Emergency Lighting Explained
What Is Emergency Lighting?
Emergency lighting is a safety-critical lighting system that is activated automatically when the general power supply fails. It serves to provide orientation and safety for building occupants and enables the safe evacuation of a building.
What Types of Emergency Lighting Are There?
- Safety Lighting: Illumination of escape and rescue routes, staircases, exits and safety-relevant areas. A legal requirement in public buildings, commercial properties and assembly venues.
- Standby Lighting: Enables the continuation of normal activities during a power failure, e.g. in operating theatres or production facilities.
How Does Emergency Lighting Work?
Emergency luminaires are either equipped with their own batteries (self-contained battery system) or supplied via a central emergency battery (central battery system). When the mains voltage fails, they switch on automatically within seconds and remain illuminated – depending on the requirements – for a minimum of 1 to 3 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is emergency lighting mandatory?
Yes, emergency lighting is a legal requirement in public buildings, workplaces, assembly venues, hotels and retail premises. The precise requirements are governed by the regional building regulations and DIN EN 1838.
Can emergency lighting be realised with LEDs?
Yes. Modern emergency luminaires use LED technology and benefit from its low energy consumption, which extends battery runtime.
In Summary:
Emergency lighting is an indispensable component of building safety. It ensures that escape and rescue routes remain safely passable even during a power failure. For commercial projects, the Leuchtenland.com team is happy to assist you with the planning – contact us about our lighting design service.