What are the advantages of maintained emergency lighting?

• Table of Contents
• Maintained Emergency Lighting
• Difference Between Maintained Emergency Lighting and Non-Maintained
• Maintained emergency lighting and Non-maintained Comparisons
• Choose Maintained Emergency Lighting Reasons
• Maintained Emergency Lighting Benefits
• Choosing LED Maintained Emergency Lighting Advantages
• Conclusion
• FAQs

What is Maintained Emergency Lighting?

Maintained emergency lighting is a system that remains illuminated when the normal power supply is operating and automatically switches to a backup battery (such as an efficient LED light) to continue providing illumination when the main power supply fails. It not only functions during emergencies but also serves as part of the daily lighting, especially suitable for areas requiring 24-hour lighting, such as high-traffic zones, critical operation areas, and complex evacuation routes.

Maintained Emergency Lighting Characteristics

• Normal Operation:In normal conditions, maintained emergency lighting fixtures remain on at all times, providing daily lighting alongside regular lighting for places like factories, office buildings, and shopping malls.
• During Main Power Failure:When the main power supply fails or experiences a fault, the maintained emergency lighting system immediately switches to the backup battery (such as an efficient LED light), continuing to provide illumination to ensure safe evacuation or continuous operation of critical equipment.
• After Main Power Recovery:Once the main power supply is restored, the system automatically switches back to the main power source, continuing to provide stable lighting.

What is the Difference Between Maintained Emergency Lighting and Non-Maintained?

Maintained emergency lighting and Non-maintained emergency lighting are two different emergency lighting systems that work in different states. Non-maintenance emergency lighting is not turned on daily, only when the power failure or unexpected conditions, it will immediately start lighting. They differ in daily use, working principle, maintenance requirements and application scenarios.

1. Daily operating conditions

maintained emergency lighting is always on

maintained emergency lighting luminaires remain lit at all times during normal mains operation, providing daily illumination as part of the regular lighting.

Non-maintained emergency lighting is activated only in emergency situations

During normal mains operation, the non-maintained emergency lighting luminaires are switched off and do not provide daily lighting. It is only when the mains power fails or emergency mode is triggered that the standby lighting are automatically activated to provide the necessary back-up lighting.

2. Different energy consumption

maintained emergency lighting consumes more energy

As maintained emergency lighting is always lit in everyday situations, it has a longer operating time and relatively higher energy consumption. However, energy consumption can be improved by using energy efficient light sources such as LED luminaires.

Non-maintained emergency lighting consumes less energy

Non-maintained emergency lighting is only activated in case of emergency, so it consumes almost no power during normal times and has a lower energy consumption.

3. Safety Differences

Maintenance of emergency lighting for continuous safety

1. No sudden darkness: Since maintained emergency lightingis always on in normal situations, employees and visitors are used to the light and won’t feel uneasy with sudden darkness in an emergency so it’s safer overall.
2. Reduced panic: Continuous lighting reduces panic caused by power outages so personnel can respond calmly to emergencies.

Non-maintained emergency lighting is delayed

1. Short period of darkness: In the event of a mains failure there will be a few seconds delay before non-maintained emergency lighting kicks in and there will be a short period of darkness, which will increase panic amongst personnel.
2. Automatic activation: The reliability of non-maintained emergency lighting depends on its automatic activation mechanism which can affect safe evacuation of personnel if activation fails.

4. Maintenance costs

Maintained emergency lighting is expensive

1. Testing required: Although maintained emergency lightingis always on in normal situations, it still needs to be tested regularly to ensure it will work in an emergency.
2. Higher maintenance costs: Since the lamps are left on for long periods of time the lamps and batteries of a maintaining emergency lightingsystem may need to be inspected and replaced more often, more maintenance costs.

Non-maintained emergency lighting is cheaper

1. Lower maintenance costs: Since they don’t have to be left on for long periods of time the luminaires and batteries for non-maintained emergency lighting don’t need to be replaced as often, lower maintenance costs.
2. Testing: Although non-maintained emergency lightingdoesn’t work most of the time it still needs to be tested regularly to ensure it can be activated in an emergency.

