Emergency drivers for LED downlights are compact, high-performance backup systems designed to keep recessed can lights illuminated during a power outage. Essential for lighting hallways, lobbies, stairwells, and other paths of egress, these emergency drivers ensure your commercial or residential downlights provide immediate, life-safety illumination when it's needed most. This page focuses on the high-voltage DC models with conduit, which are the industry standard for modern LED downlights.
Why High-Voltage DC is Standard for Downlights
The choice of emergency driver is dictated by the design of the fixture itself. The vast majority of modern commercial LED downlights are built as integrated units where accessing the internal LED module is impractical.
Because of this design, the most effective and reliable solution is a high-voltage DC emergency driver. This unit is installed in the ceiling plenum and connects to the downlight's junction box. During a power failure, it delivers a high-voltage DC signal to power the downlight's existing AC/DC input driver, activating the entire fixture. This method ensures seamless compatibility without needing to modify the downlight's sealed housing.
Installation: Flexible Conduit for Plenum Safety
Emergency drivers for downlights are almost always supplied with a length of pre-attached flexible metal conduit. This feature is critical for a safe, code-compliant installation in a commercial ceiling.
The ceiling plenum (the space used for air circulation) has strict electrical codes that require all wiring to be protected. The included conduit fully encases the wires running from the emergency driver to the downlight's junction box, satisfying these code requirements. The driver's compact case is also designed to be easily mounted to the fixture's junction box, the ceiling grid, or a nearby structural element.
Find Your Downlight Emergency Driver at Bees Lighting
Keep your critical pathways safely lit with our selection of emergency drivers for LED downlights. We stock the high-voltage DC drivers with conduit that are specifically designed for easy, code-compliant installation with commercial recessed lighting. Browse our products below or call our lighting experts at 855-305-0665 for assistance.
