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LED Exit Signs

Although exit signs do not seem like a major power consumption device, they could actually contribute a large portion of wasted of energy due to the fact that they are required to be "on" for twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. Any type of electronic equipment which is operating this often could have the potential for energy savings, which is great incentive for both businesses and facilities that still use expensive incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. LED exit signs provide numerous benefits over their more wasteful counterparts in the form of energy savings, financial savings, lifespan of bulb, and ease of replacement. The table below shows the potential savings along with the presumed payback period associated with switching from either a fluorescent or incandescent exit sign to an LED sign (Note: initial cost for fluorescent and incandescent lighing consists of the replacement bulb only and assumed that the fixture is already in place).

Lighting Technology	Annual Energy Use	Annual Energy Cost	Lamp Lifetime	Annual CO2 Pollution	Initial Cost
LED	44 kWh	$4.00	10+ years	72 pounds	$15.00
Fluorescent	140 kWh	$11.00	10.8 months	230 pounds	$5.00
Incandescent	350 kWh	$28.00	2.8 months	574 pounds	$1.00
Payback:
	Fluorescent to LED:	1.43	years
	Incandescent to LED:	0.54	years

Exit Sign Lighting Technology Comparison and Payback Analysis (above)

The graph below shows a financial comparison of each different type of bulb over the lifespan of a typical LED exit sign.

Graph of the Financial Savings over the Lifespan of an LED Exit Sign (10 Years)

Installing LED exit signs is a simple way to save both energy and money as shown in the comparison between each different type of lighting technology. Although this savings per year may not seem like much it does, in fact, add up over time. The amount of energy savings would be seen much faster in larger facilities due to the larger number of exit signs needed.