Code Change Summary: A new definition of a battery-equipped emergency luminaire was added to Article 100.

For more than 10 code cycles, the term “Unit Equipment” has been used in NEC^® Article 700 when referring to emergency luminaires equipped with a rechargeable battery. Unit Equipment is a type of Battery-Equipped Emergency Luminaire but not the only type.

The new Article 100 definition in the NEC^® defines a Battery-Equipped Emergency Luminaire as a luminaire with a rechargeable battery, a battery charging means, and an automatic load control relay.

UL 924 is the Standard for Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment, and defines “Unit Equipment” as a complete, enclosed unit assembly, consisting of a rechargeable battery, a battery charging means, provisions for one or more lamps either mounted on the equipment or remote or both, and an automatic load control relay (ELCD) (or ELCF circuit) to energize the lamps automatically upon failure of the normal supply.

In the 2023 NEC^®, the previous code sections in Article 700 that provided the rules on Unit Equipment will now refer to “Battery-Equipped Emergency Luminaires” which can include Unit Equipment.

The NEC^® has been silent on Battery Equipped Emergency Luminaires that are not considered “Unit Equipment”. Regular luminaires that provide normal area lighting but have been equipped with a listed emergency ballast or emergency battery pack are not actually “Unit Equipment”.

Unit Equipment does not provide normal area lighting. Unit Equipment only provides illumination when normal power is not present.

Unit equipment is a type of “Battery-Equipped Emergency Luminaire”, but a “Battery-Equipped Emergency Luminaire” is NOT a type of “Unit Equipment”.

Below is a preview of the NEC^®. See the actual NEC^® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2023 NEC^® edition of NFPA 70.