Emergency Lighting
Testing & Certification (3-Hour Drain Test)
Annual emergency lighting testing for HMOs, blocks of flats and commercial premises across London. We carry out the full 3-hour duration test, update your log book and issue your certificate the same day.
- Full 3-hour duration drain test
- BS 5266-1 compliant certificate
- Log book completed on site
- Evening & weekend slots available
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Next slot available: This week
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Simple, All Inclusive Pricing
Testing, log book entry and certification. All prices include VAT.
| System Size | Price (Inc VAT) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 Emergency Lights | £55* | |
| 3-6 Emergency Lights | £90* | |
| 6-9 Emergency Lights | £125* | |
| 9-12 Emergency Lights | £160* | |
| 12-15 Emergency Lights | £195* | |
| 15-18 Emergency Lights | £230* | |
| 18-21 Emergency Lights | £265* |
Your Emergency Lighting Testing Guide
What Is Emergency Lighting Testing?
Emergency lighting testing is the routine inspection of the battery-backed lighting that switches on automatically when the mains supply fails. Its job is simple but critical: to keep escape routes visible long enough for everyone to get out safely.
The system covers illuminated exit signs, bulkhead fittings along corridors and stairwells, and anti-panic lighting in larger open areas. Each unit holds its own battery, and batteries degrade quietly over time — a fitting can look perfectly healthy on its charge indicator and still fail within minutes of a real power cut.
That is precisely why the annual duration test exists. Testing under simulated failure conditions is the only way to prove the system will actually perform when it matters.
Escape Routes
Corridors, stairwells and final exits kept illuminated during a mains failure.
Exit Signage
Illuminated signs confirming the direction of travel to a place of safety.
Battery Backup
Each fitting runs from its own internal battery, independent of the mains.
Rated Duration
Most systems are rated to run for three hours from the moment power is lost.
Key Information
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01
Standard
BS 5266-1, the UK code of practice for emergency lighting.
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02
Frequency
Monthly function test, plus a full-duration test annually.
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03
Duration
Typically three hours of continuous illumination.
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04
Record
Every test must be entered in the system log book.
Testing takes time
A full duration test cannot be rushed — the batteries must genuinely discharge for the rated period, and they then need up to 24 hours to recharge fully before the system is back to full protection.
The Law: Who Is Responsible
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every non-domestic premises — and the common parts of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation — must have a designated responsible person. That is usually the employer, building owner, landlord or managing agent.
The Order requires that fire safety equipment, including emergency lighting, is subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order. It does not spell out the test regime itself; that detail comes from the British Standard.
Where BS 5266-1 fits in
BS 5266-1 is the code of practice for emergency lighting in premises. It sets out the monthly and annual testing routine, what should be recorded, and how systems should be designed and maintained. Following it is the accepted way of demonstrating that you have met your duty under the Fire Safety Order.
Your fire risk assessment should identify the emergency lighting on site and confirm it is being tested. If you have not had a current assessment carried out, our fire risk assessment service covers exactly that.
Enforcement sits with the local fire and rescue authority. Because enforcement action and penalties vary with the circumstances, you should check the current GOV.UK workplace fire safety guidance and the Fire Safety Order itself for the position that applies to your building.
Monthly Function Test vs Annual Duration Test
There are two distinct tests, and they are not interchangeable. Confusing them is one of the most common compliance gaps we find.
The monthly function test
A brief check — often called a flick test — that simulates a mains failure just long enough to confirm each fitting illuminates and each exit sign is lit. It is deliberately short so the batteries are not left depleted. Many buildings have a key switch or test facility that makes this straightforward for on-site staff.
The annual duration test
This is the serious one, and the reason most clients book professional emergency lighting testing. The supply is isolated and the system is left running on battery for its full rated duration — normally three hours. Every fitting must still be adequately illuminated at the end of that period, not merely glowing faintly.
- A fitting that dies after 40 minutes has failed, even though it lit up perfectly at the start.
- Batteries lose capacity gradually, so failures appear over time rather than all at once.
- Testing is best scheduled when the building is quiet and can be left to recharge afterwards.
Because the system is effectively unprotected while the batteries recharge, the annual test should be planned rather than carried out at random during busy periods.
The Emergency Lighting Testing Process
A clear, four-stage visit from arrival to certificate.
Survey & Asset Check
We walk the escape routes, count the fittings and exit signs, and check them against your existing records.
Simulated Power Failure
The lighting supply is isolated using the test facility or key switch so every unit switches to battery.
Full Duration Test
The system runs for its rated three hours while we check illumination levels and identify any failing units.
