Emergency lighting needs a short test every month and a full three-hour test every year, both written in the logbook. Here is what each test involves, who is responsible, what usually fails, and what the 2025 edition of BS 5266-1 added.
Who is responsible
The responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 has to make sure emergency lighting is tested and the results are recorded. In a workplace that is the employer or whoever controls the premises. In a block of flats or an HMO it is usually the freeholder, the managing agent or the landlord, for the common parts.
Your fire risk assessor, your insurer and, for licensed HMOs, the council will ask to see the emergency lighting certificate and the logbook. Missing records are one of the most common findings in a fire risk assessment.
The monthly function test
Once a month, every emergency light and illuminated exit sign is switched to its battery for a short time, using the test key switch or the self-test facility, and someone walks the building to check that each one comes on. Anything that does not light is reported for repair. The date, the result and any failures go in the logbook.
It only takes a few minutes in most buildings, and it can be done by a member of staff or the building manager once they have been shown how.
The annual full-duration test
Once a year, every fitting runs on battery for its full rated duration, which is three hours in almost every building, and is checked to make sure it is still lit at the end. This is the test that finds batteries that light up for a moment but give out long before three hours.
After a full-duration test the batteries need many hours to recharge, so the test is done when the building is quiet. In premises where people sleep, such as HMOs, blocks of flats and care homes, it is done in stages, so a floor or a section is never left without emergency lighting overnight. The annual test should be carried out by a competent person, who issues a certificate.
What the 2025 edition of BS 5266-1 added
BS 5266-1:2025 replaced the 2016 edition on 31 October 2025. The change most building owners will notice is a check of the installed light levels at least every five years, against BS EN 1838: at least 1 lux across the width of escape routes and at least 0.5 lux in open areas. Fittings dim as they age and rooms get rearranged, so a system that passed when it was new can fall short years later.
What usually fails
Most failures on an annual test are simple, and most can be put right on the day.
- Batteries at the end of their life. Self-contained fittings usually need new batteries after about four years.
- Fittings that only light during a test, or not at all, because of a wiring or supply fault.
- A charge indicator that is off, meaning the fitting has no mains supply to charge from.
- Exit signs with the wrong or missing pictogram, or signs that cannot be seen from the escape route.
- Fittings painted over, covered, or removed during decoration and never refitted.
Self-test emergency lighting
Self-test fittings run their own monthly and annual tests and show the result on an indicator light. They save a lot of time in larger buildings. Someone still needs to check and record the results, deal with failures, and look at the installation as a whole, so they stay on an annual schedule.
What it costs in London
Our annual emergency lighting test is from £150 + VAT, with a certificate. Larger buildings are priced after a free survey, and any repairs are quoted at a fixed price first. Emergency lighting can be booked on the same visit as your fire alarm service, so you have one contractor and one set of certificates.
See our emergency lighting testing and installation page for details, or call 020 8946 5567.
Need help with this in London?
Security Red Alert covers all 32 London boroughs from our Summerstown SW17 office. Explore our Fire Alarm Installation, Home Fire Alarms, Fire Extinguishers and Emergency Lighting Testing services, or call 020 8946 5567 for a free survey.