FAQs

At E&E Lighting Australia, we know Exit and Emergency Lighting products and standards might be difficult to understand. We have prepared a set of Q&A to help you comprehend the basics of Exit and Emergency Lighting, based on the most frequent enquiries we receive.

Our Company

At E&E Lighting Australia we specialise in exit and emergency lighting products tailored to meet the needs of the Australian market. Our team of experts combines more than 40 years of industry experience, thus they have extensive knowledge about exit and emergency lighting products and regulatory standards.

Learn more about E&E Lighting Australia here.

All of our products are designed and manufactured in accordance with Australian Standards. Each item is tested by an independent laboratory to ensure the best quality for our customers.

Beyond our exit and emergency lighting product range, our team of experts also provides customer support through:

  • On-site consultations.
  • Lighting design.
  • Cost saving analysis.
  • Design advice for construction projects.

Find more about our E&E consultation services here.

We supply our products to the market through the traditional channels, such as electrical wholesalers. Our prices are very competitive and all our products meet the highest industry standards, which ensures excellent quality and performance along with high compatibility with other alternatives in the market.

At E&E Lighting Australia, caring for the environment is one of our core values. We use LED technology in all of our products and both of our exit and emergency lighting product ranges include mercury-free recyclable lithium batteries.

General Emergency Lighting

An exit light or sign is a pictogram, with or without complementary text, which is installed in a public facility with the purpose of indicating path of travel towards the nearest emergency exit in case evacuation is needed. Exit signs are designed to be unmistakable and understandable and most of the relevant emergency codes (fire, building, health, or safety) require permanently illuminated exit signs.

Exit lights are compulsory in commercial, industrial and some residential buildings, being determined by the classes of the building codes of Australia.

Explore our exit lighting product range here.

An emergency light is a battery-powered luminare that switches on automatically when a building experiences a power outage. Emergency lighting includes emergency escape lighting, illuminated emergency exit signages, high-risk task-area lighting and standby lighting. Emergency lights are compulsory in commercial, industrial and some residential buildings, being determined by the classes of the building codes of Australia.

Explore our emergency lighing product range here.

Maintained luminaires are emergency lighting lamps that are on at all times as well as main failure outage. Non-maintained luminaire refers to illumination via battery back-up only during a main failure outage. Additionally, switch-maintained luminaire are emergency lighting lamps which allows illumination via an external switch and during a main failure outage.

For more information and personalised advice regarding exit and emergency lighting, you can contact one of our experts HERE.

A centrally supplied luminaire is a light source along with its emergency power source and associated charging and control equipment. Generally it is located in a remote room or enclosure, and the emergency power source may be located in a room with battery systems associated with building monitoring, fire safety or evacuation systems.

Self-contained or single-point luminaires have an integral battery and charger system for each individual luminaire, with its input power source generally supplied by a dedicated unswitched lighting circuit.

In case of a power disruption of the supplying power to a building’s general lighting, the emergency supply from the integral battery is activated automatically and energises the emergency luminaire’s light source, providing adequate lighting throughout the designated egress path of the building.

Architects, Electrical Engineers and Electrical Consultants usually are responsible for designing the floorplan of a new build or refurbishment, thus they will be the ones drafting and locating all the exit and emergency lighting devices.

Within the exit and emergency lighting Australian standards (AS/NZS 2293.1), maximum spacing tables are provided based on a luminaire classification. This classification must be provided by the manufacturer with third-party certification. For example, the following table is a direct reference from AS/NZS 2293.1.

Mounting heights for emergency exit signs shall not be less than 2 metres and not more than 2.7 metres above the floor level, or immediately above the doorway if the doorway is higher than 2.7 metres.

All buildings must register the periodic inspections and maintenance report in a hard-copy or digital logbook. The logbook must be kept on site and contain information related to:

  • Exit and emergency luminaire identification and location, circuit identification and location, battery voltage readings, discharge test results, diffuser / light source appearance observation.
  • Any maintenance task performed.
  • The personnel of those carrying out the maintenance and testing and the date the test was completed.

According to exit and emergency lighting Australian standards – AS/NZS 2293.1, clause 1.7 – every alteration of, or addition to an existing installation shall be deemed to be a new installation and all relevant provisions of this standard shall apply to every such alteration or addition.


Please contact us to discuss more before any alteration.

The purpose of the BCA is to safeguard occupants from injuries by providing adequate lighting, which specifies:

  • 0.2 lux, minimum, at floor level in general areas.
  • 1.0 lux at floor level in every stairway, ramp or fire isolated passageway.
  • The commissioning test duration provides 0.2 lux and an average of 0.5 lux at floor level for 1.33 x in-service time, commonly referred to as 120 minutes.
  • In the instances of a power failure, the emergency light must provide 0.2 lux and an average of 0.5 lux at floor level for a minimum in-service time duration of 90 minutes.

Installation and Maintenance

  • Yes. Only an “A grade” qualified electrician are qualified to perform installation on exit and emergency lighting luminaire.

  • E&E Lighting Australia is a supplier of exit and emergency lighting. We do not provide installation services, however we have the contacts to recommend consultants, electricians or essential service companies to assist with the design, installation and maintenance jobs.

  • A 6-monthly-test task should be performed as follows:

    1. Check floor plans or drawings for any alteration or addition since the last test.
    2. Check the logbook if any task is pending to ensure the last test was completed.
    3. Simulate loss of primary power using the desinated test facility and record if all exit and emergency luminaire operates for the required duration.
    4. Check the condition of each exit and emergency luminaire.
    5. Confirm all exit directional signs are directing traffic correctly.
    6. Check the logbook for units with a extended service life, which are due for replacement.
  • A 12-monthly-test includes:

    • All tasks included in the 6-monthly-test (refer to question above).
    • Revision of the directional beams luminaire to ensure they are in accordance with the design.
    • Cleaning of exit and emergency lighting luminare from dust and spiderweb.
    • Replacement of tubes with excessive end-blackening.
    • Inspection to ensure there is no visually significant reduction in light output or brightness for exit and emergency luminaire.
  • Emergency and exit lighting Australian Standards – AS/NZS 2293.1 – require batteries to be recharged within a period of no more than 16 hours, after which the luminaire must be able to perform its rated emergency function for a minimum of 90 minutes.

  • A test button is used to test the readiness of each emergency and exit luminaire, which is accessible from the outside of the luminaire and is provided on each fitting. Pressing the test button will test the battery and emergency operation of the fitting. Additionally, each fitting will include a visual indicator of the battery charging status.

    Typically within the local distribution board, a manual test facility will:

    1. Simulate a mains failure and commence a battery discharge test. The test facility must:

      • Either be key operated or located in an area with restricted access.
      • Be capable of being manually reset.
      • Automatically reset to the normal state at the conclusion of the discharge test.
      • Each test switch must be labeled with “Emergency escape lighting and exit sign test switch”.

    2. Simulate a mains failure which will force the exit and emergency luminaires into battery operation. The luminaires must remain illuminated on battery supply, providing 0.2 lux at ground level, for a period of no less than 90 minutes.

      • Record the results of the discharge test and restore the mains power while making sure that the charging indicator operates correctl

Policies and Warranties

  • If you purchased one of our products for a particular project and it is no longer required, please return the product to your local electrical wholesaler in a resellable condition and we will proceed with the refund. A 20% restocking fee may apply.

  • Please contact your local electrical wholesaler from where you bought the product. Authorised staff from E&E Lighting Australia will inspect the faulty fitting and those found to be faulty will be replaced free of charge (please refer to our Warranty Policy).

Need further advice? Request a consultation from one of our experts to receive personalised support based on your unique needs and requirements.