Emergency lights vs wall pack lights: one is code-required life-safety egress lighting (UL 924), the other is general exterior/area illumination. This guide breaks down the difference, when to use each, and what to look for so you stay compliant and cover your site effectively. For the full life-safety overview, see the Emergency Lighting Guide.
Last updated: October 2025
Overview
Emergency lights are life-safety devices. They are UL 924-listed and must illuminate exit routes for at least 90 minutes during a power loss. Wall packs are general/exterior luminaires used for perimeter, façade, and parking-area illumination. They improve visibility and security but do not replace code-required emergency lighting.
Use-Case Differences
Emergency Lights (UL 924)
- Purpose: life-safety egress lighting inside corridors, stairwells, exit discharge paths.
- Behavior: sense loss of normal power and switch to battery automatically.
- Runtime: provide code-required ≥ 90 minutes of illumination.
- Where: interior egress routes; some models are damp/wet/location-rated for semi-outdoor transitions.
Wall Pack Lights
- Purpose: general/exterior illumination for building perimeters, entrances, parking lots.
- Behavior: operate on normal power (often with photocell or controls); not inherently battery-backed.
- Runtime: no emergency runtime requirement unless an emergency battery kit is specified.
- Where: exterior walls, loading docks, pathways—driven by lighting quality and ordinance needs.
Pros & Cons at a Glance
| Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Lights | UL 924 egress runtime; self-testing options; compact; flexible placement | Focused on egress, not large-area flood; need periodic testing/logs |
| Wall Packs | High output; wide distributions; great for security and wayfinding outdoors | Not a life-safety substitute; no guaranteed runtime without an emergency kit |
What to Look For (Buyer’s Checklist)
Emergency Lights
- UL 924 listing & runtime: verify ≥ 90 min emergency operation.
- Self-testing: reduces monthly/annual manual checks; flagged faults are easier to fix.
- Output & optics: lumen package and beam spread for your ceiling height and spacing.
- Environment: wet-location or cold-weather variants for outdoors or unconditioned spaces.
- Durability: thermoplastic for standard interiors; steel or die-cast for high-traffic/heat.
Wall Packs
- Lumen output & distribution: type II/III/V optics, backlight control for cutoff needs.
- Controls: photocell, occupancy, or time-based dimming for energy savings.
- Color & quality: CCT (3K/4K/5K) and CRI to match your exterior standard.
- Weatherability: IP65+ gasketing and corrosion-resistant finishes for harsh sites.
- Emergency option: if needed, specify models with an integral e-battery kit.
Codes & Compliance
- Emergency lights are required: UL 924/NFPA 101 mandate egress illumination and ≥ 90 min runtime. They must activate automatically on power loss.
- Wall packs: governed by lighting ordinances and energy codes (e.g., BUG ratings, cutoff), not egress runtime—unless a specific emergency kit is provided.
- Outdoor egress: where exit discharge continues outdoors, use wet-location emergency lights along that path to satisfy life-safety illumination.
Inspector tip: Keep monthly/annual test logs for emergency units; note any corrective actions and retests.
Common Scenarios
- Perimeter & doors: wall packs for security + wet-location emergency lights at exit discharge.
- Stair towers: emergency lights for egress + a separate area luminaire if exterior stairs need general light.
- Loading docks: wall packs for nightly operations; emergency units for code-required egress.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Use emergency lights to satisfy life-safety egress requirements and wall packs to deliver broad, comfortable outdoor lighting. Together, they make a complete, code-aware exterior/egress strategy.
- Map exit routes and place UL 924 units for overlapping emergency coverage
- Add wall packs for general exterior visibility and security
- Outdoors? Choose wet-location emergency lights along exit discharge