Do I Need Battery Backup?

Pretty much all emergency lights and exit signs are manufactured with internal battery backup. The question as to whether or not this is necessary is a natural one; one which easily comes to the mind of many. To answer this question, we need to understand the purpose of these units and how they function.

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First of all, emergency lights and illuminated exit signs are a legal requirement, specified by various governmental regulations. For this reason, we put them in our buildings. Since the easiest and most cost effective manner we have of producing light is for electricity, and the time we need these units is when there is a loss of electrical power, we install units with battery backup.

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Emergency lights are intended to provide emergency egress lighting, in the case of power loss. Inside the unit, there is a circuit board, which recognizes the loss of electrical power and turns on the light. However, without electrical power, the light needs to battery backup, so that it can provide this emergency illumination.

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Exit signs are different than emergency lights in that they are on at all times; or at least on at all times when the facility is occupied. However, just like the emergency lights, they need electrical power to maintain illuminated in the case of loss of building power.

Battery Backup Operation

The lamps in both emergency lights and exit signs work off of low voltage DC power, not the 12 volts AC power of house current. Essentially, they are working off the battery power, not the building power. Internal circuitry changes the building power to battery power to recharge the battery, which then provides power to run the lamps.

Central Battery Backup Systems

There is an exception to having battery backup in each emergency light and exit sigh; that is to have a central battery backup, which provides power to all the emergency lights and exit signs in the case of power loss. This requires the use of special lighting and signs, which are designed to work with a central battery backup. The basic difference between these units and standard units is that they don’t have the transformer and battery of a standard unit. Instead, they depend upon the central battery backup for their power.

These central power units need to be sized to provide enough power for all the emergency lamps and exit signs, for the full 90 minutes required by regulations. They also require wiring the building to provide a separate circuit from the central power unit to all emergency lights and signs. As most commercial and public buildings have a separate circuit for the emergency lights and exit signs, this really isn’t a problem.

Photoluminescent and Self Luminous Exit Signs

There is one other option, at least for exit signs, which totally eliminates the need for battery power. That is to install photoluminescent and self luminous exit signs. These signs are illuminated by other means, which don’t require any electrical power to function. As such, they provide a cost savings in installation and operation.