How Much Does Emergency Lighting Systems Cost?

Installing emergency lighting is a necessity for most public buildings. In the case of power going out in an urgent situation, these lights come on automatically so that occupants in the building can navigate their way to the exit.

If you are in the market for an emergency lighting system, there are a number of things to keep in mind. First of all, you have to take into consideration installation, testing and maintenance, in addition to the cost of buying the actual system. Based on IS 3217:2013 regulatory standards, emergency lighting systems need to be tested four times yearly and stipulated security features have to be followed for building owners to be in compliance.

The right type of industrial emergency lighting fixture must be selected to suit your location. In this article, you will learn about different emergency lighting systems and their associated costs.

Types of emergency lights

There are two main categories of emergency lights to choose from: self-powered and centrally-powered. Within these categories, you will find several types of lights, including:

• Exit signs and lights: Used to clearly show the way to the exit when there is a need to evacuate quickly.
• Oyster lights: Used in large rooms and spaces to improve visibility
• Batten lights: Which are used to provide emergency light in staircases and car parks
• Spotfire lights: Preferred in cases where maintaining the beauty of the area is important

Self-powered lights

With self-powered lights, each unit comes with its own battery that operates the light in emergency situations. Since they won’t need to be installed to the main power source, these lights can be used almost anywhere indoors or outdoors. They are also cheaper to source and maintain. However, self-powered emergency lights come with a few drawbacks:

• They have a short battery life. On standby, they can last two to four years and the battery packs can provide 1 – 3 hours of power backup.
• Areas that experience very high or very low temperatures will have a negative effect on their batteries, so they are usually not recommended for such places.
• Lights have to be tested independently, which can take up a lot of time if there are many such emergency lights installed.

Centrally-powered lights

As the name suggests, these emergency lighting systems are connected to a single central power source by way of electrical cables. The main battery providing the power in this set up lasts much longer than batteries in self-powered emergency lights – up to 25 years for some types. In addition, testing this type of system is easier because only the main power source needs to be checked. On the other hand, centrally-powered emergency lights have the following cons:

• The high initial cost to purchase, install, and maintain.
• Lighting system won’t be triggered if there is a problem on a localized main.
• The entire system will be compromised if the main power source fails for some reason

Now that we have looked at the categories and types of emergency lighting systems, it’s time to check out the associated costs. The prices of emergency lights vary widely depending on design, features, material, and installation costs, as well as testing and maintenance schedule.

On Amazon UK, for example, a non-maintained LED wall exit light with 3-hour backup power can cost a low of €18.99 to upwards of €48 per unit. A wall-mounted 220V LED safety light with 360^o rotation can start at €58 and up. Of course, there are variations of either lights that can run several hundred pounds, depending on battery pack, level of illumination and other features. Multiplying the costs of either unit by the amount of individual lights you will need for your building will give you an idea of how much it will cost to purchase the lights.

In terms of installation, the prices also vary significantly depending on the type of lights to be installed and the experience of the electrician doing the work. According to the website TrustedTraders, electricians can charge anywhere from €40 per hour to over €476 per hour based on the complexity of the job.

Testing and maintenance, which are done several times yearly are a bit more straightforward. According to the website SpiritEnergy, yearly testing and maintaining in a facility that contains 50 emergency lights will run about €2200 annually.

As you can see, it is not exactly easy to determine how much emergency lights cost. You may need help from experts such as the team at Power Right, who can help to determine the actual cost for your application, as well as ensure you don’t fall in breach of the standards.