Emergency lighting is a statutory requirement in buildings used by the public. Whilst the requirements are set out in BS 5266-1 the implementations can vary. Ultimately the goal of emergency lighting is to provide adequate lighting and emergency exit illumination in the even of a fire resulting in a power cut.
Increasingly however many people are installing a small amount of emergency luminaires in the home at key points in case of power cuts.
Meeting emergency lighting requirements has often been achieved by simply adding some dedicated luminaries to a room. Whilst this is the most appropriate solution for some installations, there can be more to consider.
Aesthetics
In many installations the use of traditional emergency light fittings goes against the style of a building. Many are bulky or simply not pleasing to the eye. We are passionate about maintaining or improving the aesthetics of a building as well as designing solutions to a high standard. When designing lighting within a building we aim to use as many integrated emergency lighting luminaries as possible providing both normal and emergency lighting functions. We also look at emergency exit lighting requirements in the context of the environment it's in – sometimes there is more than one way to meet a regulation.
Design
Good design of emergency lighting is critical. Whilst the regulations set out necessary minimums it is also good practice to look at the wider use of a building and supplement the statutory requirements with increased light levels or additional lighting to aid maintenance or safety.
As with our lighting design service we also produce detailed calculations to show the light levels in the event of the emergency lighting being used. Where our lighting design services are used more broadly we are able to give you a complete picture and where required, 3D models of your building under all the various lighting conditions.
Maintenance
As with all safety services regular maintenance is required to comply with the regulations. Traditionally people have been employed to walk a building every month to check the status of all emergency light fittings and perform a test. This is a very time consuming task which in some installations can now be automated.
Many luminaries now enable us to link up to them as part of a lighting or building control solution to monitor the state of the lamps and batteries and perform the necessary tests. A report or monitoring display in a central maintenance office can be used to check the results and then take appropriate action.
Whatever your emergency lighting requirements, give us a call to discuss further.