Emergency Lighting Inverter System

[Richard S]

Does any know if Emergency Lighting Inverter Systems (UL924 Battery System) are required to be installed in 2-hour rated room? I know per NFPA-110 7.2.1.1 that a generator and transfer equipment used for emergency power (like egress lighting) need to be installed in a 2-hour rated room. I've designed and installed many systems and have never heard or seen this requirement for UL924 Emergency Lighting Inverter Systems. I've always understood that Emergency Lighting Inverter Systems would fall under NFPA-111 "Standard on Stored Electrical Energy Emergency and Standby Power Systems" and not the NFPA 110 "Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems". NFPA-111 doesn't have the same 2-hour rated room requirement. The NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Section 7.9.2.4 states "Emergency generators and related transfer switch equipment that provide power to emergency lighting systems shall be installed, inspected, tested, and maintained in accordance with NFPA 110. Stored electrical energy systems, where required in this Code, other than battery systems for emergency luminaires in accordance with 7.9.2.5, shall be installed, inspected, tested, and maintained in accordance with NFPA 111."

All I received was a vague comment "2016 NFPA sections addressed that Automatic Transfer Switches, Lighting Inverters and emergency distribution equipment be placed in 2 hour fire rated rooms." Without any guidance to specific NFPA Publication or Section.

 

[jaggedben]

I'm by no means an expert on this, but it appears from googling that:

- NFPA 110 is adopted as law by a number of states, but by no means all.
- NFPA 101 is adopted by only four states, which per your quote may effectively adopt NFPA 111 as well.
- NFPA 111 may not be directly adopted by any states.

So what state are you in and what have they adopted? Or is there a contractual requirement to follow a certain standard?

 

[hillbilly1]

I'm by no means an expert on this, but it appears from googling that:

- NFPA 110 is adopted as law by a number of states, but by no means all.
- NFPA 101 is adopted by only four states, which per your quote may effectively adopt NFPA 111 as well.
- NFPA 111 may not be directly adopted by any states.

So what state are you in and what have they adopted? Or is there a contractual requirement to follow a certain standard?

I think you are correct, I’ve seen it done only in certain states, so that probably explains why.

 

[Richard S]

I'm by no means an expert on this, but it appears from googling that:

- NFPA 110 is adopted as law by a number of states, but by no means all.
- NFPA 101 is adopted by only four states, which per your quote may effectively adopt NFPA 111 as well.
- NFPA 111 may not be directly adopted by any states.

So what state are you in and what have they adopted? Or is there a contractual requirement to follow a certain standard?

California

 

[jaggedben]

It California it appears that 110 is adopted and 101 is not. Which as far as I can tell means 111 is not adopted and there is no specific code covering what you're doing other than the electrical code and general building codes. Again, I'm not an expert in this area. I do know a lot about California requirements for energy storage systems, which would require some kind of fire separation (though I'm not sure about 2-hour in a commerical setting). It seems debatable whether you are installing an energy storage system as covered in the fire code, but possibly.

That said, California does not use an NFPA fire code (it uses an an ICC version) so if that's an AHJ comment you're quoting at the bottom of post #1 ... it seems odd.