Self-test emergency lighting saves time and money

Neil Baldwin, Managing Director at ESP, looks at the self-test area of the emergency lighting sector and how it can save building owners time and money.

All emergency lighting installations must have routine tests carried out E mergency lighting is a legal requirement in almost every building, with one simple, life-saving task: to provide light if a power outage shuts down a building’s standard operational lighting. It is the responsibility of building owners and those in charge to prove that the emergency lighting systems are working correctly and are regularly maintained so that they are in full working order.

All emergency lighting installations must have routine tests carried out, with each system luminaire the subject of daily, monthly and annual testing. These tests should all be documented, with the results including maintenance and rectification results all held on file.

Whilst the testing of emergency lighting does not take much effort and isn’t difficult, manually inspecting every single lighting luminaire for lamp starting, operation and duration performance can be a very labour intensive and therefore expensive task. However, with the latest improvements in technology, routine testing can be simple, automatic and therefore much less expensive. It is now possible for building owners to take advantage of emergency lighting equipment that ‘self-tests’ in accordance with the relevant standards.

Installing self-test emergency lighting units can reduce the burden of testing emergency lighting installations, as they perform all mandatory testing automatically, removing the need for manual testing to be carried out by the user or building owner. The resulting reduction of labour time leads to inevitable cost savings. Whilst the initial costs for the products may be higher, overall, they will provide a very short payback period –making them an ideal option that should be given consideration at the beginning of any project.

The benefits of self-test emergency light units include ease of installation, with no need for key switches or additional data cables, for example. Convenience is also a major plus, with mandatory tests carried out without disruption to the normal use of the building, and any faults identified. The self-test units identify faults in luminaires and any faults are then highlighted to maintenance personnel, saving them the time and effort it would take to search the building in question for faults.

Self-test units use an accurate internal clock programmed to interrupt the permanent mains supply at set intervals, initiating emergency lighting tests. Short duration weekly and monthly tests and annual full duration tests are automatically activated, with the results shown via an LED indicator on the light. The responsible person only needs to check the indicator and it means that only lights with reported faults will need to be attended to by maintenance personnel.

During initial power up of a self-test unit, an automatic commissioning stage will begin. The internal clock will commence at a random time between 0 and 24 hours – this avoids the luminaires all going into test at the same time. After the initial charge up time (up to 72 hours), the unit will carry out a full duration test. After all initial tests are completed successfully the inbuilt processor will start the standard programmed test schedule, reporting failing functions via the status LED. In addition, it is also possible to initiate a manual test on self-test emergency lighting fittings for extra peace of mind.

Monitoring results is straightforward. A single bicolour LED indicates the system status. A green LED on constant with a pulse once every minute shows that the micro-processor is active and functioning. A flashing red LED identifies a fault condition is present. If a fault is resolved, the LED indicator will return to green.

The LED statuses are illustrated in Table 1.

As a supplier of safety and security products through the electrical wholesale channel, ESP continues to develop its Duceri range of emergency lighting to meet the latest standards and to offer the latest technologies. The company’s range of Self-Test Emergency Light Fittings offers numerous benefits over standard fittings by reducing the costs and time associated with manual testing and inspection.

The self-test products within the Duceri emergency lighting range include:

• 3W LED Maintained Emergency

Self-contained Downlight with Self-Test and

Interchangeable Open and Corridor Lens • 3W LED Emergency Open Lens

Downlight with Self-Test • 9W LED IP65 Non-Maintained

Emergency Twin Spot with Self-Test • 3W LED IP65 Maintained Emergency

Bulkhead with Self-Test • 3W LED Maintained Emergency Exit Box with Self-Test

They have all been tested and comply with the latest standards.

Emergency lighting is a legal requirement in almost every building

Table 1: LED statuses ESP, espuk.com

LED colour LED status Condition

Green Constant Normal battery charging mode

Green Slow flash Two minute duration test

Fast flash Three hour duration test

Red One flash Battery failure

Two flash Lamp failure