for most products with 6-inch high, ¾-inch stroke illuminated letters, and they must be visible along the path of egress, so take corners and recessed spaces into consideration."
Wafler also points out other common installation mistakes to avoid. "Make sure that the AC ballast and emergency ballast are fed from the same branch circuit, use the correct emergency ballast wiring diagram and avoid Lamp/AC ballast incompatibility," he notes.
And most importantly, follow manufacturer's instructions. Always read the installation instructions and make sure the device is appropriate for the environment it will be used in.
Use your knowledge
While most new construction projects utilize the lighting designer and electrical engineer during the selection and specification of emergency lighting, contractors can play an important role in the installation of those lights.
However, Donaldson points out that contractors can play a role in all stages of the process in design/build situations—from selection to installation. He says, "Most contractors have working relationships with specifying engineers, and can help recommend specific products for specific applications. If the project has special requirements, the engineer, the contractor, the electrical distributor and the manufacturer may work together to find the right product for the application."
In any situation, particularly retrofit or replacement projects, the customer will seek the contractor's advice for the correct emergency lighting system to meet their needs.
"It is important for contractors to understand that building owners and managers are not usually aware of what is actually best for their application," Shah says. "Property owners and mangers working on a budget will almost always select the product with the most economical sales price. However, with a contractor's knowledge of the costs of energy, replacement parts and labor, a buyer can make a well informed purchase."
Keeping end-users aware of new products is also a contractor's job.
Wafler points out that there are other 'behind the scene' trends in lighting, such as emergency ballasts, that users may not be aware of that contractors can inform their customers about.
"Cold-temperature rated emergency ballasts that enable outdoor fluorescent lighting to function as emergency lighting for code-required outdoor egress lighting and HID backup ballast that sense a power disturbance and quickly catch and maintain the lamp arc, eliminating the need for inefficient quartz restrike lamps are all new technologies contractors can utilize in retrofit projects," Wafler explains.
Going green
According to Shah, it is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Energy that there are more than 100 million exit signs throughout the U.S. These signs are illuminated for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. So, the slightest improvement in the energy efficiency of one exit sign can add up very quickly when multiplied by the 100 million signs in the U.S.
The use of LEDs to illuminate the EXIT legend is greatly improving the energy-efficiency of these products. In addition, look for Energy Star-compliant products that use less than 5W during normal power consumption.
While most emergency lights are in the 'off' position, they still consume energy while their battery is being charged. This battery charge still shows up in the product's power consumption rating, which is provided in the manufacturer's spec sheet and on the internal listing label.
"Contractors should be aware of these ratings and select products that have a reasonable power consumption figures that coincides with the performance rating," says Donaldson.
Wafler also notes, "Energy codes in some areas of the country restrict the amount of night lighting used with generators or central inverters. Generator power transfer/switching devices make it possible to provide reliable emergency lighting on standard circuitry regardless of light fixture wall switch position (on/off)."
With all the demand for energy-efficient products, contractors can certainly offer customers a way to conserve energy by replacing older exit signs, with newer, Energy Star-rated fixtures.