Maintained luminaire

An emergency light that's lit in normal use and stays lit when the normal supply fails, often at lower output. A non-maintained fitting is dark until that supply fails. The design and the fire risk assessment decide which a space needs, and the difference matters on a test, because it changes what you expect to see lit and when.

Where to look it up: BS 5266-1.

Using Maintained luminaire in context

Reviewed

A distinction worth remembering

Maintained or non-maintained describes what an emergency light does while the normal supply is on. Check which is fitted before a test, so you know what should be lit and when.

Questions to take further

How can I revise Maintained luminaire beyond the definition?
Explain what Maintained luminaire describes, compare it with a related term and use it in a topic question. State any assumptions and what evidence you would need before applying the idea to real work.

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Where Maintained luminaire fits in the learning path

The Commercial and Specialist Systems section covers these units:

  • Three-Phase Distribution and Motors
  • Fire Alarm and Emergency Lighting Circuits

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    Recall a related term

    Which term fits this definition? Say it to yourself, then reveal it. This is a memory prompt, with no score or saved result.

    Lighting that works when the normal supply fails, so people can find their way out. BS 5266-1 is the code of practice, and power comes from a battery in each unit, a central battery bank or a generator that starts automatically. In England and Wales, article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires it on routes and exits that need lighting; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety law. Guidance for England and Wales gives a monthly function test and an annual full discharge test as typical, not as a fixed rule for every site.

    Open a meaning to compare its role with Maintained luminaire, or follow its full entry.

    Emergency lighting

    Lighting that works when the normal supply fails, so people can find their way out. BS 5266-1 is the code of practice, and power comes from a battery in each unit, a central battery bank or a generator that starts automatically. In England and Wales, article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires it on routes and exits that need lighting; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety law. Guidance for England and Wales gives a monthly function test and an annual full discharge test as typical, not as a fixed rule for every site.

    Read the Emergency lighting entry

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