Today's Industrial Products and Solutions February 2019 | Page 8

need to be ugly.  A variety of aesthetic options exist
including slim profiles, specialty finishes, and re-
cessed power supplies that help units blend in with
interior decor and architectural features.
Because exit signs operate 24/7, however, they
should also be energy efficient.  As such, some en-
ergy efficient LED edge-lit exit signs use less than 3
watts and offer a 3-hour emergency run time with a
battery diagnostic monitoring system. 
Today, new “dual technology” exit signs are even
combining the efficiency of LED lighting with revolu-
tionary new photoluminescent materials to increase
reliability and performance over decades of use.
This hybrid approach combines two established exit
sign technologies in a single unit – LED and photo-
luminescence.  During normal
power conditions, the sign is
illuminated with highly efficient
LEDs.  When the power goes out,
a translucent exit stencil diffusor
made of photoluminescent ma-
terial provides the illumination. 
This is charged by the LEDs while
electric power is provided to the
sign.
“Although LED technology has im-
proved to the point where it can
last over 20 years, battery tech-
nology has not kept pace and has
been the weak point in exit sign
reliability and maintenance,” says
Lynch.  “Hybrid LED/photolumi-
nescent technology eliminates
this weakness and provides more
reliable operation for decades.”
Inverters
When a building-wide power
outage occurs, electrical engi-
neers have several options when
it comes to powering emergency
lighting systems mandated by the
NFPA and International Building
Code (IBC). 
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TIPS Magazine • February ‘19