Emergency lighting is a critical security component for any home. They step in when the mains supply lighting fails.  This makes your home safe and secure during a power failure. Thus, you can go about your business even during a power failure. Emergency lighting can be installed in a myriad of areas. From exit points to walkways, emergency lighting has so much to offer. However, you need to get it right when designing and installing emergency lighting. Here are some of the best tips and tricks for emergency lighting you should seriously consider.

Design Checklist

Your emergency system should take into consideration the following design process actions.

• Examination
• Assessing the risk
• The emergency lighting actual duration. According to experts, the minimum duration is 3 hours
• Identifying all the escape routes, taking into account all possible hazards
• Recognizing and clearly labeling all fire alarm points, safety signs, as well as fire equipment.
• Determine how to isolate for testing.
• Choose the best maintenance protocols to use
• Also, be sure to determine the coordination or interference when it comes to converting luminaries into emergency lighting based luminaries.
• Identifying all the requirements concerning the exits is also another important step to consider
• Identify all high-risk locations, including open arras featuring more than 60m² floor area.

External Areas

For safety reasons, all the external areas (i.e. in the immediate vicinity to the final exits) must have the recommended illumination levels. According to experts, the illumination levels of these areas should be based on EN 1838 (BS 5266-7 standards. This should be at least 1 Lux.  It’s also important to note that areas outside the building (i.e. with darkness like riverbanks and steep stairs) should be subjected to a risk assessment. This will help establish the level of emergency luminaries required for maximum safety. Here, lighting designers will have to place emergency lighting on the building’s exteriors towards the final exit points.

Lift Cars

Lifts can be problematic when designing emergency lighting. These areas are unpleasant when it comes to confining someone to the dark for long. Worse still, if you are nervous or living claustrophobia conditions, you need emergency lighting. However, you must install emergency lighting based on the open area (anti-panic) specifications. These lighting should conform to the EN 1838 (BS 5266-7) levels.

Emergency lighting comes in different forms. They include:

• Self-contained
• Powered by a central/ secondary based supply

The power supply requirement for these spaces should be based on BS 9999. 6.5.

Stairways and Walkways

Normally, Stairways and walkway spaces are treated like escape routes. Thus, the illumination levels should be similar to escape routes. The minimum luminaries for walkways should be 2 Lux. However, the minimum acceptable luminaries for an escape route should be more than 1 Lux.

The Bottom-Line
Emergency security lighting is becoming a major element in home lighting systems. Besides security, emergency security lighting offers functional requirements. However, getting it right during installation is key. Use the above tips and tricks to design and install your home’s security lighting.