Emergency Lighting Battery Life Facts

Power-powered emergency lights contain battery backups. Regular maintenance testing will identify battery failures and must replace accessories or batteries when emergency lights fail the annual 3-hour test. That's the law! NAIPS can help you comply in this matter.

 

 

Battery Life Expectancy and Warranty

Generally, Emergency lighting Battery Packs are required to last 4 years, according to EN60598 2 - 22: "Self-Contained Luminaires shall incorporate batteries which are designed for at These batteries should only be used for emergency related functions within the luminaire or its satellite. " This does not mean you must replace them within four years or after four years, it only states the minimum.

 

As far as manufacturer warranties are concerned, you will usually find a quote like this in the warranty section of their literature. "For rechargeable emergency batteries with a physical rating of ≥ 4 years, [NAME] offers a warranty of 12 months after delivery." 

As with any other electrochemical component, batteries will always age. The minimum life expectancy of a battery is 4 to 5 years. The exact value depends on factors such as ambient temperature and the number of discharge cycles. If the specified emergency lighting operating time is no longer met, the emergency lighting battery (or the entire accessory) must be replaced.

 

What happens in practice

Any large building may have 300-400 or more emergency fittings, somewhere between dual-purpose fittings and stand-alone fittings. This requires a fair amount of care as the fittings age. Building and facility managers are usually well guided by the laws and regulations regarding emergency lighting. However, as the fixtures age, failures are imminent, at least once a year during the annual 3-hour test period. For newer buildings, after five, six and seven years of building life, there are "hard to budget" decisions, depending on test results, and more and more failures over time.

The solution is simple: replace the failures and carry them over to the next year. However, on a unit cost basis, this replacement work is expensive. Typically, the use of markup costs, work time and fixture costs will be no less than 110-130 euros per fitting. In addition, after purchasing the fittings and a qualified electrician, you must brief and supervise the operation of a random distribution of faulty fittings around the building as wide as the width around the building!

 

Step back and look at the big picture

Sometimes you have to stop and ask "Is there another way that is less hassle and less costly?" The answer is "Yes!" NAIPS offers a solution that addresses the cost issue and solves the problem of frequent breakdowns.