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Changes to Austrian standard OVE E 8101 closes the loop on Emergency Lighting Compliance

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Since July 10th 2021 amendments to Austrian standard OVE E 8101 mean buildings with over 20 emergency luminaires require a central monitoring system. Changes apply to both new buildings and renovation of existing emergency lighting installations.

OVE E 8101 Summary

Previously, Austrian standard OVE E 8101 allowed for either manual or automatic testing of emergency lighting while central monitoring was optional

But since July 10th of this year, in properties with more than 20 emergency luminaires installed, manual or automatic testing methods that do not have central monitoring capabilities are no longer compliant. 

Central reporting of the status of the emergency lighting system, including readiness and fault reporting is now essential. So how can building owners make sure they’re compliant?

New compliance requirements

Emergency Lighting Testing obligations in Austria

The updated version of OVE E 8101 is a detailed standard that covers installation of all electrical systems. However, when it comes to emergency lighting there are some key points you need to be aware of.

The standard dictates that safety lighting should always have a separate power source so that it can continue to illuminate in the event of a power failure. Since 2020, self-contained emergency lighting luminaires are now permitted in all rooms and areas that need emergency lighting. In contrast to central battery systems that have a single large backup battery to serve a large number of lights, self-contained luminaires have an individual battery in each fitting that kick in to power the light in the event of a powercut.

A decentralised emergency lighting system with self contained luminaires means there’s no single point of failure like that of a central battery system. From a safety perspective, it’s a far more robust and reliable system. And, from an installation standpoint, it’s far more cost effective and less disruptive.

Previously, management of decentralised self-contained emergency lighting systems to ensure compliance was cumbersome. Although these self-contained systems have their benefits, efficient ongoing management was not one of them. Each and every month technicians have to travel from light to light and site to site checking to see if luminaires have passed testing. They must also keep stringent records detailing test results and any fault or repair information. 

As mentioned above, in buildings with more than 20 emergency luminaires, this method of testing is no longer compliant. Emergency lighting must now have a centralised monitoring system with up to date information about all luminaires within the system. 

The retrofit challenge

So in light of these changes, how can building owners achieve compliance with OVE E 8101? At Safecility® we have designed and built a retrofit emergency lighting control sensor that works with any DALI light and is fully compliant with EN 62034.

The sensor simply plugs into DALI lighting to transform a decentralised emergency lighting system into a centrally monitored smart system with remote cloud monitoring. There’s no additional wiring for installation, which takes less than 10 minutes. And the sensor is compatible with all DALI lighting, so you’re not locked into specific brands.

The user friendly Safecility® dashboard provides a real time status overview of every connected light, including function and duration tests, all on a single screen. 

Automated Testing

Because we use NB IoT and LoRaWAN Safecility can be installed in just one building, or thousands of buildings with all emergency lighting information contained in one dashboard. Ideal for estate owners and facility managers of all sizes, emergency lighting can be monitored remotely from the head office, while the cloud software manages testing to a perfectly compliant schedule.

Take the headache out of complying with OVE E 8101 and talk to us today about Safecility – the open, interoperable emergency lighting control system that eliminates the need for cabling. 

For more information on the sensor click here

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