WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAINTAINED AND NON MAINTAINED EMERGENCY LIGHTING?
Whether it’s through fire, building works or just someone tripping over a cable, loss of power in a public building can induce panic, delay escape and ultimately cost lives. Failure to locate an exit can be devastating for a whole number of reasons from incidents to lose of life.
By law, every building that is designed for public use must be fitted with Emergency Lighting that activates in the event of a power cut and guides its occupants to the nearest emergency exit.
Emergency lighting is generally split into two options, maintained and non-maintained, but what’s the difference, and why should it matter to you and your building?
Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting
Non-maintained emergency lighting are designed to switch on when the buildings main power fails. The lighting is linked to a battery and to the buildings lighting circuitry, so these lights remain off while the mains power is working properly and will only turn on when the power is lost.
We have a range of non-maintained emergency lighting including Glade 1W downlight, Grove 2 IP65 Twinspot and the new Telesto LED Exit Sign. These products are designed to be used to illuminate exit routes, illuminate signs and identify exit signs.
Maintained Emergency Lighting
Maintained emergency lighting does the same as non-maintained but is doubles up as a building’s primary lighting supply running of the mains and linked to a chargeable battery. The light will remain on at all times but when the power is lost from the mains the battery kicks in to keep the light visible.
We have a range of maintained emergency lighting too which includes Glade 5W downlight, Meteor LED Bulkhead, Brook 2 Bulkhead and Razor LED exit sign. These products are designed to be used in environments where occupants may not necessarily know where they’re going and need guidance to the nearest exit.
So which should I use?
All depends on what emergency lighting is more applicable to your uses and building. The simple thing to do is assess your needs and choose accordingly, following the rule of thumb-
Familiar and small environments = Non-maintained lighting
Un- familiar and large environments = maintained lighting
But remember it’s not always that easy, so why not get a second opinion and speak to our team today on 0845 884 7000.