5. Usage Scenarios

maintained emergency lighting used in crowded critical areas

1. Personnel-intensive areas: Applicable to shopping malls, airports, stations, hospitals and other public places, which require 24-hour lighting to ensure the safety and convenience of personnel.
2. Critical operation places: such as factory control rooms, data centers, operating rooms, etc. These areas must be kept illuminated during power interruptions to ensure the continuous operation of critical equipment and the safe operation of personnel.
3. Complex floors with low light areas: in multi-story buildings or multi-exit environments, maintained emergency lightingcan help firefighters and rescue personnel find the correct evacuation path more easily in the dark, to ensure that personnel can be quickly and safely evacuated.

Non-maintained emergency lighting is used in ordinary daily places

1. General evacuation channel: applicable to stairwells, corridors, foyers and other areas that do not require 24-hour lighting, mainly used to provide backup lighting in emergencies to help people evacuate safely.
2. Low-traffic areas: such as warehouses, parking lots and other places with low traffic in general, non-maintained emergency lightingcan provide the necessary lighting in an emergency without having to keep it constantly lit in daily work.

6. Regulatory Requirements

Both maintenance and non-maintained emergency lighting systems must comply with global safety standards. For example, the life safety code manual developed by the National Safety Association: “NFPA 101”, and the emergency lighting safety standard set by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE): ISO 30061. The following are the basic requirements:

1. Brightness Requirements: Emergency lighting should have a minimum brightness of not less than 10 lux (lux) to ensure that evacuation paths and exit signs are clearly visible to personnel. For high-risk areas, the luminance requirement may be higher.
2. Duration: According to the requirements of NFPA 101, emergency lighting systems must continue to operate for at least 90 minutes after the failure of the main power supply to ensure that personnel have enough time to safely evacuate.
3. Automatic switching: The emergency lighting system must be able to automatically switch to the backup power source within 10 seconds after the main power source fails and continue to provide lighting.
4. Regular testing and maintenance: All emergency lighting systems need to be regularly functionally tested and thoroughly inspected to ensure that they work properly in an emergency. These standards ensure the reliability and safety of the system and help you comply with regulatory requirements.

Maintained emergency lighting and Non-maintained emergency lighting Comparisons

Why choose maintenance emergency lighting over non-maintenance emergency lighting?

The choice of Maintained Emergency Lighting depends on the high volume of people in the premises, the high demand for lighting and the intensity of activity to ensure that critical areas are provided with continuous lighting. While Non-Maintained mergency lighting provides instant lighting to meet the main lighting system power outage or sudden failure triggered by environmental darkness, crowd panic or can not find a safe exit. Depending on the criticality and specificity of the application site, it is also a requirement of safety lighting regulations.

1. Areas with high flow of people

Maintaining emergency lighting is ideal in high-traffic public places such as shopping malls, airports and stations. These places are open 24 hours a day, with high foot traffic and high daily lighting requirements.

2. Critical area operations

Maintaining emergency lighting is vital for critical operations areas such as factory control rooms, data centers, and operating rooms. These areas must remain illuminated in the event of a power outage to ensure that technicians can continue to monitor and operate equipment, preventing production stoppages or equipment damage.

3. Complex evacuation routes

In complex environments such as multi-story buildings and underground facilities, such as underground parking garages and high-rise buildings, maintaining emergency lighting helps to consistently and clearly guide evacuation paths.

4. 24-Hour Operations

For 24-hour operations, such as gas stations, convenience stores, and security rooms, Maintenance Emergency Lighting is the best choice for ensuring round-the-clock illumination. It not only meets the daily lighting needs, but also provides back-up lighting in case of power interruption, safeguarding the safety of customers and employees.

5. High-risk areas in special environments

In chemical plants, mines, nuclear power plants and other high-risk places, Maintaining emergency lighting is the key to safeguard the safety of personnel. These are potentially dangerous places where a power outage could lead to loss of control of equipment or leakage of hazardous substances. Maintained emergency lighting ensures that there is still sufficient brightness in the event of a power failure, helps personnel to evacuate quickly, prevents accidents from spreading, and supports firefighters and other rescuers in their emergency response, ensuring safety and reliability in high-risk environments.

