Building New? Here’s Your Electrical & Lighting Plan

Are you planning to build a new house, or maybe renovate your current house? If so, there are a lot of things you need to think about when it comes to electricity and lighting. We have made a list of a few things you should consider when creating your electrical and lighting plan for your new house.

Determine where to locate the control panels

When building a new house, you have to think about where to place all sorts of control panels that you may need – home security, heating and cooling systems, lighting etc. A good idea is to decide what kind of technology you intend to use so you know what control panels you need to get.

Draw a floor plan of the area

One of the first things to do when creating your electrical plan is to think about where you want to place all your furniture. This includes beds, sofas, tables, chairs, televisions, desktop computers etc. You should also think about where you usually charge your phone, where control modules should be installed, and how you want to control the outdoor lighting. If you consider these things, you will find it easier to decide where your lighting fixtures and sockets should be placed.

Once you have decided these things, you can then decide how many of the circuits, sockets, and other types of connections you will need. If you can’t decide how many outlets you want to have, get more than you think you’ll need. It’s better to have one or two extra than to not have enough. You should still consider where to place these, as outlets are not very attractive.

Place electrical outlets in the bathroom so you can plug in hair dryers, electric shavers, and electric toothbrushes.

Installing socket

Lighting

The first thing to do when it comes to lighting is to determine where you want all your light fixtures. The next thing you have to do is to decide where you want to have the switches. In some rooms, for example the bedroom, you may want to install switches to control all the lighting in the room. Place these switches so you can reach them from the bed and put any lamps, including table lamps, that can’t be reached from your bed on the same light switch circuit. Sometimes you can put two different switches on the same plate – one for controlling the general light and one to control dimmer light. Put similar switches near the bedroom door so you can switch everything off when you leave the room.

Dark spaces such as garages and closets should either have light switches outside, or have motion activated lights. Motion sensor lights would be ideal for places such as a basement where you store stuff. We wouldn’t use this in living spaces such as the living room, where you can relax on the sofa or sit by the table without moving for a long period of time.

Don’t place a light in the ceiling right above your head in the bathroom as that light will produce shadows on your face, which can make it difficult for you to do your hair and makeup. You should instead place lights on both sides of the mirror and/or above the mirror.

The list continues..

There are many things to consider when it comes to lighting, and we just want to mention a few more things:

  • Plan where you will have your dining table so you can center the light over the table.
  • Rooms with two entrances should have a light switch near each door.
  • Install sensors around the house to help you see in the dark. This is also great for preventing burglary.
  • Install dimmers to be able to adjust the light for different times of the day and for different occasions.
  • Place light switches at all the exterior exits around the house, including the side, back and garage doors. Those switches should control both interior and exterior lights.
Dining table

Photo Credit: Image by Festoon House

Turn to your Auckland Electrician for help

If you have any queries or want assistance creating your electrical and lighting plan, ask your Auckland electricians and they will help you out in the best way possible. At Northern Lights, we can help you with electrical maintenance and LED light installation. We specialise in residentialcommercial and industrial electrical services and we provide electrical services 24 hours, 7 days a week. Contact us today and one of our friendly team members will help you out!

Need Electrical Services in Auckland? Contact a Local Master Electrician Now!

About This Post

Icon

4.9 86 reviews

  • Trinity Sax ★★★★★ 3 months ago
    Great team. Booked easily and didn’t have to wait days for the appt. They did a thorough investigation of issue
    ( PowerPoints not working and fuse switches tripping) and discovered we needed an in wall
    … More re wire. Very polite, explained everything well and got the job done. Would use them again for sure
  • Patrick Stanley ★★★★★ 4 months ago
    Excellent service, our sparky even explained the fault and was overall lovely to deal with! Would definitely recommend their services. Thank you Northern lights
  • Karen Poppelbaum ★★★★★ a week ago
    Have used the company 3 times, always polite, professional and go the extra yard, nothing is too much. I would 100% recommend them.

View Reviews