Introducing inLIGHT Illuminated Hospital Grade Receptacles:‬‬ Now THAT’s a Healthy Glow

We’ve all had the experience of being in a power outage situation, and it’s frustrating not being able to access electricity to run our devices—lights, televisions, desktops, stoves and so on.

But as frustrating as that can be, it obviously pales in comparison to a situation in a healthcare environment, where, for patients on ventilators and other electric-powered critical care equipment, sudden loss of power can be a matter of life and death.

That’s why hospitals have separate powered circuits to keep emergency lights and equipment energized in most any situation.

But, in practical terms, there is another aspect to a power-out situation that must be accounted for: healthcare workers must be able to quickly identify receptacles that are energized during an outage so that emergency equipment can be quickly plugged into an energized outlet without trial-and-error guesswork.

For years, the default “technology” to accomplish this has been the addition of a small green glowing LED light on each emergency receptacle. More recently, however, people have been starting to realize that this type of visual indicator was less than optimal—for one thing, the single point light was small and could barely be seen in a bright environment from a standing position a few feet above much less from across the room. Plus, large equipment plugs often covered the light altogether, so healthcare workers couldn’t be certain at a glance if a piece of emergency equipment was being powered or not.

A few years ago, a company raised the stakes by designing a new receptacle with the glow emanating through the blade areas as well. This was potentially easier to see—when the receptacle was empty at least. But, you guessed it, when a large plug is inserted, the green glow is not much more visible than the small light was, so really, not a whole lot better, but definitely on the right track.

Raising the Bar with Illuminated Hospital Grade Receptacles

Now, Hubbell has made a quantum leap forward with our new inLIGHT Illuminated Hospital Grade Receptacles. What’s different? Well, the entire ring of the receptacle glows with a highly visible green light, so it can be seen from anywhere in the room, even from behind the largest plug.

Hubbell released these specialized receptacles a few months ago, in late 2021/early 2022, and almost immediately, we started hearing from hospitals that it’s a “simple” idea that has been a long time in coming—and one that is making a huge difference in their facilities. No wonder some huge hospital systems are specifying and retrofitting them throughout their facilities, putting a few in each room and hallways.

We’re also hearing that the receptacles are delivering an unexpected bonus benefit. The green glow is so prominent—soothing but not glaring—that the receptacles make very effective night lights! So doing double duty and saving power too!

Hospital Grade and Tamper Resistant Receptacles

Of course, since we knew that hospitals would be a key market for Hubbell inLIGHT products, they are hospital grade all the way, meaning that they passed all the demanding assembly, grounding, strength and durability tests of UL498. That means that they have been tested to withstand all the abuse it sees in a hospital setting. And, they are 100% NEC compliant and tamper resistant for added safety. Like all hospital grade products, they are labeled with a green dot for surety at purchase.

SNAPConnect® Technology for Fast and Easy Installation

As suggested, Hubbell inLIGHT receptacles are being snapped up quickly as hospitals retrofit entire wings with these innovative devices—and that means bringing in hundreds at a time. Obviously, a downside to that could be a potentially lengthy installation time.

But never fear, inLIGHT Illuminated Hospital Grade Receptacles feature Hubbell’s proprietary SNAPConnect® technology. That means that instead of pigtails that need to be stripped and twisted, each piece has a modular, all in one connector that snaps instantly into the back of the receptacle with an audible click. Instead of 3-5 minutes per receptacle, each one can be installed in 3-5 seconds. And, since there are no exposed terminals, you don’t have to turn the power off! That is a huge time savings and a real game changer.

Get the Glow Going in Your Healthcare Environment

Highly visible, fast-to-install inLIGHT Illuminated Hospital Grade Receptacles are available in white, gray, ivory and red, and in 15 and 20-amp versions. Watch our video to see it in action!

Contact your Hubbell distributor or your local representative about inLIGHT and help optimize safety in your healthcare facility today.