Emergency luminaires - the benefits of benchmarking

The benefit of benchmarking are clear - that the equipment is fit for purpose. If an ICEL member company supplies an emergency lighting luminaire for benchmarking, it means that upon successful completion of the BS EN 60598-2-22 tests, the submitted emergency luminaire, its manufacturer and the manufacturer's performance claims have been independently approved. It can then be demonstrated to inspecting fire authorities that the equipment is of the quality required. So, even though benchmarking is not a legal requirement, by specifying ICEL approved luminaires, clients can be certain that their professional reputations are protected.

Most importantly, benchmarking can give building owners and managers the reassurance that, in an emergency, the equipment will operate correctly, allowing safe evacuation of the building and providing light for emergency services.

In particular, use of ICEL registered emergency lighting products ensures that:

• Emergency luminaire lighting performance has been independently verified, supports good installation design, and has been manufactured according to requirements.
• Associated electronic components will last at least eight years, and the batteries will provide the full rated duration for at least four years at rated ambient temperature.
• The photometric spacing tables are authenticated to ensure that luminaire locations can be easily determined.
• There is direct access to technical support, the emergency lighting manufacturer concerned receives ISO 9001:2008 accreditation, is experienced, reliable and will provide a full after sales service.

So, although benchmarking has a cost, the end result is usually a lower total cost of ownership over the product lifespan - a significant benefit in itself.

It is still essential to regularly test emergency lighting luminaires manually or automatically, according to the recommended test schedule specified in BS 5266 Pt 8/EN 50172. Any required maintenance must be carried out.

Benchmarking batteries:

Batteries can overheat dangerously under fault conditions, yet must always be available to power emergency lighting lamps when required. ICEL, therefore, provides a third party battery certification and registration service scheme called ICEL 1010. It is thought that this is the only such testing carried out anywhere in the world, and it ensures that batteries operate within prescribed temperature limits over the full charge /discharge cycle and that the luminaire meets its performance claims. Benchmarked batteries will work properly for at least the required four years under worst-case conditions - this too means peace of mind.

Testing procedures:

BS EN 60598-2-22 photometric performance and other tests ensure that all emergency luminaire components operate correctly. The tests measure the light output and light distribution from the luminaire and are used to produce the spacing tables in the transverse and axial planes . The data obtained is used to design systems complying with BS EN 1838/BS 5266-7, which require that luminaire rated performance is available through, and to the end of the rated discharge. Testing also proves that all electrical safety and EMC limits are met, and that each luminaire will operate at elevated temperature to assist evacuation during fire conditions.

Other ICEL benefits:

Installers may have problems with emergency lighting spacing, so ICEL publishes its Authenticated Spacing Tables. These provide the information they need to help them decide whether or not extra fittings are needed. For specific mounting heights, as long as the spacings derived from the Authenticated Spacing Tables are complied with, the minimum light level on the centre line will be correctly provided.

ICEL also provides de-rating guidance - these factors reflect the aging and depreciation of the performance of the emergency luminaire. They will reduce the initial 'best case' data to show the worst case that will occur in the life of the luminaire - and is essential if the photometric performance data is used in computer aided design (CAD) of emergency lighting. Without it, reliable, accurate system design is not possible. EN 1838 promotes the use of these forms of authenticated data, because it is a lengthy and difficult procedure to obtain accurate results using light meters.

All of the above contribute to a responsible approach to good lighting with best sustainable results to clients, bringing confidence that emergency lighting installations are fully fit for purpose in protecting people and property.

Bernard Prately is director of ICEL, the Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting. www.icel.co.uk. ICEL holds one-day emergency lighting competent engineer courses on test and servicing recommendations, comprising the essential aspects of BS5266, Parts 1,7,8,10. Contact John Hugill on 07968 400 820 or email [email protected].

Emergency lighting under BS EN 60598-2-22:

Self-contained luminaires - These provide maintained or non-maintained emergency lighting in which all the elements (such as the battery, lamp, control unit, and test and monitoring facilities where provided) are contained within the luminaire or adjacent to it (within 1m cable length).

Centrally supplied (slave fittings) - In these fittings, the lamp and some of the control gear is located in the luminaire, but the charger and battery (and often the changeover device) is located remotely, providing the supply to a number of luminaires. Central power units may supply the luminaires with a range of DC voltages, or at 230V AC from an inverter. To operate on DC, some are specifically designed as emergency luminaires; others are converted mains luminaires.