Log Book & Certificate
Results are entered in your log book, defects are listed, and your certificate is issued.
Maintained and Non-Maintained Fittings
Knowing which type you have matters, because it changes what a healthy fitting looks like day to day.
Maintained fittings are lit all the time and stay lit when the mains fails. Illuminated exit signs are the usual example, and they are common where the public is present.
Non-maintained fittings stay dark during normal use and only illuminate when the supply is lost. Most corridor and stairwell bulkheads in residential blocks work this way — which is exactly why a dark fitting tells you nothing about whether it works.
Maintained
Lit continuously, and remains lit on battery during a mains failure.
Non-Maintained
Dark in normal use; illuminates only when the supply fails.
Anti-Panic Areas
Open areas over a certain size need lighting so occupants can reach an escape route.
Escape Signage
Signs must be visible and indicate the direction of travel to a final exit.
Common Findings
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01
Battery fade
Unit lights up, but will not hold the full three hours.
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02
Missing log book
No record of monthly tests, so compliance cannot be demonstrated.
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03
Obstructed signage
Exit signs hidden by storage, decoration or new partitions.
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04
Gaps in coverage
Layout changes leaving a stair or lobby without adequate cover.
A dark fitting is not a faulty fitting
Non-maintained units are supposed to be dark. The only way to know whether they work is to test them — which is what the monthly function check and the annual duration test are for.
What We Check During Emergency Lighting Testing
Full 3-hour battery drain test
Every fitting is run on battery for the rated duration and checked for adequate illumination at the end.
Charging indicators
We confirm each unit is charging correctly and that healthy indicators are actually lit.
Escape route coverage
Corridors, stairwells, lobbies and final exits are checked for adequate coverage and obstruction.
Illuminated exit signage
Signs are checked for visibility, correct direction of travel and unobstructed sightlines.
Fitting condition
Diffusers, lamps and housings are inspected for damage, discolouration and water ingress.
Log book update
Results, defects and remedial actions are recorded, and your certificate is issued.
Who Needs Emergency Lighting Testing?
If people would struggle to leave your building safely in the dark, you almost certainly need emergency lighting — and if you have it, it must be maintained and tested.
- HMOs — communal stairs and corridors, particularly where licensing conditions apply.
- Blocks of flats — the common parts fall under the Fire Safety Order even though individual flats do not.
- Offices and retail units — escape routes, and open areas above the anti-panic threshold.
- Restaurants, pubs and venues — where lighting is low and occupancy is high.
- Warehouses and industrial units — long escape distances and few windows.
Emergency lighting rarely sits on its own. Most clients book it alongside their fire alarm servicing, extinguisher servicing or a commercial EICR, so the whole building is covered in one visit.
Your Log Book and Records
BS 5266 expects a log book for the system, and in practice it is the first thing an inspecting officer asks to see. Testing that is not recorded is very difficult to prove.
The log book should capture the date of each monthly function test and each annual duration test, any defects found, what was done about them, and who carried out the work. We complete these entries during the visit so your records stay current.
If your log book has been lost, we can start a fresh one and record the system as found — which is a far better position than having no documentation at all.
What Happens If a Light Fails the Test?
Failures are normal — that is the point of testing. A unit that will not hold its rated duration is non-compliant, but it is usually straightforward to put right.
In most cases the battery pack or lamp has reached the end of its life and can be replaced, often on the same visit where we carry the parts. Where a fitting is obsolete, water damaged or beyond economic repair, we quote for a like-for-like replacement.
Occasionally the survey shows the layout itself has moved on — a new partition wall, a changed escape route, or an extension leaving an area uncovered. In those cases we set out what additional fittings would restore proper coverage, so you can plan the work rather than be surprised by it.
You will always receive a clear list of what failed, what we did, and what remains outstanding.
How to Prepare for the Visit
A little preparation keeps the visit short and avoids a repeat call-out. None of it is complicated, but each item causes real delays when it is missed.
Access to the test facility
Most systems are isolated using a key switch, a dedicated test key or a breaker in a locked cupboard. If the engineer cannot reach it, the duration test simply cannot start. Please confirm who holds the key before the appointment — in managed blocks this is often the caretaker rather than the agent.
Access to every covered area
Escape lighting runs through corridors, stairwells, plant rooms, bin stores and roof-access lobbies. Any area the engineer cannot enter is an area that cannot be signed off, and it will appear on the certificate as untested rather than compliant.
Your existing paperwork
Have the log book, previous certificates and any installation drawings to hand. Knowing how many fittings should exist makes it far easier to spot units that have been removed during refurbishment and never replaced — a surprisingly common finding in buildings that have changed use.
