LED sources have displaced fluorescent and incandescent lamps in emergency lighting almost completely. The change is real and it is narrower than the marketing suggests: it improved efficiency, lamp life and battery size, and it changed nothing about the duty to test, the duration required or the design of the installation.
What LED actually changed
Far lower power draw for the same light output, which means a smaller battery for the same duration, or a longer duration for the same battery. Much longer lamp life, which removes lamp replacement as a routine maintenance task. Smaller fittings, which makes discreet installation easier. Better instant start behaviour in cold conditions than fluorescent.
What it did not change
The battery, which is still the component that ages and still has to be duration tested annually. The design, which still follows the standard's requirements for where luminaires go and what illuminance they achieve. The monthly function test. The record. A building that replaced its fittings with LED and stopped testing has simply stopped testing.
The upgrade trap
Swapping a fluorescent emergency fitting for an LED one is not always a like for like change, because the light distribution differs. A fitting that produced a broad diffuse spread may be replaced by one with a tighter beam and more lumens, and the illuminance on the escape route floor can fall in the gaps between fittings even though each fitting is brighter. Where the layout was designed around the old distribution, the design has to be checked.
Self testing and addressable systems
LED fittings are frequently offered with self test electronics that run the monthly and annual tests automatically and log the results, or as part of an addressable system reporting to a central panel. On a building with hundreds of luminaires this removes a large recurring labour cost and produces a better record than manual testing does. The duty is unchanged; the evidence gets easier.
Questions people ask about led emergency lighting
Do LED emergency lights last longer?
The lamp does, considerably. The battery does not, and it is the battery that determines whether the fitting works when the power fails.
Can LED fittings replace old ones one for one?
Only if the light distribution is comparable or the layout is rechecked. Brighter is not the same as correctly distributed.
Is a self testing fitting worth it?
In a building with many luminaires it usually pays for itself in avoided labour and produces a complete log, which is better evidence than a manual record.