The new National Construction Code (NCC 2016) came into force on 1 May and the outdated references to “emergency lighting” have been deleted from Part E4 of the code with the section now being titled “Visibility in an Emergency, Exit Signs, and Warning Systems”.
An independent report released in 2013 indicated that 70% of the $1.1 billion of productivity gains delivered by Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) reforms were derived from performance based building code. The report also identified that future gains are possible with an increased use of performance codes and the wording of the new NCC 2016 is a step towards achieving these gains.
The ABCB has previously noted that “a prescriptive mindset continues to exist in the majority of industry practitioners and regulators”. There are a variety of reasons why this mindset is such a barrier. Old habits, influence of vested interests and the ease of “tick the box” solutions are among those reasons but the old code wording hasn’t helped.
The NCC 2016 changes mean that Ecoglo can provide Performance Solutions for photoluminescent signs to replace the old technology electrical signs and batteries. This innovation means that your next sustainability initiative can also be a big budget winner. There are significant electricity and maintenance savings as well as no nasty batteries to have to bury in someone else’s back yard!
Ecoglo Performance Solutions can also be used to solve problems with old and tired emergency lighting systems with Ecoglo’s renowned durability especially useful in outdoor situations.
Hard data shows that Ecoglo photoluminescent solutions, when compared to the electrical equivalent, can be less than 30% of the initial capital cost and 7.5% of the 30 year life cost.
Ecoglo has nearly 20 years global experience engineering emergency visibility systems in a wide range of facilities and we can show you how to capitalise on the new NCC Performance Solution approach.
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