Timing the discharge
Because the batteries are flat immediately afterwards and need up to 24 hours to recover, avoid scheduling the test right before a high-occupancy event or a period when the building will be busy after dark. Quiet weekday mornings work well for offices; residential blocks are usually best tested mid-morning once residents have left.
Five Compliance Mistakes We See Most Often
Across London properties, the same handful of problems come up again and again. None of them are difficult to avoid once you know to look.
1. Treating the monthly check as enough
A flick test proves a fitting switches on. It says nothing about whether the battery will last three hours. Buildings that only ever do the short test frequently fail their first full-duration test badly.
2. No written record
Tests that were genuinely carried out but never logged are, from an enforcement point of view, tests that did not happen. The log book is the evidence.
3. Refurbishment without reassessment
New partitions, a repositioned reception desk or a converted loft can change escape routes completely. The lighting layout that suited the old plan may leave the new one with dark spots.
4. Blocked or hidden exit signs
Signs disappear behind stacked stock, seasonal decorations and new signage. A sign that cannot be seen from the approach is not doing its job.
5. Assuming flats are exempt
Individual dwellings sit outside the Fire Safety Order, but the communal stairs, corridors and lobbies of a block do not. Those shared routes are exactly where escape lighting matters most.
If any of these sound familiar, a fire risk assessment is the sensible starting point — it identifies what your building actually needs before you spend money on fittings. You can also book a test online in under two minutes.
For background reading on escape lighting duties, the National Fire Chiefs Council publishes guidance aimed at responsible persons.
What Affects the Cost of a Test?
Our published price starts at £55.00, and for a small system that is usually all you pay. Larger or more complex buildings are quoted individually, and it is worth understanding what actually drives the difference.
Number of fittings
This is the single biggest factor. Every unit has to be located, observed at the start of the discharge and checked again at the end. A studio block with six bulkheads is a very different job from a four-storey office with sixty fittings and illuminated signage on every landing.
Building layout
Spread-out sites take longer to walk. Multiple staircases, split levels, basements and separate plant rooms all add time, as does anywhere requiring a second person or access equipment to reach high-level fittings safely.
Condition of existing records
Where a log book and drawings exist, the engineer can work from a known asset list. Where nothing has been kept, the first visit effectively includes a survey to establish what is installed — which takes longer but leaves you with records you can use every year afterwards.
Remedial parts
Testing is fixed price; replacements are not. Battery packs, lamps and complete fittings are quoted separately so you only pay for what genuinely failed. We will always tell you the cost before fitting anything.
Bundling with other checks
If we are already on site for a commercial EICR, alarm service or extinguisher service, the visit cost is shared across the work rather than charged twice. For managed portfolios this is usually the cheapest way to stay compliant across every building.
Emergency Lighting Testing: Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what landlords and building managers ask us most.
Legally, you must perform a short functional test (flick test) monthly to ensure the lights switch on, and a full rated duration test (usually 3 hours) annually to ensure the batteries last. We specialize in the annual 3-hour test.
During an annual test, we simulate a mains power failure by isolating the supply. The emergency lights must remain illuminated using their battery backup for the full 3 hours. If they go out before 3 hours, the battery is likely degraded and needs replacing.
Yes. BS 5266 requires a logbook to record all monthly and annual tests, as well as any maintenance repairs. If you do not have one, our engineer can provide a compliant logbook during the visit.
If a unit fails to light up or doesn't last the full 3 hours, it is non-compliant. We can often replace batteries, bulbs, or the entire fitting. We will provide a quote for any remedial work required.
While we focus on the complex annual drain test, we can provide training and logbooks for your onsite staff or responsible person to carry out the simple monthly flick tests.
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to common areas of residential blocks (HMOs and flats). If normal lighting fails, there must be adequate emergency lighting to allow safe evacuation.
The engineer visit is short, but the duration test itself runs for the full three hours. We normally isolate the system, carry out other checks, and return to verify illumination at the end of the period.
Yes. Because the system is unprotected while the batteries recharge, many commercial clients prefer an evening or weekend visit. Let us know when you book and we will arrange a suitable slot.
Our Accreditations
Recognised and certified by the UK's leading property safety bodies.
Emergency Lighting Testing Service Areas in London
We cover all 32 London boroughs, including North London, East London, South London, West London, and central districts. Fast dispatch for:
Keep your escape routes lit.
Book your annual emergency lighting testing with accredited engineers. Log book completed and certificate issued on the day.