Electrical
Emergency lighting design
Emergency escape lighting design to BS 5266-1:2025, covering escape routes, open areas, high risk task areas and testing provision.
- Discipline
- Electrical
WHAT IT IS
Emergency lighting design provides illumination on loss of the normal supply, so that occupants can leave the building safely and any process that is dangerous to stop abruptly can be shut down.
BS 5266-1 distinguishes escape route lighting, open area anti-panic lighting and high risk task area lighting, each with its own illuminance and duration requirement. The design also has to make testing possible for the building's whole life, which is a design decision, not a maintenance one.
WHEN YOU NEED IT
On every building with occupants. Specifically on new build, change of use, alteration to escape routes, and where a fire risk assessment or a periodic test has identified that the existing provision does not meet the standard.
DELIVERABLES
What you receive
- Emergency lighting layouts
- Illuminance calculations for escape routes and open areas
- Luminaire and duration schedule
- Testing and maintenance provision
STANDARDS
Standards applied
The editions in force at the time of design. Where a standard is amended mid-project we confirm which edition the appointment is based on.
- BS 5266-1:2025Emergency lighting — code of practice for the emergency lighting of premisesBSI
- BS EN 1838:2024Lighting applications — emergency lightingBSI
- BS EN 50172:2024Emergency escape lighting systemsBSI
- Approved Document BFire safety (England)GOV.UK
- Technical Handbook Section 2Fire (Scotland)Scottish Government
QUESTIONS
Common questions
What illuminance does emergency lighting have to achieve?
BS EN 1838:2024 requires a minimum of 1 lux across the full width of a defined escape route. That is a change from the 2013 edition, which measured on the centre line only, and it can alter luminaire spacing on a wide corridor. Open anti-panic areas require 0.5 lux excluding a 0.5 m border, and high risk task areas 10 per cent of the normal maintained illuminance with a minimum of 15 lux.
How long must emergency lighting operate for?
One hour is the minimum duration for most premises under BS 5266-1, and three hours is required where the building is used as sleeping accommodation or where evacuation is not immediate. The duration is a design decision confirmed with the fire strategy.