There are so many things to think about when building your home, and your electrical plan is one of them. Your builder will most likely already have an electrical plan for your home, but you will probably want to make some changes to that so that it suits you and your family better. This electrical checklist will provide you with some points to think aboutbefore meeting with the electrician to go over the electrical plan for your new home. It is best if you go into this meeting with a clear idea of what you want.
- Position of Furniture
Take a good look at your plan and think about where you are going to position your furniture, how each room will be used and what type of lighting you want. And don’t forget the Christmas Tree – where will you set up the tree each year? Is there a power point nearby for the lights - TV, Phone & Data
Think about where the TV’s will be placed as most TV’s are hung on the wall now and it is best to conceal the cords behind the TV. Do you want power points positioned in the kids bedrooms for a TV in the future? What about outside? It is easier to put these in now, rather than later. What about the phone line? Where are the computers going to be set up – are you having home networking set up? - NBN
If your living in an area with NBN connection, ensure your new home will be NBN ready. - Light Switches
Make sure you are happy with the location of all the light switches. - 2-Way and 3-Way Switching
Would you like to be able to turn a light on and off from different locations – for example: turning hall way lights on and off at both ends, or turning lights on and off at the top and bottom of a stairwell? - Dimmable Lights
Do you want to be able to dim some lights? If so which ones? - Foxtel
Where will Foxtel be installed and how many? You will need a extra power point for the Foxtel box. - Home Theater
There is a lot to think about in here. Will you be installing some type of audio system in here? Will there be a projector at some point? Where will the DVD/Foxtel/Apple TV be kept? - Bedrooms
Will there be TV’s in the bedrooms? Computers? Something to consider in the bedrooms is to install power points that also include a USB outlet to charge devices. They are very handy to have near the bed to charge phones and tablets. - Security System
A home security system will require both power and a phone point. A good spot to hide these are in the pantry, linen cupboard or wardrobe. - Power to the Garage/Under House Storage
Do you need power points in your garage for vacuuming the car or operating power tools? What about under house storage? It could be handy to have at least one power point down there. - Washing Line
Do you need a light there? - Watering System
Do you need power for irrigation and your watering system - Outside Lighting
How do you want to light the perimeter of the house? Do you want a fan or pendant lights under your patio/deck area? - Gas Points
Do you need a couple outside for a BBQ and outdoor gas heating? - Pool & Outdoor Spa
Pool equipment and outdoor spa’s require special electrical equipment. - Security Lights
Do you want the exterior of your new home to be protected by security lights? - Smoke Alarms
Ensure you have enough smoke alarms installed and that they are hard wired in. - Solar Power
Have you considered installing solar power?
We hope you have found this list helpful.
Information sourced from Essential Checklist by Clipsal, issue 14.