Emergency luminaires are not decorative or commercial products — they are life safety equipment. They illuminate escape routes when main power fails during a fire, power outage, or emergency — enabling building occupants to evacuate safely. The consequences of emergency luminaire failure in a real emergency are measured in human lives.
India's building regulations require emergency lighting in commercial buildings, hospitals, hotels, educational institutions, and public buildings. IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 sets the safety requirements for these critical products — and the 2026 revision introduces the most technically significant updates this standard has seen in over a decade.
---This is the most significant technical update in the 2026 revision. Emergency luminaires have traditionally used nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries — robust, well-understood, and tolerant of the charge/discharge cycling requirements of emergency lighting. However, lithium battery technology has made major inroads into the emergency lighting market for reasons of:
The challenge is that lithium batteries present more complex safety management requirements than NiCd. Thermal runaway — the catastrophic exothermic failure mode of lithium batteries — is a serious risk if batteries are poorly managed.
IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 introduces specific requirements for lithium-battery emergency luminaires:
Battery Management System (BMS) requirements:EDLCs (supercapacitors/ultracapacitors) are an emerging energy storage technology for emergency lighting with several compelling advantages:
Their limitation is lower energy density than batteries — meaning larger or heavier units for the same energy storage capacity.
IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 introduces requirements for EDLC-based emergency luminaires — the first time this technology has been formally addressed in an Indian Standard for emergency lighting. Requirements cover charging behaviour, discharge safety, maximum voltage limits, and operation in emergency mode.
Emergency luminaires have multiple operating modes:
Rest mode: The luminaire's normal standby state — mains power present, battery being maintained at charge. Most emergency luminaires spend 99%+ of their operating life in rest mode. Inhibiting mode: A mode that suppresses emergency activation — used during testing, maintenance, or in 24-hour occupied spaces (like hospitals or hotels where the lights must not suddenly switch on in the middle of the night during testing, as this would alarm occupants).The 2026 version provides updated, more precise definitions and test conditions for both modes — resolving previous ambiguities that had led to inconsistent testing between laboratories. The new definitions ensure that inhibiting mode cannot be accidentally engaged in a way that would prevent emergency operation in a real emergency.
Tests verifying emergency luminaire performance at elevated temperatures have been clarified in the 2026 version. This is particularly relevant for luminaires installed above suspended ceilings in commercial buildings — where temperatures can significantly exceed room ambient due to heat stratification.
The clarified test conditions ensure that emergency luminaires can be reliably tested for high-temperature performance, giving greater confidence that products certified under IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 will perform in real building thermal conditions.
Material testing requirements for components inside the battery compartment and control circuitry have been clarified. The key concern is fire propagation — if the battery or a driver component fails with localised heat generation, materials in the vicinity must not sustain combustion.
Glow wire and needle flame tests at specified temperatures confirm that materials will not support fire propagation from a localised fault.
Exit sign luminaires must have clearly legible markings — the exit arrow and text must be readable against the background illumination of the luminaire. The 2026 version clarifies the test method for measuring this contrast, including the test setup geometry and measurement conditions.
---No. The new lithium battery requirements apply specifically to luminaires using lithium batteries. If your products use NiCd batteries, the NiCd-specific requirements from the previous standard continue to apply — the 2026 version retains NiCd requirements alongside the new lithium battery requirements.
However, be aware that the market is shifting toward lithium batteries for new designs, and if you plan to launch lithium battery products in the future, those will require testing under the new lithium-specific provisions.
Emergency luminaire duration testing verifies that the luminaire provides its rated luminous output for its rated emergency duration (1 hour, 3 hours, or other specified duration) when operated from its battery after a full charge cycle.
For a 3-hour rated luminaire:
The test must be conducted at the luminaire's maximum rated ambient temperature — for Indian applications, this should typically be tested at 40°C or higher ambient.
For lithium battery luminaires under the 2026 standard, cycle life testing verifies that the battery maintains sufficient capacity for the rated emergency duration even after the specified number of charge/discharge cycles over the product's design life.
Inhibiting mode allows building managers to suppress emergency activation during periods when occupants would be disturbed. For hospitals, this allows testing to be conducted during the day without causing alarm at night.
However, the standard requires that inhibiting mode has safety limitations:
The 2026 version clarifies these requirements, ensuring that inhibiting mode cannot accidentally create a situation where emergency lighting fails to activate in a real emergency even after extended periods of use.
