There’s so much to think about when planning the renovation or the building of a home - the colour of tiles and cabinets and the brands of in-built appliances to name just two – that owners often overlook a fundamental: electrical installations. But luckily, there's the electrotechnical installer or the architect, to play an advisory role...

Unfortunately, homeowners frequently receive all kinds of well-intentioned but misleading advice. Here are ten examples … and some better recommendations.

In many homes, rooms are typically equipped with only a limited number of power outlet points. People tend to think that sockets in one or two corners of each room will suffice and if not, they can always use extension leads to reach other areas in the room. Some architects even advocate limiting the number of power outlets, as they find that the sockets compromise their aesthetic goals.

Unfortunately, power outlets in one or two corners per room will never do.

Yes, you can always use extension leads, but that introduces new problems. For one thing, most people do not like the look of cords lying around. That is why extension cords are more often than not hidden away behind chests or other furniture. This practice almost inevitably results in connections that are difficult to reach. In addition, when an extension cord is lying around, one can easily stumble over it. Some even try covering the cord with a carpet, which is highly unsafe. This can result in broken wires, worn insulation, overheating and ignite fires. Similar overheating problems may arise with long cords that are wound up tightly or bundled to the required length. Then there is the use of extension cords in the bathroom; this is an extremely dangerous practice. Finally, good quality extension leads are not cheap. Extension leads are useful but they must be used correctly and sparingly.

It is far better to think ahead and plan enough power outlets in your home, for example in all four corners of each room. This enables you to neatly integrate the sockets into the design of the room, avoids having cords lying around, and enables occupants to rearrange their interior whenever they feel the need for change.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-1-limit-number-power-outl...

In general, people tend to underestimate the number of appliances that will have to be plugged in at a certain point. It is still common practice to provide only one socket per power outlet. In most cases this simply will not do.

Two sockets per outlet is really the minimum.

In most cases one socket is already taken by a fixed appliance such as a floor lamp or a charging station, leaving only one socket available for mobile appliances such as a vacuum cleaner or a baby monitor. In many cases, you will eventually need many more sockets. Take the kitchen for example where you will need at least half a dozen sockets. Consider the television wall or corner, where sockets are required for the television itself, the digital set-top box, a DVD player, probably a media streamer, and perhaps one or two game consoles. The same goes for the computer desk, requiring sockets for the computer itself, a monitor, a printer, a desk lamp, and maybe a variety of other appliances such as a DECT telephone or a battery, phone or tablet charger. In many of these examples, the total power demand risks being higher than the capacity of a multi-socket extension. And isn’t it better to have the sockets neatly integrated into the wall outlet rather than wrestling with multi-socket extensions?

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-2-one-socket-power-outlet...

In most single-family houses and even in smaller multiple family housing, smoke alarms are often powered solely by disposable batteries. That is hardly surprising, considering the simplicity of battery operated alarms. They are relatively cheap and can be installed by home owners themselves. They are particularly convenient for installation in existing houses, as they do not require additional wiring.

However, there is a drawback to this general practice.

Think about the battery reaching its end-of-life. It invariably seems to occur earlier than expected and typically at a highly inconvenient moment, such as in the middle of the night. The result is the alarm nagging you with an annoying beep every three minutes or so. If you manage to complete your night’s rest, you will no doubt feel the urge to remove the battery first thing in the morning, thus rendering the alarm useless until you find time to buy and install a fresh 9V. Meanwhile, no one reminds you that a significant number of deaths from home fires occurs in residences without working smoke alarms.

So it might definitely be worth the trouble to install hardwired smoke alarms powered by your home power circuit and equipped with a battery backup. This offers additional advantages, including interconnecting different smoke alarms.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-3-individual-battery-oper...

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to switch off all the lights in your home and turn the heating down with just a single switch? Everybody agrees on that, yet in practice only a small minority of home owners have such a feature. People often have the urge to say ‘That convenience is only for the happy few that can afford integrated home systems.’

That is a great pity.

Despite popular belief, integrated home systems (IHS) are not a privilege of the rich. While it is true that home automation initially was only found in expensive villas, in recent decades the technology has become the mainstream and is now affordable for any middle class family. In fact, the total investment cost of an IHS installation is within the same order of magnitude as the cost of a standard electrical installation, or roughly 3% of the budget for a new house. Admittedly, installing an IHS means extra wiring and special control hardware, but they are now relatively inexpensive. And don’t forget that a well-tuned IHS pays for itself rather quickly by reducing your energy consumption.

The traditional electrical installation will soon be considered a thing of the past. In fact, smart energy consumption and the comfort of centralized remote controlled lighting, HVAC and appliances are already the norm. It is wise to include the installation of an IHS when you are planning a renovation or a renewal of your electrical installation. Failure to do so misses a great opportunity.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-4-centralized-night-switc...

Why would a hale and hearty person need an intercom? Just go to the door. Why would you need automatic roll-down shutters when you can roll them up and down manually? Only the very lazy invest in comfort they don’t need, right?

Well, you might want to give that a second thought.

The comfort you magnanimously give up today might be indispensible tomorrow. Most people build or renovate their own home between the age of 30 and 40. At that time, they are full of vigour and energy and can hardly even imagine a time when they might not be able to do even the simple physical tasks. Very few people think about what their life conditions may be like more than ten years in the future.