Maintained Emergency Lighting and Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting Selection Advice

Choose Maintained Emergency Lighting: If you are in a location that requires 24/7 lighting or where continuity of critical operations must be maintained in the event of a power outage, then Maintained Emergency Lighting is a better choice. It provides continuous lighting and avoids the chaos and panic of a sudden power outage, and is particularly suited to high-traffic areas and critical operations.

Choose Non-Maintenance eEmergency Lighting: If you are in a location that is usually low-traffic and only needs backup lighting in case of an emergency, then non-maintenance emergency lighting is a more economical option. It does not consume electricity in everyday situations, is low maintenance and is particularly suitable for general evacuation routes such as stairwells and corridors.

What are the benefits of maintained emergency lighting?

maintained emergency lighting not only meets your daily lighting needs, but also provides continuous illumination in an emergency situation, avoiding the chaos and panic caused by a sudden power outage and ensuring that people are able to respond calmly and evacuate safely.

maintained emergency lighting provides continuous lighting

maintained emergency lighting remains illuminated at all times when the mains power supply is working, ensuring that there is no sudden period of darkness in the event of a power failure or emergency. This reduces the confusion and panic caused by a power failure, helps personnel to remain calm, supports emergency response and ensures the continuity and safety of critical operations.

Maintenance emergency lighting does double duty

maintained emergency lighting not only provides back-up lighting in an emergency, it can also be used as part of everyday lighting. This means there is no need to install additional general lighting, saving space and installation costs. Especially in places that operate 24 hours a day, such as shopping malls, hospitals, and factory control rooms. Simplifies management of the lighting system.

Maintaining emergency lighting improves evacuation efficiency

In emergencies such as fires and power outages, clear lighting is key to ensuring the safe evacuation of people. Maintaining emergency lighting helps personnel quickly find the nearest safety exit and avoid getting lost or going in the wrong direction through the always-on exit indicator lights and evacuation route indicators. Improves evacuation efficiency.

Supporting Critical Operation Continuity

In some critical operation areas, such as factory control rooms, data centers, and operating rooms, power interruptions can cause equipment to stop functioning and even lead to serious safety incidents. Maintained emergency lighting ensures that technicians have sufficient brightness to continue monitoring and operating equipment in the event of a power interruption, preventing production stoppages or equipment damage. This is essential to safeguard the continuity and stability of critical operations, especially in high-risk environments.

Facilitates rescue by rescuers

In complex buildings or multi-story structures, firefighters and other rescuers need a clear view to assess the scene and conduct a rescue. maintained emergency lighting provides continuous illumination throughout evacuation routes and critical areas, helping firefighters find trapped people more easily and speeding up emergency response. In addition, continuous lighting illuminates fire suppression equipment and water sources, ensuring that firefighters can quickly locate and utilize them, improving the efficiency of fire suppression and rescue.

Reduced Legal Risk by Complying with Regulatory Requirements

According to global safety standards (such as NFPA 101, ISO 30061), both maintenance and non-maintenance emergency lighting systems are required to provide adequate brightness and duration in the event of an emergency. Choosing maintained emergency lighting not only ensures that the system meets these regulatory requirements, but also reduces the legal risk of non-compliance. Insurance companies also commonly require that factories and public places install compliant emergency lighting systems in order to qualify for insurance claims.

Reduced maintenance frequency reduces long-term costs

Although maintenance emergency lighting remains lit at all times in day-to-day situations, its luminaires typically use long-life and energy-efficient LED light sources, which consume relatively little energy. In addition, modern maintenance emergency lighting systems can be remotely monitored and managed through LED intelligent lighting control systems, which can identify and fix potential problems in a timely manner, reducing maintenance frequency and costs. Compared with non-maintenance emergency lighting, maintenance emergency lighting may have lower long-term maintenance costs because its lamps and batteries do not need to be replaced frequently.

Choosing LED Maintained Emergency Lighting Advantages

LED maintained emergency lighting systems have become the first choice for high-frequency use of lighting in industrial and shopping malls due to their high energy efficiency, long life, high brightness and reliability.