For hospital applications, a key consideration is the DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) or equivalent control system — properly programmed, this allows scheduled testing during approved hours and automatic return to normal monitoring mode.
Modern emergency luminaires increasingly incorporate self-testing capability — the luminaire automatically performs a brief duration test at a programmed interval (typically monthly for the lamp/LED operation and annually for the full rated duration), records the result, and provides an indication of pass or fail.
IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 and the associated IEC 62034 (Automatic test systems for battery-powered emergency escape lighting) address self-testing emergency luminaires. Key requirements include:
In commercial buildings in India, self-testing emergency luminaires are increasingly specified by building services engineers and fire safety consultants — reducing the need for manual monthly tests.
Lithium batteries used in emergency luminaires must comply with IS 16046 (Part 2) — the BIS standard for secondary lithium cells and batteries. This is a separate mandatory product certification from IS 10322.
If your battery supplier is providing batteries to you as components (not end-use products), the battery certification obligation depends on whether the batteries are sold separately:
In practice, most battery manufacturers serving the Indian market ensure their batteries are BIS certified — it is a market requirement for sales. Verify your battery supplier's IS 16046 (Part 2) certification status.
Additionally, with the new 2026 requirement for rated capacity verification (per IS 16047 Part 3 Clause 7.3.1), ensure your battery supplier can provide capacity test data confirming the declared rated capacity.
IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 does not mandate a specific IP rating for all emergency luminaires — the required IP rating depends on the installation environment:
Building regulations and fire safety codes may specify minimum IP requirements for emergency luminaires in specific building types. The IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026 certification covers whatever IP rating you declare — the IP protection claimed must be tested and verified.
For emergency luminaires installed in wet areas — particularly hospitals and kitchens where emergency lighting is life-critical — IP44 minimum is strongly recommended. Water ingress into an emergency luminaire can cause battery failure and compromise the luminaire's ability to operate in an emergency.
The LED driver is tested as part of the complete emergency luminaire assembly under IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026. You do not need separate LED driver certification for the driver used inside a certified emergency luminaire.
However, there is a nuance for emergency luminaire drivers: the driver must function in two very different operating modes:
The driver design must handle both modes safely. Temperature rise testing, electrical safety testing, and fault condition testing are all conducted with the driver operating in both modes.
No — building regulations that specify 3-hour rated emergency duration require each individual luminaire to provide that duration. You cannot compensate for shorter duration by increasing quantity.
Emergency lighting regulations specify both the illumination levels required (lux on escape routes) and the duration for which those levels must be maintained (typically 1 or 3 hours depending on building type). These are separate requirements that must both be met simultaneously.
Installing more 1-hour luminaires provides adequate illuminance during the first hour but leaves the escape routes unlit during the second and third hours. This does not satisfy the regulatory requirement.
For buildings requiring 3-hour emergency lighting — use luminaires certified for 3-hour emergency operation.
Exit signs must be readable at the distances for which they are intended. If an exit sign luminaire produces a green EXIT arrow against a background that is too bright, or if the lettering is too dim against the background, the sign may not be legible to a panicked building occupant in an emergency.
The contrast test measures the luminance of the sign symbol or lettering against the background luminance. The ratio of these luminances (the contrast ratio) must meet the minimum specified in IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 8): 2026.
Poor contrast performance causes:
The 2026 version clarifies the specific measurement methodology — the viewing distance, the measurement geometry, and the calculation of contrast ratio — ensuring consistent results across laboratories.
With multiple models to transition, prioritise as follows:
Priority 1 — Lithium battery models: These have the most new requirements in the 2026 version (BMS testing, thermal runaway assessment). Start testing these first as they may require design verification work. Priority 2 — High-volume models: The models that generate the highest revenue and are most actively selling should be transitioned first to ensure no disruption to business. Priority 3 — Models with NiCd or EDLC batteries: Fewer new requirements than lithium, but still must transition before August 2. Priority 4 — Legacy/slow-moving models: Models with lower sales volume can be transitioned last, but all must be done before August 2.Consider using the lead model approach strategically — identify which models can be grouped as series with shared lead model testing. Our engineers at House of Testing can review your model list and develop an efficient transition testing plan.
Contact us now. With a large portfolio and only three months remaining, starting immediately is essential.