When the power fails in a busy building, emergency lighting is what allows people to find their way out safely. It is easy to forget about: most of the time the luminaires sit quietly in ceilings and above doors, charging their batteries. But a system that has not been tested may not work when it is needed, and batteries, lamps and control gear all deteriorate over time.
This guide is for responsible persons, facilities managers, landlords and business owners. It explains the legal duty to provide and maintain emergency lighting, what changed in the latest edition of BS 5266-1, the testing regime you should follow, what to record and the faults we most commonly find on site.
Key takeaways
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires emergency routes and exits to have emergency lighting of adequate intensity where illumination is needed, and requires it to be maintained.
- BS 5266-1:2025 replaced the 2016 edition in late 2025. It widens the scope of the code and puts more emphasis on resilience, verification and documentation.
- The core routine is a monthly functional test and an annual full rated-duration test, plus daily checks of central battery systems.
- Every test, fault and repair should be recorded in a logbook that you can produce on request.
- Any change to layout, partitions or general lighting should trigger a review of the emergency lighting design.
What emergency lighting is for
Emergency lighting is lighting that operates when the supply to normal lighting fails. Most people think of the illuminated running-man signs above fire exits, but a complete system usually includes several elements:
- Escape route lighting — so that people can identify and safely use the route out of the building, including stairs, changes of direction and final exits.
- Open area (anti-panic) lighting — so that occupants of larger spaces can reach an escape route without panic.
- High-risk task area lighting — so that people working with dangerous processes or machinery can make them safe before leaving.
- Standby lighting — which allows normal activities to continue during a supply failure. This is a business decision rather than a life-safety requirement.
Luminaires can be maintained (lit all the time and staying lit when the supply fails) or non-maintained (lit only when the normal supply fails), and they can be powered by an internal battery in each fitting (self-contained) or from a central battery system. Each arrangement has its own maintenance demands, which is why your test regime should reflect the system you actually have.
The legal framework
In England and Wales, the main legal driver is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 14 requires that emergency routes and exits are indicated by signs and that, where they require illumination, they are provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case the normal lighting fails. Article 17 then requires the responsible person to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided for the safety of relevant persons are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order and good repair.
The responsible person is usually the employer, or the person in control of the premises — often the owner, landlord or managing agent for common parts. The government’s guide to fire safety in the workplace sets out who this is and what they must do. The fire risk assessment should identify where emergency lighting is needed, and the assessor will normally want to see evidence that it is being tested.
New buildings and material alterations also need to satisfy the Building Regulations, with emergency lighting addressed through the fire safety guidance in Approved Document B.
Good to know: BS 5266-1 is a code of practice, not legislation. However, it is the recognised benchmark for showing that emergency lighting is adequate and properly maintained. If you depart from it, you should be able to justify why your alternative is at least as safe.
BS 5266-1:2025: what has changed
BSI published BS 5266-1:2025, Emergency lighting — Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises, at the end of October 2025. It supersedes BS 5266-1:2016, which has been withdrawn. According to BSI’s own summary, the revision explicitly addresses local area lighting and standby lighting as well as escape lighting, and reflects changes in the related European standards for lighting levels (EN 1838) and system operation and testing (EN 50172).
Industry summaries of the new edition, including from the ECA, highlight several practical themes:
- Escape route illuminance across the full width of the route, rather than being judged only along the centre line.
- Greater resilience, so that a single circuit fault does not disable a large proportion of the emergency lighting in an area.
- Photometric verification as part of ongoing compliance — measuring that the system still delivers the designed light levels, rather than assuming it does.
- Prolonged shutdowns, with attention to protecting batteries from deep discharge and safely recommissioning systems afterwards.
- Clearer documentation and handover requirements.
Existing systems designed to the 2016 edition are not automatically non-compliant. Standards are not retrospective in that sense. But your next fire risk assessment review, or any refurbishment, is a sensible point to check your system against the current code and plan any improvements.
The routine testing regime
Routine testing follows BS 5266-1 and the companion European standard for system testing, BS EN 50172. The core schedule is summarised below.
| Frequency | What is done | Who typically does it |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Visual check of indicators on central battery systems to confirm the system is healthy and charging | Trained site staff |
| Monthly | Short functional test: simulate failure of the normal supply and confirm every luminaire and sign lights from its battery | Trained site staff or contractor |
| Annually | Full rated-duration test (commonly three hours), checking each luminaire stays lit for the whole period | Competent contractor |
| Periodically | Photometric verification of light levels, inspection of the overall system against the design and the building’s current layout | Competent contractor |
| After any change | Re-verification after alterations, refurbishments or changes to the fire strategy | Competent contractor |
The monthly functional test
The monthly test is deliberately brief. The normal supply to the emergency lighting is interrupted — usually with a test key switch — for long enough to confirm that every luminaire and exit sign illuminates, and then restored. Keeping the test short avoids unnecessarily draining batteries. Each fitting should be checked individually; a quick glance down a corridor is not enough. Once the supply is restored, check that charging indicators have returned to normal.
The annual full-duration test
Once a year, the system is run on battery for its full rated duration. Most commercial systems are specified for three hours; a one-hour duration is only acceptable in limited circumstances, such as premises that will be evacuated immediately and not reoccupied until the batteries have recharged. Every luminaire must remain lit for the full period. Fittings that fade or go out early have a battery or component failure that needs to be put right.
