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ComGas Services UK Ltd
Lit escape route corridor in a commercial building
Emergency Lighting

Emergency Lighting

ComGas installs, tests and certifies emergency lighting systems for offices, schools, care settings and other commercial premises across Surrey and surrounding counties, supporting the responsible person's statutory testing duty with monthly checks, annual full-duration tests and clear records.

  • Installation to BS 5266-1
  • Monthly and annual testing to BS EN 50172
  • Certification and logbooks on completion
  • Remedial works and upgrades
Emergency lighting is a statutory duty, not an optional extra

The system only proves itself on the one day it is actually needed.

Emergency lighting exists to light escape routes, open areas and high-risk tasks if the normal supply fails, giving people enough time and visibility to leave a building safely. It sits alongside general electrical services but is tested and maintained on its own regime, because a luminaire that looks fine when the mains is on tells you nothing about whether its battery will hold a useful charge in the dark. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the duty to ensure emergency lighting is provided and maintained sits with the responsible person for the premises — not with any contractor carrying out the work.

Where testing lapses, where a layout changes without the lighting design being reviewed, or where batteries are simply left to age past their useful life, the shortfall is usually invisible until a power failure exposes it. A luminaire can pass a brief monthly check and still fail to hold its charge for the full duration required, and coverage gaps that were acceptable under an old floor plan can become genuine blind spots once partitions, storage or furniture change how a space is used.

ComGas installs, tests and certifies emergency lighting to BS 5266-1 and BS EN 50172 for commercial buildings across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, working to the escape route drawings and helping the responsible person keep a defensible record of what has been checked, when, and with what result.

ComGas Services UK Ltd
Emergency lighting installation and testing from Farnham, Surrey.

Commercial emergency lighting services

Installation, testing, certification and remedial works, delivered as one coordinated scope.

We survey existing coverage against the escape routes before recommending any installation or remedial work.

Installation & Extensions

New emergency lighting installation and extensions to cover layout changes, refurbishments or previously uncovered areas.

  • Escape route, open area and high-risk task lighting
  • Maintained or non-maintained luminaires specified to suit the area
  • Self-contained or central battery systems, as the building requires
  • Installed and commissioned to BS 5266-1
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Monthly & Annual Testing

Routine brief function tests and the annual full-duration test, carried out to the BS EN 50172 regime.

  • Monthly brief function test of each luminaire
  • Annual full-duration test, typically three hours
  • Testing timed around occupied buildings where possible
  • Self-testing and addressable systems supported where installed
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Certification & Logbooks

Certification issued on completion of installation or testing, and logbooks maintained so the responsible person has a defensible record.

  • Certification on completion of new installation work
  • Test certificates issued following annual full-duration testing
  • Logbook entries kept current and accessible
  • Records structured to support the responsible person's duty
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Remedial Works & Upgrades

Repair and upgrade of existing systems where testing identifies failed batteries, coverage gaps or obsolete fittings.

  • Failed or degraded batteries replaced
  • Luminaires no longer achieving full duration identified and replaced
  • Coverage gaps addressed following layout changes
  • Obsolete fittings with no available spares upgraded
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How we approach emergency lighting testing and installation

Survey the escape routes, test to schedule, record every result, then remedy and certify.

Before any new installation, we survey the building against its actual escape routes rather than assuming an existing layout is still correct — plans get updated, but the lighting design attached to them does not always keep pace. Where we are testing an existing system, we work to the monthly and annual regime set out in BS EN 50172, checking function and, on the annual visit, that each luminaire achieves its full rated duration rather than only lighting briefly.

Every result is recorded against the individual luminaire, so a pattern of failure in one part of a building is visible rather than lost in a single pass/fail summary. Findings are explained in plain terms and prioritised — a failed luminaire on a primary escape route is not the same priority as a minor gap in a rarely used store — before any remedial work is agreed and, on completion, certified.

  • Existing coverage surveyed against the current escape routes
  • Monthly and annual testing carried out to BS EN 50172
  • Full-duration test result recorded for every luminaire, not just a summary
  • Findings prioritised by their position on the escape route
  • Remedial work agreed before it is carried out, not assumed
  • Certification and logbook updated on completion
What we consider before any emergency lighting work

Layout changes, occupied buildings and battery age all affect what a system actually needs.

Emergency lighting installed correctly for one floor plan can leave gaps once partitions move, storage is added or a room changes use, so we check the design against the building as it is now, not as it was originally drawn. Annual full-duration testing typically discharges batteries for around three hours, which needs to be timed and communicated so the building is not left without emergency cover during an incident that coincides with the test window. Battery age, access to high-level fittings, and whether spares are still available for older equipment all shape whether a repair or a replacement is the sensible option.

  • Layout and use changes checked against the original lighting design
  • Full-duration testing timed to avoid leaving occupied areas unprotected
  • Battery age and remaining service life assessed, not assumed
  • Access arrangements confirmed for high-level or restricted fittings
  • Availability of spares checked before repairing obsolete equipment
  • Coordination with other planned electrical or fit-out works
Discuss Your Emergency Lighting Requirement

Every emergency lighting scope is based on the building's actual escape routes and current layout. We do not apply a standard specification without first confirming it still matches how the space is used.

Customer feedback

What customers say about our emergency lighting work.

Genuine reviews from ComGas customers submitted through Google.

Emergency lighting FAQs

Questions about emergency lighting testing, certification and installation

Common questions about the testing regime, who holds the duty, and how this service relates to other electrical work.

Talk to the emergency lighting team
Who is legally responsible for emergency lighting testing?

The duty sits with the responsible person for the premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, not with the contractor carrying out the work. We support that duty with testing, certification and logbook records, but we cannot take on the legal responsibility itself — that stays with the building's responsible person.

Does an EICR cover emergency lighting testing?

No. An electrical installation condition report assesses the fixed electrical installation and is carried out on a different cycle. It does not discharge the monthly and annual emergency lighting testing duty, which is a separate regime under BS EN 50172 and needs to continue in addition to any EICR.

What is the difference between monthly and annual testing?

The monthly test is a brief function check confirming each luminaire operates on loss of mains supply. The annual test is a full-duration test, typically three hours, confirming the battery can actually sustain the required illumination for that period rather than just switching on briefly.

Is this the same as your LED lighting upgrade service?

Not usually. General relighting and LED replacement is covered by our LED lighting upgrades service and addresses everyday illumination rather than statutory emergency cover. The two are often carried out together on a refurbishment, but emergency lighting is scoped and tested as its own system.

Why did our emergency lighting fail its full-duration test?

Common causes include a battery that has aged past its useful life, a luminaire that was never correctly matched to its lamp load, or general component wear. We identify the specific cause for each failed luminaire rather than replacing equipment on a blanket basis.

Do you provide logbooks and certification?

Yes. We issue certification on completion of installation or testing work and keep logbook entries current, so the responsible person has an accessible, defensible record to show what has been tested, when, and with what result.

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Overdue on testing, or reviewing coverage after a layout change?

Tell us about the building, the current state of your testing records, and any areas you know have changed since the system was last reviewed. We can advise on the right approach and arrange a survey where appropriate.

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