One of the newest technologies available in emergency lighting is the LED or light emitting diode. LED was rather dim when it was first introduced, but recent advancements have greatly improved both the white colour and its brightness. Many of the newer battery powered lights and electronics being built today use 3 or 4 batteries with a higher voltage and a smaller size such as AA or AAA instead of 1 or 2 of the larger C or D size batteries typically used in older devices.

Some facilities are required to keep a minimal level of emergency lighting along the entire means of egress whenever the building is occupied. The means of egress may be more than just the aisles and main corridors, and emergency lighting may have to extend from each exit to every location where people might normally be found. Any building is dark if there is a power failure.

Emergency lighting will also be necessary if there is a fire in the building, as this could cut the electrical supply. You may be able to use a few torches kept in convenient places for small buildings where few people work. Some torches have a charger, which plugs into a mains socket, and these torches usually come on automatically when the mains power fails.

Emergency lighting units are available in two kinds: "non-maintained" (which come on only in a power failure) or "maintained" (which can be on all the time). Non-maintained units are more common, but maintained lights should be installed for exits and exit signs. Emergency lighting almost always consists of unattractive boxes fixed to ceilings and walls.

Though power outages don’t happen that often, it’s very important that when they do occur, your building is duly equipped with emergency lighting that can illuminate a path of safety for the people inside. There are many different emergency lighting options for facilities; choices range from torches to simple wall-mounted units to complex systems integrated into your building’s primary lighting system.

Here are some of your options:

• Battery-powered unit equipment: these are compact emergency lights, available in a variety of models.
  
• Fluorescent emergency ballasts: these work in conjunction with existing lighting systems to convert standard fluorescent fixtures into emergency lights.
  
• Diesel, gasoline or LP powered generators: these provide backup emergency power to existing lighting systems.
  
• Inverters: essentially these are UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems.

The first question to ask is whether emergency lighting is really necessary at all. Photoluminescent technology is another option that can lead occupants to safety when the electricity goes out and a building must be evacuated. The purpose of this technology is not the illumination of a space, but rather to provide definition so people can orient themselves.

Lights should be installed along corridors, near fire exits and fire extinguishers or fire alarm call points. It might not be possible to install normal emergency lighting in some buildings because it might interfere with historic features. All emergency lights need to be checked periodically. All mains powered units need to be tested for a functional test for about 10 minutes every month.

Emergency lighting and exit signs provide illumination for the safe exit along designated routes of egress towards exit doors in the event of a power failure. An adequate amount of emergency lighting and exit signs must be installed throughout the path of any egress route, stairs, corridors, ramps, escalators and aisles leading to safety. Emergency lighting may also be a part of the standard lighting of a building, which may have a secondary power source, such as an emergency generator.