When a fire or a power cut plunges a building into darkness, emergency lighting is what shows people the way out — along corridors, down stairs and through the exit. It only matters on the day it's needed, so it has to work first time. Regular testing is how you know it will.
Who needs emergency lighting testing?
If your building has emergency lights, they need testing. That typically includes:
- offices, shops, restaurants and other business premises;
- HMOs with emergency lighting on their escape routes;
- the communal hallways and stairs of blocks of flats;
- studios, workshops and community buildings.
Your fire risk assessment normally sets out where emergency lighting is needed and how it should be looked after. If you run an HMO, check your licence conditions too.
How emergency lighting works
- Non-maintained fittings stay off and only light up when the normal lighting supply fails.
- Maintained fittings are on all the time and keep working on battery when the supply fails — exit signs are often maintained.
- Most smaller buildings use self-contained fittings, each with its own battery. Larger buildings may use a central battery system.
Batteries age, fittings get damaged and signs get covered or moved, so a system that worked when it was installed won't necessarily work today. That's why testing matters.
What we test, step by step
- Find every fitting. We walk the building, list every emergency light and exit sign, and compare them with any plan or log book you have.
- Check each one. Damage, missing covers, signs that are blocked or pointing the wrong way, and charging indicators that aren't lit.
- Simulate a power failure. We cut the supply to the emergency lighting — with a test key switch where there is one, or by switching off the lighting circuit that feeds it — and check every fitting switches to battery and lights up.
- Run the full-duration test. The system runs on battery for its full rated duration, so we can see any fitting that fades or fails before the end.
- Restore the power and check the fittings go back to charging.
- Record the results — every fitting, pass or fail, with any faults described.
- Quote for any faults — failed batteries, lamps or fittings — with no obligation.
Planning around the recharge
After a full-duration test the batteries need time to recharge, and the system can't give full cover until they have. So we plan the test with you — for a quiet time, or when the building is empty or lightly used. If normal lights share a circuit with the emergency fittings, some may go off during the test; we'll tell you in advance.
Common faults
- batteries that no longer last the full duration;
- fittings that don't switch on at all when the supply fails;
- exit signs hidden behind new partitions, shelving or display stock;
- damaged or missing covers;
- charging indicators off because a fitting was disconnected during building work;
- fittings removed while decorating and never put back.
After a refit or a change of layout
Moving walls, adding partitions or changing how a space is used can leave part of an escape route without the light it needs. If the layout has changed since the system was put in, tell us. We'll note anything obviously missing, and your fire risk assessor can decide whether the design needs a fresh look.
How often?
Your fire risk assessment, and the standard your system was designed to, set the routine. It usually combines short, regular function checks — which you or a member of staff can often do — with a periodic full-duration test by a competent person. We'll explain the routine for your system, show you how to do the quick checks, and carry out the full-duration test for you.
Quick checks you can do yourself
A short function check — switching the emergency lights to battery for a moment with the test key switch, then walking round to see that every fitting lights — catches many failures early. Note each check in your log book, and call us if a fitting stays dark.
How to prepare
- Tell the people in the building when the test is happening, so nobody is surprised when the lights change.
- Find your log book, previous test records and any plan of the system.
- Make sure we can reach every fitting, including stairwells, stores and plant rooms.
- Show us where the test key switches are, if you know.
Your records
You receive a written record of the test: what was tested, the result for each fitting and any faults found. Keep it with your fire risk assessment and log book. It's the evidence a fire safety officer, insurer, managing agent or — for an HMO — the council may ask to see.
For HMOs and blocks of flats
Emergency lighting sits alongside your other safety paperwork. The circuits that feed it are covered by your EICR, so it's easy to plan both together — see HMO EICR. It's a good moment to check your smoke and heat alarms too. Our HMO electrical safety guide explains the wider picture.
For businesses
If you're booking a commercial EICR, have the emergency lighting tested at the same time: one plan, one set of access arrangements and less disruption for staff and customers.
What it costs
The price depends on how many fittings and exit signs there are, the type of system, access — high ceilings or locked areas, for example — and whether the test needs to happen out of hours. Tell us about the building (a plan or your fire risk assessment helps) and we'll give you a fixed quote before anything is booked. Replacement batteries or fittings are quoted separately.
Why book with us
- A full-duration test, not just a quick flick of a switch.
- Every fitting checked and recorded, pass or fail.
- Clear records for your fire risk assessment and log book.
- Faults explained and quoted, with no obligation.
- Planned around your building and the people in it.
- Insured — £5m public liability insurance.
- London-wide — all 32 London boroughs and the City of London.
Request a quote
Request a quote — tell us about the building and roughly how many fittings there are, and we'll call to confirm a fixed price and a date. Or call us on 07301 010244.