EmergencyLighting
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.
provide light if a power outage shuts down a building’s standard operational lighting. It is the responsibility of building owners and responsible persons to prove that the emergency lighting systems they are responsible for are working correctly and are regularly maintained so that they are in full working order. All emergency lighting installations must have
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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 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.
mergency lighting is a legal requirement in almost every building, with one simple, life-saving task: to
Savings across the board 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, 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.
Initiating the test 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
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