LED emergency lighting is energy efficient

In maintained emergency lighting, LED lights are particularly energy efficient. Compared with traditional light sources, LED lights energy efficiency increased by more than 50%, significantly reducing the daily operation of the electricity bill, especially suitable for 24-hour uninterrupted lighting needs. Its low energy consumption not only reduces energy waste, but also meets environmental requirements, helping factories and public places achieve sustainable development goals and long-term cost savings.

LED emergency lighting long life

Long service life is a major advantage of LED emergency lighting systems,with a service life of more than 50,000 hours, far exceeding that of conventional lamps. This means that there is little need for frequent replacement in maintained emergency lighting, dramatically reducing maintenance frequency and costs. The stability and reliability of the system is ensured so that optimum performance is always maintained, even when lit for long periods of time, minimizing safety hazards caused by luminaire failure.

High brightness and uniform illumination

LED luminaires provide high brightness and uniform distribution of light for maintained emergency lighting, ensuring that evacuation paths and exit signs are clearly visible to personnel in both routine and emergency situations. This even distribution of light avoids the problem of dark areas or bright spots, reducing the risk of accidents caused by poor visibility. In addition, the adjustable brightness feature of the LED lights allows them to provide proper illumination in different scenarios, enhancing comfort and safety in daily use.

LED emergency lighting starts quickly

The fast start-up feature of LED lights is crucial in maintained emergency lighting. It can reach full brightness in seconds, ensuring immediate illumination in the event of a power interruption, avoiding periods of darkness and confusion caused by delayed start-up. This feature is particularly important in high-traffic areas and complex evacuation routes, helping personnel to respond quickly to ensure safe evacuation, while supporting firefighters and other rescuers in their rapid rescue efforts.

LED lamps are durable and guaranteed to maintain emergency lighting

The durability and resistance to environmental impacts of LED lights ensures their reliable operation in a variety of harsh conditions.LED emergency lights are able to provide continuous illumination for long periods of time, as well as work properly in environments with extreme temperatures, humidity, vibration, and shock, making them suitable for high-risk locations such as chemical plants and mines. Its waterproof, dustproof and shock-resistant function of emergency LED Tri-proof lighting further enhances the adaptability of the system, ensuring that it always provides stable lighting in complex environments and reduces the risk of failure due to environmental factors.

Compatible with intelligent lighting and emergency lighting

Modern LED maintained emergency lighting systems can be integrated with intelligent control systems for automated management and remote monitoring. Through sensors and network connectivity, smart lighting can monitor the status of luminaires in real time, automatically adjusting brightness, start time and operation mode. Intelligent control not only improves the management efficiency of emergency lighting, but also optimizes energy use and extends battery life.

Conclusion

Maintained emergency lighting not only meets daily lighting needs, but also provides continuous and reliable backup lighting for emergencies 24 hours a day. Efficiency and compliance also help reduce long-term maintenance costs.

FAQs

1. What is NFPA 101?

NFPA 101, or Life Safety Code, is a widely used set of fire safety standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association. It is a “safety guide” that tells building designers, owners and managers how to ensure that a building can be safely evacuated in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Simply put, NFPA 101 specifies what safety features, such as emergency lighting, evacuation routes, and firefighting equipment, a building must have to ensure that people can evacuate quickly and safely in an emergency. Whether it’s a shopping mall, hospital, office building or factory, these standards must be followed to protect everyone’s life.

2. What is ISO 30061?

ISO 30061 is a safety standard for emergency lighting issued by the International Organization for Standardization. It sets uniform technical requirements and test methods for emergency lighting systems worldwide to ensure that these systems work reliably in emergency situations.

You can think of ISO 30061 as a “global manual” to facilitate your design, installation and maintenance of emergency lighting systems, the standard can be used as a reference to ensure the reliability of emergency lighting system design.

3. Is LED maintained emergency lighting more expensive than non-maintained?

It’s something to consider! The answer depends on your needs and purpose of use from consideration.

Initial cost: LED maintained emergency lighting may be slightly more expensive.

Long-term cost: LED lights may be more economical in the long run due to their long life and energy efficiency.

Safety: Maintenance emergency lighting ensures continuous light, preventing darkness and ideal for high-traffic and critical areas.

So, if you’re thinking about long-term investment and safety, LED maintaining emergency lighting may be the better choice.