The lighting and electrical plan of your house are more important than you think. Every time you effortlessly search for an outlet to charge a phone but can’t seem to find one, this occurs because the house’s electrics are poor.

Even worse, the whole place could go up in flames if something is wrong with your home’s electrical grid. Getting to know your house’s electrics better is important both for safety reasons, as well as convenience.

Smart lighting within the hand’s reach

Nearly all smart lighting systems are remotely controlled using a phone app or a special remote. However, you can go one level down in terms of technology and install a multipurpose switch next to your bedside. If you own a king-size bed, then your partner can have a switch on their side of the bed as well.

The smart switch would regulate all the bedroom lighting, from the bedside lamp to the LEDs above. Some smart lighting systems include dimers that help you regulate the intensity of bedroom lighting, which can even be programmed (the lights dim down after dark).

Extra sockets where you need them the most

Don’t you just hate it when you need to charge your smartphone but the socket is far away so the phone has to hang in the air from the charger? Well, if you get to know your home’s electrics, then you can plan a better schematic layout of AC power sockets and plugs.

The area where we need the outlets the most is around the bed, especially if the bed is not for one person. The standard number of sockets for this area is 2 and this is the bare minimum as well. However, you can always install extra sockets, so 4 sockets are nothing out of the ordinary. You can add a USB port to speed up the charging process.

Illuminating the stairwell

The stairwell is an important part of the house that needs to be extra safe because the last thing you want is to fall down a flight of stairs. There should be a light switch at the top and at the bottom of the stairs, allowing you to turn the lights on and off with ease.

If you want to have an opulent home, add mini lights along with the steps, increasing visibility in the process. Saving energy is also an option if you install a motion sensor that would turn on the lights only when there is someone coming up or going down the stairs.

Hiring professional electricians

Redoing your home’s electrics can be a DIY task but if you’re not familiar with technical details of the job beforehand, better leave it to professionals. Residential electricians such as Sparkys NOW usually have 24/7 emergency service, so they can help you with a power outage as well. When it comes to your house’s electrics, electricians will help you with safety switches, switchboards, LED lighting issues, smoke alarms, solar systems installation, etc.

A powerful walkthrough

The best way to determine where the power outlets should be placed around the house is to walk through each room and write down the appliances you use in it. Apart from sockets, you should think about the placement of light switches as well, although they are usually set at the uniform height near the door frame.

As far as hallways are concerned, they should have a switch at each end, much like the stairwell. The bedroom, the living room, the bathroom, etc. ought to have a single light switch near the entrance.

Motion-activated lights for you seldom use

Your home’s electrics should be efficient and safe but they should save power as well. We’ve mentioned earlier that the stairwell will benefit from installing motion sensors but these can be placed in all the rooms seldom used.

Garages, the attic, pantry, garden shed, closets, etc. are all spaces you don’t spend much time in, so there is no need for a constant light source. If you forget to switch off the light in the attic, it will stay on until the light bulb fails.

The basement is the ideal room where motion sensor lights can be installed. In fact, every room that is used for storage and not living should have such lights to save energy and money. Strong light fixtures should be reserved for rooms that need illuminating the most, such as the living room.

It might not seem as much, but the positioning of sockets and light switches inside your house is intrinsically connected to comfort and safety. Taking the time to learn the 6 things about your house’s electrics listed above will help you create a functional home after dark.