IAEEL newsletter 3/93
A Graceful Exit

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis for Various Exit-Sign Technologies
Exit Sign System Total Power (watts) Lamp Life (years) Electricity use (kWh/yr) First Cost ($) Electricity Cost ($/yr) Replace-
ment Lamp Cost ($/sign)		 10-year Life-cycle Cost ($) 10-year Life-cycle Savings ($)
Incandescent

40

0.6

350

100

35

4

545

0
Compact Fluorescent

15

2

131

120

13

11

308

237
LED

3

10+

26

200

3

none

226

319
Electro-
luminescent

1

10

9

250

1

none

259

286

Notes:
  • The baseline shown here is a 2-lamp incandescent fixture, each lamp is 20W, 5 000 hours (single-face).
  • Numerous variants are possible. No adjustment is made in the table for energy price escalation, general inflation, or cost of capital.
  • Assumes an electricity price of $0.10kWh and labor cost of $2 each time the lamps are replaced.
  • Prices are from the Grainger catalog and include metal fixtures with battery backup devices.

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