Kiwi ingenuity can be a danger when it comes to electricity. Leading a live extension cord out of a cracked window to charge your electric vehicle in the rain or stacking 5 power outlet adapters on top of another to make room for more appliances does not come under the ‘she’ll be right’ category.
Letting a trained professional make small tweaks to the electrics of your home can streamline a lot of day-to-day power use to suit your lifestyle.
Today, Retrolec will be digging into how you can command your electronics to work for you, not the other way around.
Power Points and More: Make Your Electrics Work For How You Live
Power Point Practicality
Don’t be afraid of installing new power points. They’re relatively cheap to install, and can make a world of difference. Do you find yourself constantly running long extension cables through the house just to connect your daily appliances? There are many practical applications that our clients have done with power points over the years.
A sneaky outlet in the closet makes for a great way to connect an iron in the morning or for a heater during the Winter months. More specialised uses for closet/cabinet power points are security recording systems or media servers to hide out of the way.
For the kitchen: Installing a power point around or below the sink is one way to implement a garbage disposal unit. Power sockets inside of cabinets are one way to hide connections for rope lighting and alike.
Power points aren’t just for 3-pin plugs any more! If there is a power point you shouldn’t skimp out on, it would probably be an outlet with USB 3.0 slots included. These are great in living areas, offices spaces and in the bedroom so you can easily charge your devices within arm’s reach.
You also don’t have to confine your power points to the house. Clients have installed power points in the garage for when they need to use a freezer with extra storage. Or, more specialised ports can be installed to cater for charging electric vehicles.
Outdoor outlets can be safely installed by a qualified electrician without the risk of water damage. These power points can be used for holiday lights, outdoor heaters, security systems and more.
Keep Connected
These days, everyone is using the internet all the time. Unfortunately, the level at which we depend on the internet now was not taken into consideration for many houses built in the last few decades. If your home was built more than 10 years ago, then long ethernet cables for a television, console, SKY TV box or security system were usually not compensated for in the build. Luckily, installing Ethernet/LAN ports around the house can help rectify any Wi-Fi or connectivity issues by providing a port to plug in the router or Wi-Fi extension devices.
You can even include these ports inside a closet or a cabinet, which will allow you to install a media server or security recording device. Similarly, putting a port outdoors by your security camera ensures a steady connection between the camera and your media storage.
Going The Extra Mile
Got some grand ideas? Chances are, they are not out of reach when you contact a qualified sparky.
Some easy implementations can be knocked out in a couple of hours by an experienced electrician such as those at Retrolec. So, don’t feel too intimidated about the cost or labour required to make your electrics work for you in ways beyond basic necessities.
Some examples of small changes around the house include adding an electric point to the bathroom to allow for a heated or electronic toilet seat. Connections to a heated mirror can be implemented to deter annoying fog from a shower. Low voltage wiring to windows will allow you to control motorised shades with ease.
Another important thing you may want to consider is swapping to LED lighting. Outdated light fixtures can easily be replaced by LED lights that have a lifespan of around 25 years, while using roughly 10-20% of the power an incandescent bulb would. Over time, savings would be exponential, so is great for your home and the environment.
With any of these proposed jobs, it’s vital to have a chat with a professional electrician like the team here at Retrolec. Nothing is too small or too big of a job for us. Chat to us about your home electrics if you need a hand.
