Emergency Lighting

Manufacturer of industrial warning & emergency lights & lighting including halogen lights, revolving lights, LED warning lights & directional warning lights for medium or light duty applications. Features include rounded outer dome, high-efficiency reflector for brightness, stainless steel housing, basket assembly with three 2 1/4 in. polycarbonate bullseye lenses, nylon gears, ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic base or anodized aluminum base, acrylic dome & four Par 36 sealed beams. Specifications include operating voltage range from 12 V to 120 V, maximum flashes per minute 200, height range from 5.25 in. to 9.5 in. & rated current range from 0.2 amp to 8.5 amps. Lights have amber, clear, blue, green, red & violet color domes. Warning lights are available with variety of mounting including bolt permanent mounting, magnetic mounting & pipe mounting.

In Case of an Emergency… Part Two!

Delving Deeper into the world of Emergency Lighting

Welcome back to the world of emergency lighting! If you missed it, check out part one here.

Emergency lighting is crucial for the safety of workplace buildings, schools, or any other establishments. But the details surrounding emergency lighting are anything but simple, from the regulations to the different types, it may sometimes feel a bit overwhelming.

But like the LED signs that spell “EXIT,” we’re here to provide help and brighten up your understanding of emergency lighting! Let’s begin!

A recap on emergency lighting

Before we get into it, let’s review emergency lighting! The role of emergency or egress lighting is to provide high visibility for the safety of an area suffering from a power outage or emergency. Whenever evacuation is required, emergency lighting is necessary to create a path for individuals to navigate their way out of the building.

So, how is Emergency Lighting powered?

Emergency lighting is incredibly important for any form of the building environment. When an emergency strikes, they help you evacuate as safely as possible! But what happens when there is an extended power outage in the entire building? This is where lighting inverter systems come in! Inverters are designed to be a backup for emergency lighting systems throughout a building if a major disruption causes a power failure, and they provide a minimum of 90 minutes of backup lighting during downtime so that the emergency lighting systems perform properly.

Standby lighting is another type though, in reality, this form of lighting carries a variety of sub-types. Because emergencies can happen anywhere, they can occur in places where activity needs to continue, like a hospital. Standby lighting offers a temporary solution during these outages. Two examples of these sub-types include:

Today, with so many improvements made in the lighting world, emergency lighting inverters have also been upgraded. One notable example comes with the CEPS Inverters from LVS, an economical alternative while compatible with all LED types, including electronic and magnetic fluorescent ballasts, incandescent, CFLs, halogens, and induction lamps.

Further enhancements include the opportunity to turn any fixture into a total light output emergency fixture for 90 minutes, being easy to install and inexpensive to maintain, and having customizable options, including automatic testing, custom voltages/frequency, heated outdoor enclosures, and more!

A different form of powering emergency lighting is through LED drivers that are integral to the light fixtures.

LightAlarms offers emergency drivers that are all installed in the fixture itself, so when power is present, the battery is charged utilizing a constant hot connection to the emergency LED driver. In contrast, the LED dimming driver controls the LEDs. When power is lost, the emergency LED driver uses the battery’s stored energy to power the LEDs.

The goal of emergency drivers is to provide enough light for egress in the case of any form of a significant outage.

The World of OEM

With a better understanding of the types of emergency lighting and how it’s powered, and where to buy, the next question is: how can I find all the materials I need that will work best together?

This is where OEM (or Original Equipment Manufacturer) comes into play. Take Lutron, for example; the company works with over 350 fixture OEMs to ensure that there are various options for any shape and size for any job.

The following companies are Lutron OEM Advantage Partners & Vive Enabled, and we encourage you to check them out: Alphalite, Active Safety, Cree Lighting, H.E. Williams, LightAlarms, Liteline, Lux Illuminaire, LVS, ZLed Lighting, and Lutron!

For more information on the NFPA regulations and codes, please see the list below:

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for next month’s blog post!

About Western Lighting and Energy Controls

Western Lighting and Energy Controls is an employee-owned representative agency in Southern California partnering with top manufacturers in lighting, controls, and energy management. We don’t just go for the sale – we focus on YOU: making sure you have a full understanding of the product(s) in question and their technical detail. Along with educational opportunities offered, we ensure your project requirements and unique business needs are delivered on time, within budget, and of top quality. Whether you’re in design, budgeting, or installation processes, our teams will make your life easier with our quality expertise and proactive customer support.

