Emergency Lighting Installation UK — Design, Installation & MaintenanceEscape route design • Photometric calculations • Commissioned and certified • North West based

There is no standard rate per fitting, because installation is priced on labour and that is driven by the building. The biggest single factor is the distance cable has to run between each luminaire, and how practical that route is — surface trunking, above ceilings, through fire compartments, below floor or through occupied areas. On top of that we take account of the number and type of luminaires, whether the system is self-contained, central battery or addressable, whether new circuits or a distribution board are needed, whether the building stays occupied during the works, and any out-of-hours or weekend working. Because those vary so much from site to site, a per-point figure would be misleading. Instead we carry out a free site survey and provide a written fixed-price quotation broken down by scope — design, supply, installation, commissioning and certification — so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person must keep escape routes adequately lit and maintain emergency lighting in efficient working order. BS 5266-1 is the code of practice that sets out what that means in practice — escape route lighting, open area (anti-panic) lighting and, in some cases, high-risk task area lighting. It applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, plus the communal areas of residential buildings. A properly designed and documented system is how you evidence compliance.

We design, install and commission to BS 5266-1, the UK code of practice for emergency lighting, together with BS EN 50172 for escape lighting systems and BS EN 1838 for the light-level requirements. Fixed wiring is installed and tested to BS 7671, and new-build work is coordinated with Approved Document B. Our commissioning certificate confirms the system has been installed and verified against the design.

A maintained luminaire is lit all the time and continues to work when the mains fails — it doubles as ordinary lighting, which is why it suits cinemas, halls, plant rooms and anywhere occupied during a power cut. A non-maintained luminaire stays off and only illuminates on loss of mains supply, which is standard for corridors, offices and most escape routes. Most buildings use a mix of both, and choosing correctly is part of the design rather than something to decide on site.

Yes, and most of our installation work is in buildings that stay open. We phase the work in sections so escape routes remain covered and usable throughout, and we work evenings, nights or weekends where noise, access or trading hours require it. We will agree a phasing plan and a programme before starting so your operation knows exactly what is happening and when.

Yes. You receive the design drawings and fitting schedule, as-fitted drawings showing what was actually installed and where, a BS 5266-1 commissioning certificate, test results for the new circuits, and an operation and maintenance file. These are the documents a fire officer, insurer or auditor will ask to see, and they are what make a system demonstrably compliant rather than just present.

Yes. Phased upgrades are common — replacing failed or end-of-life fittings floor by floor, converting a central battery system to addressable self-contained units, or swapping fluorescent emergency fittings for LED. We will tell you honestly where a partial upgrade works well and where the existing infrastructure is too poor to build on, rather than selling a full replacement you do not need.

It depends on scale and access. A small single-floor premises can usually be completed in a day or two once the design is approved. Larger buildings, central battery systems and multi-phase fit-outs run for weeks and are programmed in sections. We give you a realistic programme with the quotation rather than an optimistic figure, and we keep to agreed dates.

Photometric design means calculating the actual light level each luminaire will produce along the escape route and at floor level, then positioning fittings so the required levels are met — rather than simply replacing old fittings in the same spots. It matters more than ever under BS 5266-1:2025, which introduces mandatory photometric verification every five years. In practice that means measured light levels are checked with calibrated equipment against the original design, with the results recorded in the log book. That check is only possible if there was a documented design to begin with, which is the difference between a system that passes a duration test and one that is genuinely adequate.

We install nationwide, with our base in Chorley, Lancashire and engineers covering the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands, the South Coast and London. For North West work in particular we are local — which means faster site surveys, quicker mobilisation on remedial works and no travel loading on the quotation. Wherever your premises is, we can assign a local engineer and keep a consistent specification across multiple sites.

Yes, and it is how most of our installation customers work. We schedule the monthly function test and the annual 3-hour duration test automatically, maintain the log book, rectify failed fittings and hold relevant spares for your system so you are not waiting on parts during a compliance deadline. We also take over testing and maintenance of systems installed by other contractors.

In most cases, yes for the common parts. The communal areas of an HMO or block of flats — corridors, stairwells and shared exits — fall within the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, so they need adequate emergency lighting, usually with a documented testing regime. Requirements vary with building height, layout and licensing conditions, so it is worth having the specific property assessed rather than working from a general rule.