What Does Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting Mean?

In the event of a power failure, you need to safely evacuate all the occupants of your commercial building. Doing that in the dark is definitely not safe. That’s why emergency lighting is an essential safety feature in commercial buildings across the UK. From hospitals to hotels, cinemas to shopping centres, office workplaces to data centres – they all need emergency lighting to highlight escape routes, fire safety equipment and exit signs.

But there’s more than one type of emergency lighting system. Here, we’ll explain the different types of emergency lighting and their benefits, with our main focus being non-maintained emergency lighting.

What are the two different types of emergency lighting?

There are two distinct types of emergency lighting – maintained and non-maintained. Put simply, non-maintained emergency lighting only activates when the mains power fails. In contrast, maintained emergency lighting provides continuous illumination. It functions as both normal lighting and emergency lighting.

Key features of non-maintained emergency lighting

• Only operates during power failure: it’s designed to provide emergency illumination when the mains power supply fails.
• Battery-powered: it has a rechargeable battery system that powers the lighting in the event of an emergency. That can be a central battery or a self-contained system.
• Commercial building system: non-maintained emergency lights are regularly used in offices, factories, warehouses, data centres and other commercial premises.
• Only in power failure: non-maintained emergency lights never operate when the normal mains power supply is working. If the mains power fails, they turn on automatically and are powered by their battery system.

Where is non-maintained emergency lighting used?

Emergency light fittings act as a backup light source when regular lighting isn’t working due to a power failure. They ensure your building’s lit up when you most need it – in emergency situations. If an evacuation’s required, emergency luminaires will light up a safe pathway for everyone to follow.

Typically, non-maintained emergency lighting is used in areas where occupants are familiar with the evacuation routes. As such, it’s often used in office buildings which workers use regularly. It tends to be positioned in key areas including:

• Escape routes and fire exits
• Stairways and corridors
• Plant rooms and service areas
• Industrial areas where employees or visitors need clear directional guidance during a blackout.

Benefits of non-maintained emergency lighting

One of the biggest advantages of non-maintained lights is that they’re energy-efficient. As they only work when mains power fails, they don’t use energy unnecessarily and have a longer lifespan than maintained lighting. This lower energy consumption also makes them cost-effective. In addition, they require minimal maintenance. That’s multiple benefits!

But the big selling point of non-maintained emergency lighting is their reliability. At a time of panic and fear, they spring into action and provide emergency escape lighting. When there’s a power outage, the luminaire changes into emergency mode and draws power from its backup battery to continue functioning. These batteries are long-lasting and will provide extended operation during emergencies.

Which type of emergency lighting do I need?

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer to this question. It’s dependent on various factors and your specific needs.

Non-maintained lights are more energy efficient and cost effective. If pricing and energy consumption are primary concerns for you, then they’re your best option. However, non-maintained luminaires are only recommended for areas where people are familiar with their surroundings. They don’t suit commercial buildings that regularly have first-time visitors.

Maintained lights are commonly used in public settings. If you think about the occupants of hotels, hospitals, shopping centres or cinemas, they change daily or even hourly. They’re likely to be unfamiliar with the setting. In an emergency, they’ll need more help to evacuate. Consequently, maintained lighting often includes items like fire exit signs, bulkhead lighting or recessed downlights.

There are further emergency lighting options to choose between. Many maintained light fittings are available as switchable units. That means you can switch between maintained and non-maintained modes by simply using a light switch.

You also have a choice between traditional fluorescent lighting tubes and modern LED emergency lights. The latter’s a far superior choice as they have lower energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Do emergency lights need to be maintained?

They certainly do. You should conduct emergency lighting testing regularly. That’s a visual check each month and a full-duration test annually to ensure they’re working properly.

The Building Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires businesses to install emergency lighting systems in their premises by law. UK fire safety legislation also states that emergency lighting must undergo a full duration test once a year and be ‘flick-tested’ at least once a month.

That full duration test simulates a full power outage to check that the lights can run on battery power for the required amount of time. This can be disruptive to your business operations, so it’s ideal if it can be scheduled out of key working hours.

If your lighting system doesn’t pass the tests then the responsible person (or duty holder) has to arrange repairs as soon as possible.

Let the Prolec team keep you safe and compliant

Our team of qualified electrical engineers can install, maintain and test your emergency lighting system to keep your premises and people protected from risk. Our emergency lighting services comply with British Standards and regulations.

Let us help you to find the best emergency lighting system for your commercial premises. We get that every building and business has different requirements. We’ll tailor our solution to your needs.

Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss our specialist emergency lighting system services.