For more information, contact us here at Western Lighting and Energy Controls.

Types of Emergency Lighting Systems

No one loves emergencies; we all wish and hope that we don’t find ourselves in one. Nevertheless, while we don’t want one, it is wise to prepare for the worst even while praying for the best. Hence, many buildings and areas have emergency lighting systems as a means of preparing for the worst.

While you might have seen these lighting around various buildings, you might think that they are all the same. However, they are of different types. Therefore, we will shine the light on this issue as we reveal the different types of emergency lighting systems.

Emergency lighting system in Building

But before we turn the spotlight on that, it is important we know what these lightings are first…

What are Emergency Lightings?

Emergency lightings are lightings that are powered by batteries and are designed to turn on when the main power source is cut off. These lights will then illuminate the area where they are located.

They are set up to ensure that people who are stuck inside a building when there is a main power outage can still navigate their way and exit the building without further harm. With this form of illumination, individuals can still leave the area or building in an orderly manner without panicking.

Most buildings and areas are required to have emergency lighting systems especially public and commercial buildings and areas that see a lot of human activities. The right system must also be installed according to the building type.

Emergency Lighting System Types

Several emergency lighting system types exist for different purposes and needs. Hence, your choice would depend on what you want to use the light for.

Let’s talk about a few of them…

Bulkhead Fittings

Among the various emergency lighting types, the one commonly used are bulkhead fittings. They possess a body made from polycarbonate and a tray that contains all the parts. These lights can last up to 3 hours on battery power without the main electric power. Once the power is restored, they will recharge automatically.

Fire Signage

This fire exit signage is usually illuminated and is also very common. The purpose of these lights is to show folks within the building where the building’s exits are located. They can be found in hospitals, banks, malls, and other commercial buildings. Apart from the fire exit signage, other fire signs that are usually illuminated include fire equipment signage, safe condition signage, mandatory signage, etc.

LED Emergency Lights

LEDs are gaining popularity and usage in different applications. Hence, they are also utilized as emergency lightings. The reason LEDs have become popular is as a result of their energy-saving ability.

A new market product that is available these days is LED downlights. This product has an emergency alternative that comes with a battery pack in case there is a power outage. You can get one in either 1-watt or 3-watt form that can produce more than 75 lumens.

One thing about LED lights is that you need to replace the batteries immediately they are faulty. Leaving damaged batteries can affect the efficiency of the LED and might even shorten its life.

Differences between Bulkheads and LEDs

Let us quickly look at how different Bulkheads are from LEDs

Bulkhead LED Efficiency Less efficient More efficient when compared to the bulkhead’s incandescent bulbs Energy Consumption Uses more energy Uses little energy Light Up Speed Slow Very quick to light up Fragile Very fragile Less fragile Frequent Use Cannot be frequently turned on and off Can be frequently turned on and off Lifespan Shorter lifespan Longer lifespan Toxicity More toxic due to its mercury content Less toxic as it doesn’t have mercury Wiring Material Uses standard wiring materials Doesn’t use standard materials Maintenance Cost Low: Only requires general cleaning and periodic test Maintenance cost is high especially for the batteries System Integrity Higher system integrity since the luminaires aren’t dependent on others Lower system integrity due to dependability of luminaires System Extension The system can be extended using additional luminaires The system cannot be extended using additional luminaires Costs of Hardware Equipment Low cost Higher cost Differences between Bulkheads and LEDs

Maintained Emergency Lighting vs. Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting

Terms you will likely hear as you begin to learn more about emergency lighting systems are “maintained” and “non-maintained”. What do they mean?

Maintained light fittings refer to those products that you can operate using a lighting controller e.g. a switch. This type of product can be kept on permanently or can only function during a power outage.

On the other hand, non-maintained light fittings refer to those that will not come on except during a power outage. This type of product is usually powered by a battery and self-charge when the power is on.

Conclusion

We believe you now know the types of emergency lighting systems after going through the article above.