Never forget that your home must be ready to last a lifetime. Ten, twenty, thirty years from now it should still serve you well. At that time you might be happy to have an intercom so that you can answer the door bell from your seat. You or a family member might welcome—or even need—the convenience of automatic roll-down shutters. It would be a pity to have to call in an electrician to install the necessary wiring for these functions and hire a decorator to nicely finish up, especially when you could have already been enjoying the benefits for years. So when you’re building or renovating a house, think about these little extras when planning your electrical installation. You’ll congratulate yourself for it one day.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-5-you-dont-need-intercom-...

Most people do not consider speaker wiring to be part of the electrical installation. It is seldom included in the planning by the homeowner. It’s just laid at the time of moving into the house.

But then the trouble begins.

It is virtually impossible to properly conceal speaker wires, especially when the speakers are put on shelves where there is no skirting board or moulding to attach them to. No one likes to see speaker wire running up to or hanging down from a shelf. You may think it is difficult to plan speaker wiring. It isn’t. In fact, it is quite simple to plan the installation of speaker wires. Once you plan the location of your television and/or hi-fi equipment and their power outlets, it is pretty obvious where you will want to put speakers. That’s where you’ll install the speaker sockets. Nice, clean and future proof. Oh, and one more detail: be sure to choose a sufficiently large wire size, at least 1 or 2 mm², suitable for any hi-fi equipment quality.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-6-dont-bother-about-speak...

Investing in a photovoltaic installation is a great way to economize on energy expenses. Unfortunately, it is currently a relatively large initial investment, and money is always short when building or renovating a house. That’s why many people tend to postpone the installation of a PV system. They figure they will do it when the time is right. And in the meanwhile do nothing to prepare for it.

That can be rather shortsighted.

Let’s have a look on what it takes to install a PV system, starting at the roof. First, you have the solar panels themselves. Then you have wiring to a DC/AC inverter, components that are normally installed in the attic. Further downstream you have wiring to a new PV Generation meter, preferably to be installed close to the existing AC fuse board and the utility meter. This means that when you feel the time is right to invest, you will need to install new wiring from the cellar or ground floor up to the attic, and ruin your interior once again!

It’s simple to avoid that by installing this wiring (or at least the necessary conduits) right from the start. It is easy, it costs you almost nothing, and you’ll be at ease when you’re ready for a PV system.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-7-you-can-consider-instal...

You have built a nice, beautiful house or you have just renovated one. It’s a house with a garden, the perfect place to enjoy long hot summers. However, every garden needs a garden shed. But without lighting or power outlets, you have a real problem. It’s often dark in there when you’re searching for tools. And you need an outlet for your electric lawn mower, hedge trimmers and other electric powered equipment. At the very least, there must be an additional outlet in your house for a very long extension lead out to the garden.

That’s why you should consider electrification of your garden shed.

But that’s easier said than done if you choose to wait. Your electrician will have to install a new cable from the distribution board to your terrace and an underground cable from the terrace to the back of your garden. In doing so, he will probably be forced to ruin part of your interior, your terrace and your beautiful lawn and flowerbeds. Not a very pleasant thought, is it?

That is why it’s better to pay attention to your garden shed at the time of building or renovating the house. Then you have plenty of possibilities to install wiring (or at least the required conduits) both indoor and in the garden. And it will cost you much less than when you’re having it done later.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-8-garden-shed-will-be-ele...

Ten to fifteen years ago, forward-looking people rushed to install Ethernet cabling in every corner of their house. Today, since the breakthrough of Wi-Fi, nobody seems to care anymore. Everything is being connected wirelessly to the internet, including laptops, tablets, smart phones and even desktop PCs. But are we always happy with that?

The plain answer is no.

Wireless connections are not at all as good as we hoped for. In general, they are okay when you’re pretty near the access point, but in remote rooms you’ll have a weak signal or you will frequently lose connection. In addition to being distance-sensitive, Wi-Fi is also sensitive to the number of devices being connected to the access point, so the omnipresence of smart phones and other handheld Wi-Fi enabled devices is bound to degrade the performance of your network. Furthermore, Wi-Fi is not suited for heavy-duty applications such as online gaming.

Given the fact that Ethernet cabling is quite inexpensive, it is a false economy that few people think about installing a hardwired LAN network when they build or renovate their house. For something not considered a big thing, it makes a very big difference when you have it.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-9-you-will-always-connect...

Plug-in hybrid vehicle and battery electric vehicle (EV) ownership is expanding rapidly. However, few people take this into account when building or renovating a house. If they haven’t got one yet, they probably won’t bother installing an EV charging station at their carport or in the garage. They’ll assume that a standard wall socket will do.

In a way they’re right.

Most rechargeable electric vehicles can indeed be recharged from a domestic wall socket, using the charging equipment included with the car. However, charging from a simple wall plug is about four to eight times slower than charging from dedicated electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). Of course, you can always purchase and install your EVSE later, but don’t forget that they also require a dedicated electric circuit. Obviously it’s best to provide one right from the start.

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/frustrating-advice-10-you-will-charge-your-e...

Download the Checklist and Design Guide for Integrated Home Systems by Leonardo ENERGY:
http://bit.ly/IHS-designguide