I thought I would share this with everyone who may be in a similar situation.
I have a house in Ontario which is currently considered to be a duplex, although it is configured as a triplex. In order to make it a legal triplex, I had to obtain zoning compliance and a building permit. One of the things that the fire inspector says is required in the common entrance foyer is an emergency light (not an EXIT sign) with a minimum 30 minute battery backup system.
Most of the ones you see are a box on the wall plugged into an electrical outlet, with a couple of spotlights on it - a pretty ugly, commercial look. My problem is that the only electrical source in this area is the ceiling light fixture and I was hoping to avoid bringing in an electrician to run a new circuit.
After checking local lighting and building supply stores and finding nothing except the boxy, plug-in or direct-wired models, I scoured the internet and found that Brownlee Lighting (http://www.brownlee.com/), an American company, has a battery-backup option that can be added to many of their fixtures. They have Canadian distributors but no retail outlets. However, I was able to contact Westburne Electrical Supply (http://www.westburne.ca/westburne_en.html?lang=en) who have locations across Canada and they were able to order the fixture I needed from the distributor. It was a bit of a challenge to get it done, but it may also be the right solution for you.
I have a house in Ontario which is currently considered to be a duplex, although it is configured as a triplex. In order to make it a legal triplex, I had to obtain zoning compliance and a building permit. One of the things that the fire inspector says is required in the common entrance foyer is an emergency light (not an EXIT sign) with a minimum 30 minute battery backup system.
Most of the ones you see are a box on the wall plugged into an electrical outlet, with a couple of spotlights on it - a pretty ugly, commercial look. My problem is that the only electrical source in this area is the ceiling light fixture and I was hoping to avoid bringing in an electrician to run a new circuit.
After checking local lighting and building supply stores and finding nothing except the boxy, plug-in or direct-wired models, I scoured the internet and found that Brownlee Lighting (http://www.brownlee.com/), an American company, has a battery-backup option that can be added to many of their fixtures. They have Canadian distributors but no retail outlets. However, I was able to contact Westburne Electrical Supply (http://www.westburne.ca/westburne_en.html?lang=en) who have locations across Canada and they were able to order the fixture I needed from the distributor. It was a bit of a challenge to get it done, but it may also be the right solution for you.