For hospitals, schools, commercial premises and other complex environments, emergency lighting plays a number of critical roles including luminating critical areas that need to remain operational, providing lighting for occupants who cannot immediately evacuate, or keeping the lights on for activities that need to be brought to a safe conclusion. The publication of BS 5266-1:2025 reflects this wider role of emergency lighting across the built environment.
The revised British Standard expands the scope of emergency lighting and provides updated guidance for the design, installation and application of systems across different types of premises.
For estates, facilities and engineering teams, the recent update provides a useful opportunity to consider whether existing emergency lighting remains appropriate for the way their buildings are actually used today.
BS 5266-1 provides guidance and recommendations for the emergency lighting of premises, including the design, installation and wiring of emergency lighting systems.
The 2025 edition replaces BS 5266-1:2016 and represents a full revision of the previous standard.
Its purpose is to encourage a consistent approach to emergency lighting while recognising that different buildings, activities and occupants can present very different requirements.
Perhaps the most important change is the expanded scope of the standard. Traditionally, emergency lighting is most readily associated with emergency escape lighting, providing sufficient illumination to help people safely navigate a building when the normal lighting supply fails.
BS 5266-1:2025 now explicitly considers three broader applications: emergency escape lighting, local area lighting and standby lighting.
This distinction is particularly important in complex and operational buildings.
Local area lighting can support activities or specific areas where illumination is still required following the loss of the normal lighting supply. Standby lighting can allow normal activities to continue where appropriate.
It means the emergency lighting strategy should consider not only how people leave a building, but what needs to happen throughout the premises when normal lighting is interrupted.
A loss of normal lighting in an office presents very different challenges to a loss of lighting within a hospital, clinical environment or other critical facility.
Immediate evacuation may not always be appropriate or possible. Essential activities may need to continue, patients and other vulnerable occupants may require assistance, and staff need sufficient illumination to respond safely.
Emergency lighting therefore needs to be considered as part of the building's wider electrical resilience strategy. For healthcare estates in particular, this means considering how emergency lighting interacts with the wider electrical infrastructure supporting the premises, including mains distribution, standby generation, UPS and IPS systems.
Understanding these dependencies can help estates teams develop a more complete picture of how a building will respond when its normal electrical supply is interrupted.
The publication of a revised standard also raises an important question for existing buildings: does the emergency lighting system still reflect how the building is used? Buildings rarely remain unchanged throughout their operational life.
Refurbishments can alter layouts and escape routes. Rooms can change use. New equipment may be installed. Occupancy levels can increase, while the needs of the people using the building may also change.
An emergency lighting system that was appropriate when originally designed may therefore warrant review following significant alterations or changes in use.
This is particularly important across large or complex estates where modifications may have taken place gradually over many years.
An effective emergency lighting system needs to perform when it is required, not simply meet the requirements of its original design. Inspection, testing and maintenance are therefore essential throughout the lifecycle of the installation.
Estates teams should have a clear understanding of the emergency lighting assets across their buildings, their condition and maintenance requirements, alongside appropriate records demonstrating that systems have been tested.
Where shortcomings are identified, these should inform a planned programme of repair, replacement or upgrade. Modern automatic testing and reporting systems can also support organisations managing larger estates by providing improved visibility of emergency lighting performance and helping teams identify faults more efficiently.
BS 5266-1:2025 does not mean that every existing emergency lighting installation automatically requires replacement. However, the revised standard provides a valuable opportunity for those responsible for buildings to review their current arrangements.
This could include considering whether the emergency lighting strategy reflects the current use and layout of the building, whether appropriate provision exists for areas where occupants may remain during an interruption, and whether testing and maintenance arrangements continue to provide confidence in system performance.
For organisations responsible for multiple buildings, taking a planned approach can also help identify where ageing systems or changing building use should be prioritised for further assessment or investment.
With more than 50 years of electrical engineering experience, RD Jukes supports organisations with emergency lighting across healthcare, education, commercial and industrial environments. Our teams can design, supply, install, test, commission and maintain emergency lighting systems, helping clients manage their installations throughout the asset lifecycle.
We can also incorporate lighting control and automatic emergency lighting testing and reporting systems, providing greater visibility of system performance and supporting efficient ongoing management. As part of our wider electrical engineering capabilities, RD Jukes can support projects involving mains infrastructure and power distribution, standby power, UPS and IPS systems, helping clients consider emergency lighting as part of the wider resilience of their electrical infrastructure.
Need to review, upgrade or maintain your emergency lighting? Speak to RD Jukes about your requirements.