Emergency Lighting in NR2

Emergency lighting lights the floor of an escape route when the mains fails. The green running man signs mark the route. Two different jobs, both needed.

The numbers come from BS EN 1838. Escape routes up to 2 m wide need 1 lux at floor level along the centre line. Open areas need 0.5 lux. Fire alarm call points and firefighting equipment need 5 lux vertically, from a fitting within 2 m. Half the required light arrives within 5 seconds and all of it within 60. Duration is one hour or three. Three hours covers anywhere that will not empty straight away, including sleeping accommodation and the common parts of flats.

Then it has to be tested. Every fitting goes into test monthly. Once a year each one runs its full rated duration, and that is the only test that proves the battery. A lit charge LED proves the charger. Results go in the log book, which is what enforcement asks to see.

BS 5266-1:2025 replaced the 2016 edition on 31 October 2025. We do the design and the lux calculations ourselves, or install to a consultant's drawing if you already have one. We also take on the scheduled testing, which is the part most premises forget: a monthly function test and a full-duration annual, both logged.