What is emergency lighting installation?
Emergency lighting is lighting that switches on automatically when the normal supply fails, so people can find and use escape routes safely. In the UK it is designed to BS 5266-1:2025 and BS EN 1838:2024, which sets at least 1 lux across the width of an escape route, and it must be tested and maintained.
What's included
- Design and risk-based layout for escape routes, open areas and high-risk tasks
- Maintained or non-maintained LED emergency luminaires
- Illuminated exit and directional signs
- Self-test or addressable systems for larger buildings
- Commissioning and a full-duration test on completion
- Certificates and a log book for your fire risk assessment
How we deliver emergency lighting installation
Survey
Escape routes, open areas, fire doors, stairs and existing fittings.
Design
Positions, types and durations to BS 5266-1 and BS EN 1838.
Install
Fitting, wiring and labelling of the test facility.
Commission
Full-duration test, certificate and log book.
Guide prices
National guide budgets, supplied and installed, excluding VAT. Your fixed price follows a free survey.
| Item | Guide budget (ex VAT) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency luminaire or exit sign | £60 – £150 | per fitting, supplied and fitted |
| Annual 3-hour emergency lighting test | £125 – £400 | per visit, small system |
| Monthly emergency lighting function test | £50 – £150 | per visit |
| Commercial electrician | £300 – £500 | per day |
Example: 25 emergency luminaires and exit signs in a two-storey office: about £1,500 – £3,750 excluding VAT. Get a figure for your site.
Standards and rules we work to
| Topic | Current position |
|---|---|
| Wiring | BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations. Every installation is tested and certified. |
| Workplace light levels | BS EN 12464-1:2021, for example 500 lux on office task areas and 150 lux at the floor of rack storage. |
| Emergency lighting | BS 5266-1:2025 code of practice, BS EN 1838:2024 light levels and BS EN 50172:2024 testing and records. |
| Energy efficiency of new lighting | England: Approved Document L (95 luminaire lm/circuit-W, rising above 105 from 24 March 2027). Wales: Welsh Approved Document L (new edition from 4 March 2027). Scotland: Section 6. Northern Ireland: Technical Booklet F2. |
| Fire safety duties | England and Wales: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Scotland: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. Northern Ireland: Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. |
| Waste | Fluorescent tubes are hazardous waste and are recycled through authorised routes, with paperwork. |
Emergency lighting installation FAQs
Is emergency lighting a legal requirement?
In England and Wales, the responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 must provide adequate emergency lighting where escape routes need it. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety legislation with similar duties.
Which standard applies?
BS 5266-1:2025 is the current code of practice, replacing the 2016 edition. It works alongside BS EN 1838:2024 for light levels and BS EN 50172:2024 for installation, testing and records.
How long must emergency lights last?
The rated duration is set by the design and risk assessment. Three hours is common in premises that may be reoccupied after an incident.
What does emergency lighting cost?
As a budget, emergency luminaires and exit signs cost around £60–£150 each supplied and installed, excluding VAT. New circuits, design and certification on larger sites add to this.
Emergency lighting installation by area
We provide emergency lighting installation in every part of the UK. Choose your area:
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- City of Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Clwyd
- Dyfed
- Gwent
- Gwynedd
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- South Glamorgan
- West Glamorgan
- Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
- Dundee and Angus
- Argyll and Bute
- Ayrshire
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Fife
- Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire
- Glasgow and Dunbartonshire
- Highlands and Islands
- Lanarkshire
- Moray
- Perth and Kinross
- Renfrewshire and Inverclyde
- Scottish Borders
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
Related services
Emergency lighting testing
Monthly function tests, annual duration tests and certificates.
Lighting maintenance contracts
Planned maintenance, emergency lighting tests and reactive repairs.
Fit-out and new-build lighting
First and second fix lighting for fit-outs, refurbishments and new units.
Lighting surveys and lux testing
Lux readings, condition surveys and energy audits for existing lighting.
Guides
How much does commercial LED lighting cost in the UK?
Guide prices for LED panels, battens, high bays, emergency lighting, controls and external lighting, with worked examples.
Emergency lighting regulations: BS 5266-1:2025 explained
The standards behind UK emergency lighting: BS 5266-1:2025, BS EN 1838:2024 and BS EN 50172:2024, and how they fit with fire safety law.
Emergency lighting testing: monthly and annual checks
How to test emergency lighting: monthly functional tests, annual duration tests, log books and five-yearly illuminance checks.