Because batteries can take up to 24 hours to recharge after a full-duration test, the building has reduced protection during that period. Schedule the annual test when the premises are unoccupied or occupancy is low, and in premises where people sleep — care settings, hotels, retirement living — consider testing alternate luminaires on different occasions so that adjacent areas are never without cover.
Automatic test systems
Self-test and addressable automatic test systems can carry out monthly and annual tests on a programmed schedule and log the results for each luminaire. They can save a lot of labour in larger estates, but they do not remove the responsible person’s duty. Someone still needs to review the results, act on failures and keep the records up to date — and occasional physical walk-rounds remain important to spot damage, obstructions and layout changes that a self-test cannot detect.
Records and the logbook
If it is not written down, as far as an auditor or enforcing authority is concerned, it did not happen. Keep a logbook — paper or digital — that records:
- the date and type of every test (monthly, annual, after alteration);
- the result for each luminaire or sign, identified by a reference that matches the drawings;
- faults found, the action taken and the date the repair was completed;
- the name of the person who carried out the test and signed off any repair;
- alterations to the system or the building that affect emergency lighting;
- copies of design, installation, commissioning and periodic inspection certificates;
- up-to-date as-installed drawings showing the location and type of every fitting.
Store the logbook where the responsible person, fire risk assessor and contractor can access it. In shared buildings, make sure the landlord’s and tenants’ records together give a complete picture of the escape routes.
Common faults we find on site
Most emergency lighting failures are entirely predictable. The issues we see most often in commercial, retail and residential buildings include:
- Failed or tired batteries — the single most common cause of annual test failures.
- Failed lamps, LED modules or control gear, particularly in older fittings.
- Wrong supply arrangements — non-maintained fittings wired so that they would not detect failure of the local lighting circuit, or maintained fittings that have been put on a switched supply.
- Layout changes — new partitions, racking or furniture that leave part of a route or an open area without adequate cover.
- Missing or wrong signs, including signs that point the wrong way after a change to the fire strategy.
- Damage and obstruction — broken diffusers, fittings painted over during decoration, signs hidden by displays or ceiling-hung banners.
- Test key switches left in the “test” position, leaving batteries to discharge.
A periodic inspection should pick up all of these, which is why the annual visit should include a proper look at the system as a whole, not just a duration test.
Tip: Number every emergency luminaire and sign with a small label that matches your drawings and logbook. It makes monthly checks faster, makes failures easy to report and lets a contractor arrive with the right parts.
When to review the whole system
Testing confirms that the existing system still works. It does not tell you whether that system is still right for the building. Review the design when:
- the layout changes — new partitions, rooms, mezzanines or reconfigured open-plan space;
- the use of the space changes, for example office to food service, or the introduction of sleeping accommodation;
- the fire risk assessment or fire strategy is revised;
- general lighting is replaced, for example as part of an LED lighting upgrade;
- a periodic inspection or photometric check shows light levels have fallen below the design.
Emergency lighting also interacts with other life-safety systems. Fire alarm systems, for example, have their own maintenance regime under BS 5839-1 — see our guide to fire alarm testing and maintenance — and the circuits feeding both systems are covered by the building’s periodic electrical inspection, explained in our commercial EICR guide.
Who should carry out the work
Monthly functional tests can be carried out in-house, provided the person doing them has been shown what to do, understands how the system is arranged and knows how to record results and report faults. Annual duration tests, periodic inspections, photometric verification and repairs should be carried out by a competent electrical contractor familiar with BS 5266-1 who can issue the appropriate certificates.
For many organisations — particularly those with several sites, multi-let buildings or premises where people sleep — the most reliable approach is a planned maintenance contract that combines the annual test, the periodic inspection and remedial work, with in-house staff covering the monthly checks. That keeps responsibility clear and avoids gaps between visits.
How JKS London can help
JKS London is an NICEIC-approved electrical contractor that has been supporting commercial, public-sector, retirement living and airport clients since 2004. We carry out emergency lighting testing to BS 5266, periodic inspections, remedial repairs and system upgrades, and we can set up clear logbooks and drawings so your records stand up to scrutiny.
Explore our electrical compliance services and life-safety maintenance, book an emergency lighting test and certification online, or contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation site visit.
Frequently asked questions
Does every commercial building need emergency lighting?
Not automatically. The need is determined by the fire risk assessment, but almost any premises with escape routes, stairs or internal areas that would be dark or hazardous during a power failure will require it.
In a multi-let building, who is responsible for testing emergency lighting?
Each responsible person is accountable for the areas they control. The landlord or managing agent usually covers common parts, while tenants cover their own demise, and the Fire Safety Order requires them to co-operate and share information.
How long do emergency lighting batteries last?
It depends on the battery chemistry, operating temperature and manufacturer. The annual full-duration test is what reveals declining capacity, so batteries should be replaced when they fail that test or in line with the manufacturer's recommendations.
Will an LED lighting upgrade affect our emergency lighting?
It can. Replacing general luminaires often removes or alters emergency conversions and changes how circuits are wired, so the emergency lighting should be re-verified, and the records and certificates updated, once the work is complete.
Do exit signs have to be illuminated?
Escape route signs must remain visible when the normal lighting fails, so they need to be either internally illuminated emergency signs or lit by emergency lighting. The fire risk assessment and BS 5266-1 guide where they are needed.
Written by the JKS London technical team. NICEIC-approved engineers and compliance specialists maintaining airports, retirement villages, commercial and public-sector buildings since 2004. This guide is general information — for advice on your premises book a free site visit.
