Almost perfect 2200 SF. small office,bath the rest open space. Client is concerned because the owner states that five of the ceiling light fixtures out of a total twenty five must remain on 24/7 even when they are not open. He said the electrician told him it was a new code. Then he told me it had to do with title 24 which makes no since. Then he said it was for emergency egress. I looked for the battery back up and could not locate. Anyone hear about this requirement. As you can imagine leaving lights on 24/7 would cost a few $
It could be a local ordinance for security purposes. Check with the local police or fire marshall.
Thanks James, never thought of that. I can find nothing in the code, building and safety never heard of it.
From what I remember it’s a requirement if it’s an area like an office so that if someone is working in the evenings and the lights are turned off by someone else the person can find their way out. Many time those lights are also hooked up to the UPS or Generator. If you need more info I can get more info from a Commercial Electrician I know.
I would check the same.
At least one light has to remain lite at-near Exits when all switches are off, in Phoenix anyway, I don’t know what code you use there.
If there are Five Exits, five lights are to remain on.
I spoke to someone today about this. They stated it was required for egress and was something the Fire Department requires. There has to be a certain amount of lumen in the space so depending of shape of the room and type of lights used could mean more lights are needed to maintain the proper amount of lumen’s. There are also several ways to back them up with battery or generator. There are some brands of specific emergency light fixtures that have the battery built in. It looks like a ballast but is red. Since it’s inside the fixture you can’t see it. You also could have a battery in a remote area. It doesn’t have to be on the same office space or even on the same floor.