Effective stairwell lighting is essential to the safety of everyone who enters your building. Poor lighting is often the reason behind slips, trips, and falls in communal areas.
Your stairwell lighting ought to be bright enough to illuminate all steps equally, without causing glare, dark spots, and shadows.
Previously, upgrading stairwell lighting in tenement buildings was the responsibility of Edinburgh City Council. Now, it is up to the property owner to install lighting that provides a safe and comfortable communal environment for every tenant and homeowner.
This rule came into effect in 2016. If your stairwell lighting hasn’t been replaced since then, it’s your responsibility to make updates going forward.
We want to help you maintain the highest safety standards in your building. Here are 5 signs that it might be time to upgrade your stairwell lighting.
Flickering or Dim Lights
Firstly: how is your stairwell lighting performing?
If you have noticed your lights flickering or dimming, it usually means your bulb is at the end of its lifespan.
However, faulty bulbs could indicate a bigger problem with your stairwell lighting.
If your lights are frequently tripping or burning out, there could be a wiring or circuit issue.
As a property owner or building manager, you have a responsibility to create a safe living environment – and this starts with communal stairwells.
If you get to a point where one – or several – of your stairwell lights aren’t working, you need to bring in a professional. An unlit stairwell can create real safety risks – especially in fire drills or emergency evacuations.
Not to mention that frequent call-outs from a professional electrician can add up – especially if your problem is with the wiring, rather than an individual light. In all these instances, a full upgrade of your stairwell lighting will be your best solution.
High Energy Bills
Your Edinburgh flat building will traditionally have been fitted with fluorescent lighting, which isn’t the most energy-efficient option on the market
When your lights need to be continuously running for the safety of residents, it can result in some very high bills. If your lights aren’t working at full efficiency, more electricity will be required to keep them running – so your payments will keep climbing.
There are several ways to update your stairwell lighting to reduce energy bills. Motion sensor lights, for example, can be a good option, as your lights will automatically dim when the stairwells aren’t being used. You just need to make sure that emergency lighting is always available.
However, we recommend replacing your fluorescent bulbs with LED lights.
LED lights are a great choice for communal areas. They are long-lasting and low maintenance, and typically last for over 10 years before needing to be replaced.
Most importantly, LED bulbs are around 80% more efficient than fluorescent ones – which means significant reductions in your energy bills long-term.
Fluorescent lighting is currently being phased out of commercial buildings to improve sustainability. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of a lower-maintenance and longer-lasting method of lighting your stairwell by switching to LED bulbs.
Inconsistent Light Coverage
Inconsistent light coverage is another sign that your stairwell lighting needs an upgrade.
For safe orientation, functional lights must be placed approximately every three steps.
If any of your lights are faulty, visibility across your staircase will drop.
Dark spots and shadows are dangerous – but blinding lights and glare can cause disorientation too.
Upgrading your whole stairwell lighting system will create uniform brightness across every area and significantly reduce the risk of accidents in your building.
A Faulty Time Clock
As we move into the winter months, there are more hours of darkness.
With later sunrises and earlier sunsets, your stairwell lighting needs to automatically kick in when it is dark outside. Otherwise, entire areas could all fall into shadow which can cause confusion and injury.
Your lighting should be fitted with a clock that adjusts automatically depending on the month of the year and the time of day.
If you have noticed that this system is no longer working, it might be time to upgrade both the time clock and your whole stairwell lighting system to keep people safe at every time of year.
They don’t meet building regulations
Finally, stairwell lighting needs to meet specific requirements to ensure the safety and functionality of the area.
According to the Scottish Building Standards, stairwell lighting needs to be “sufficiently bright” and:
- Provide uniform lighting across the floor-level area.
- Have a brightness of no less than 100 lux on flights of chairs.
- Have a brightness of 50 lux elsewhere in the circulation areas.
- Should not create areas of glare or shadow.
- Have a means of automatic control so the light is operable when it is dark.
Once your lighting is failing or fading, it no longer meets building regulations.
This can lead to trouble down the line – so it’s better to replace your old stairwell lights as soon as possible.
Hopefully, this blog has shown you the key signs to watch out for that indicate your stairwell lighting needs an upgrade.
Many stairwell lighting systems in Edinburgh flat buildings are old, high-maintenance, and use a lot of unnecessary electricity. If you think it is time to upgrade and replace the stairwell lighting in your Edinburgh flat building, Lumen Electrical would love to help.
Our experts can replace your existing fluorescent lighting system with a modern, low-maintenance, and energy-efficient LED system, and provide proactive maintenance services that help you avoid expensive repairs.
We pride ourselves on our clear and transparent costs, and any quote you receive from us includes both labour and materials estimates.
Get in touch today, and one of our experts will send over a quote to upgrade your stairwell lighting within 24 hours.