2020 NEC 700.12 (I)(2)(3)(b) states that emergency lighting battery units may be fed from a separate branch circuit. It does not say individual branch circuit or dedicated branch circuit. I cannot find the definition of a separate branch circuit in the NEC. The context in the code section would suggest separate from the normal area lighting. A motel has been required to mount emergency lighting battery units on the 2nd level outside egress paths of a two-story motel. While it might not be the best practice, the owner is insisting it would be legal to use an outside receptacle outlet to get power for the outside EM lights as it is separate from the normal area lighting. Can anyone say what a separate branch circuit means in this context?
Emergency lighting unit equipment.
- Thread starter wyboy
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Fred B
Senior Member
- Location
- Upstate, NY
- Occupation
- Electrician
Another words it can be supplied from any suitable convenient unswitched circuit. Prior to this wording many felt it had to be run from a lighting circuit, and sometimes that required wireing a very long run just to charge a battery to avoid being on the switch leg in some applications. It doesn't mean it has to be, just that it can be.
But, we'll try to have it on the lighting circuit because the sensor that tells it the power has been lost is usually associated with the charging system for self contained Emergency/Egress lighting. And in spaces of multiple rooms that might have different circuits having it associated with the lighting circuit allows individual rooms to have seperate egress lighting in cases of circuit failure rather than whole system outage.
But, we'll try to have it on the lighting circuit because the sensor that tells it the power has been lost is usually associated with the charging system for self contained Emergency/Egress lighting. And in spaces of multiple rooms that might have different circuits having it associated with the lighting circuit allows individual rooms to have seperate egress lighting in cases of circuit failure rather than whole system outage.
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