The emergency lighting and exit sign market is not the first port of call many people think of when they want to reduce carbon emissions from their building. But in fact this critical facility consumes more energy than you’d think and failing more often than we’d like. That’s why SmarterLite Group has focused on a disruptive technology that contributes significant carbon emissions savings and reduces energy costs, safety path exit signs powered by photoluminescent egress technologies.
Photoluminescent (PL) technologies can reduce operational energy for exit and egress in Australian buildings as the local market catches up with worldwide developments. Federal and state regulations already allow for the use of photoluminescent exit signs.
As a response to the World Trade Centre attacks, New York City in 2004 became the first jurisdiction in the world to mandate the use of photoluminescent exit and egress signs.
New York’s early adoption of this innovative, safe and emissions reduction technology led to other ambitious reforms including the city’s Local Law 97 in 2019 to reduce the emissions produced by the city’s largest buildings by 40 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.
Safer, greener, better innovations in sight
One Australian owned innovative company throwing light on reducing emissions in buildings is the SmarterLite Group.
This company is working with early movers who want climate solutions that:
- deliver more energy efficient buildings, save costs and reduce carbon emissions
- avoid extracting toxic resources, which often end up in landfill
- expose hidden devices in buildings that consume power or are generators of waste, after they’ve maximised obvious energy solutions such as solar
The need for SmarterLite’s energy efficiency solution might come as a surprise to many: the exit sign is often overlooked and generally assumed to be working to save lives in emergencies.
The reality is that many are failing and cost more than people realise.
SmarterLite is disrupting the emergency lighting and exit sign market with its world leading safety path exit sign and other PL egress technologies to reduce operational energy and carbon emissions.
The goal is to educate building owners about their safety path 24M exit sign that is National Construction Code compliant, and offers an easy climate solution that:
- saves between $100 to $150 per sign every year of the 30-year life of the safety path exit sign)
- reduces emissions by using only 0.75 watts of power compared to between 10 to 20 watts for existing old tech exit signs
- redirects toxic e-waste such as disposable batteries from landfill sites
There are over 100 million outdated disposable battery exit signs in Australia’s buildings.
As electrification efforts continue, loads on existing and future electricity grids need to be reduced through the use of new technologies such as this.
You can’t measure what you don’t see
“This old saying is very relevant because many building owners and tenants don’t see the full asset values of their buildings, or how they perform in terms of efficiency,“ SmarterLite’s executive chairman Gus Carfi says.
The former Visy executive of 30 years says he is convinced most businesses embrace innovation after the higher economic and environmental costs of the business as usual approach become clear.
“It really is a case of us making our clients aware of low cost climate solutions.
“Business is now getting on with it, and we’re being inundated by early movers who realise the costs of old tech exit signs that fail on average every 18 months to 3 years. They want climate solutions that save money and keep people and planet safe,“ he added.
The PL wafer in safety path exit signs act as a replacement to conventional short-lived batteries. The wafer is a renewable and recyclable light source that has an estimated 30-year life, and other parts can be removed and replaced every 10 or 15 years, with waste recycled.
Telstra is one company that has made the switch.
“We are constantly investigating new technologies that align to our sustainability strategy, and the reduction in the waste generated by regularly replacing traditional exit signs was a key benefit that will help us achieve our resource efficiency goals,” Telstra InfraCo’s energy and engineering evolution manager Michael Williams says.
Lower emissions, year after year
SmarterLite’s modelling of the carbon emissions saved by using their 24M safety path exit sign is 80 kilograms a year, or 2400 kilograms over the life of their sign.
It also found that replacing just 15 per cent of old tech exit signs in Australia is equivalent to more than 25 per cent of the Victorian State Government’s 2030 buildings and industry electrification and energy efficiency sector’s emissions reduction target,“ SmarterLite’s general manager of environment, sustainability and governance Darrin Ray says.
SmarterLite is launching an even more energy efficient safety path 24M exit sign which will use only 0.75 Watts of power. The company is also partnering with other emergency and egress lighting companies to launch game-changing emission reduction and cost saving packages.
A renewable PL light technology is being rolled out in across 22 kilometres of country roads in Kinglake and Metung for a Regional Roads Victoria trial; in back-of-house areas for major arts, culture and sports facilities, and in placemaking art murals including a recent one in Abbotsford, Victoria. Each uses different formulations to meet client requirements.
Content provided by SmarterLite.
