The Facts: Hybrid Photoluminescent Environmental Exit Signs are compliant and commercially viable
In contrast to wasteful and costly old tech battery backed up exit signs, Smarterlite’s Hybrid Photoluminescent Environmental Exit Signs:
- ✔ Exceed Performance requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC)
- ✔ Reduce waste
- ✔ Reduce energy consumption
- ✔ Have a lifespan of 16+ years
- ✔ Outlast superseded monitored exit sign systems
- ✔ Do not require wasteful and costly monitoring systems
- ✔ Zero replacement and near-zero costs for 16+ years
False!
- The Lighting Council Australia (LCA) is not an authority on these issues, rather they are a lighting suppliers membership organisation. Nor are they independent. By contrast, the broader lighting industry is well represented by a range of independent, respected peak bodies.
- LCA appear to put disproportionate effort and resources into advancing the interests of a minority of their members who supply battery backed up exit signs. These members are over-represented on the LCA Board with 5 of the 8 LCA Board Members having a current or previous connection to battery exit signs, compared to only 37% of the LCA’s members who sell battery exit signs.
- LCA have strongly opposed further regulatory, standards or industry code developments to improve sustainability and recycling of emergency and exit lighting products.
- They back their own failed Exitcycle battery recycling scheme for exit and emergency lighting (with only 10% recycled) and have opposed broader, stricter battery stewardship schemes.
False!
- Hybrid Photoluminescent Environmental Exit Signs only need to comply with 2 parts of AS2293.1 relating to the appearance and location of exit signs
- Old tech battery backed up exit signs, on the other hand, must not only comply with these same two parts but also all other relevant parts of 2293.1, 2293.2 and 2293.3
False!
- This false claim is designed to mislead and deliberately confuse emergency luminaires/lighting and exit sign requirements
- These two different products serve different safety functions and are independently assessed and referred to separately in the NCC
False!
- Independent tests confirm Smarterlite signs use just 0.74W—the lowest energy consumption of any powered exit sign. This is also due to not needing complex back up circuitry that require additional power
- Combined with Photoluminescent technology instead of batteries means they have no battery circuitry and use less power and e-waste
- They also emit less carbon and are safer and more reliable due to less failure points
False!
- Experts on the topic point out this fallacy, such as Michael Shulman of UL and Geir Jensen, a Norwegian fire safety researcher for 35 years. Michael Shulman was the independent expert adviser to the Standards Australia committee convened for the development of Technical Specification 5367 for Hybrid Photoluminescent Exit Signs.
- Shulman was quoted in Electrical Connections saying “minimum luminance measurements, which were only ever designed to apply to 100ft viewing distances, are meaningless if they don’t also address visibility-based criteria of contrast, uniformity and physical dimensions.”
- Geir Jensen, in recent communications has reiterated that in smoke, brightness leads to obscured visibility. With a common analogy being driving with your headlight on full-beam through fog, and the heavier the smoke the more difficult it is to open your eyes at all.
- Australia’s National Construction Code was updated to the science of visibility. Part E4 is ‘Visibility in an emergency, exit signs and warning systems’ – the NCC has no requirement around brightness for any type of Exit Sign, instead the NCC requires “adequate visibility”. For Photoluminescent Exit Signs it is provided by a combination of their reliable light and larger size, as required by Specification 25 of the NCC.
False!
Part A5 G3 of the NCC describes:
- The application and intended use of the building material, product or form of construction; and
- How the use of the building material, product or form of construction complies with the requirements of the NCC Volume One and Volume Two; and
- Any limitations and conditions of the use of the building material, product or form of construction relevant to (b).
For Photoluminescent and Hybrid Photoluminescent Exit Signs, this information is supplied and specifies how each type of Photoluminescent Exit Sign shall be inspected and maintained. The installer should leave this information in the Essential Services Manual (or equivalent) for each building in accordance with regulations.
An Australian Standard for Hybrid Photoluminescent Exit Signs was in development, with Part 2 relating to inspection and maintenance.
However, the Lighting Council and associated members of the Committee blocked its publication by declining to endorse Part 1 of the planned Standard. They now argue that the absence of a Standard means Photoluminescent Exit Signs should not be used. However, to address this the ABCB is planning to reference Technical Specification 5367 in NCC 2025 to sidestep the Lighting Council’s blocking of the publication of the Australian Standard for Hybrid Photoluminescent Exit Signs.
Find out!
- No batteries = Little to no e-waste
- 0.74W energy use = Lowest power consumption
- 16+ year lifespan vs. 12-4 years for traditional signs
- NCC & AS2293.1 compliant
- No wasteful or costly monitoring technology needed, as Smarterlite Photoluminescent Environmental Exit Signs outlast the monitored devices
- Real emissions reduction, not greenwashing