How to futureproof electrics / lighting

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Buying a house that we need to replumb and rewire... what would be your ultimate wish list for the electrics and lighting in your home, if you could start from scratch?

Considering...

• plenty of sockets - where?
• dimmer switches - ditto
• wired-in 'feature' pendant dining table light
• under-counter kitchen lighting
• multiple switches - eg. either end of hallway

Plan to buy in a bunch of switches soon online (brushed stainless steel, probably) so need to know quantity.

Cmon! Sky's the limit
(It really isn't)

We rewired 5 years ago and had plenty of sockets in each room. The socket on the kitchen island is a god send and is used all the time. Would also recommend a high socket with usb on each side of the bed ie above the height of the bedside cabinet. In fact we have a few sockets with usb's they are very useful.

I love dimmers in the children's bedrooms and sitting room, BUT - most LED bulbs don't dim. The modern way seems to be to control sections of LED downlights with multiple switches.

Don't put sockets or switches right next to each other - a pain to line up straight with each other, and especially a pain if tiling near them!

Are you planning on wall mounting a TV? Great to have a power and aerial socket behind or close. The danger is if it is behind you may not be able to mount as close to the wall as you would like.

Ah yes - sockets behind furniture seem like a good way of hiding them, but the bank I have behind my TV cabinet I can't use due to the plug/adapters being too big to get the unit back to the wall (so use an extension!).

Plugs near children's beds are a similar issue. I hate these wall-wart adapters!

Stainless sockets look great- but need a bit more maintenance. Bog standard white switches are easier to clean!

A socket in the hall for vacuuming is great. Maybe sockets in built-in cupboards for charging things like cordless vacuums. A shaver / electric toothbrush point inside a bathroom cupboard hides the wires for those things.

Sockets either side of the sofa are great for phone / laptop / tablets etc.

I quite like wall lights - behind the sofa for reading, would like some in the bedroom too (but may go for a headboard / lighting thingy).

Do you have garden lights? An interior switch for them is great, I'm also considering putting in a switch upstairs to control them too.

Exterior waterproof socket for the mower is useful. Maybe an electric vehicle charging point too?

Get a bigger consumer unit than you need so if you extend, fit an electric shower, or put in a garden office it can be expanded without full replacement.

Check the output of USB points in switches. Modern phones with fast charging draw current more than the older USB standard (5A to 3 Amps I think) - so phones charge really slowly on the 'old' standard.

I too was going to say I wouldn't go for dimmer switches as they don't go with light bulbs any more.

I too would avoid stainless steel as shows finger prints, or even smears if you wipe them worse than white ones.

I would go for the sockets with USBs / charger points if I were starting a re-wire now.

I would also go for them higher up the wall than sitting above the skirting as was traditional.

Tes, yes to under cupboard lighting in the kitchen.

I once stayed in an apartment that had a switch by the front door that turned ALL the lights out. So when you were going out, just bing, lights off. It was totally magic, and I can't believe they're not more common.

I would link it to a 'smart' system. You can use an app on your phone/wifi.

Switched plugs on a 3A ring for your table lamps.

Ooh thanks these are really helpful!
Good to know about dimmers and LEDs - I have seen some LED dimmer switches online but pricier.

Are there alternatives to the standard white plastic that doesn't require lots of maintenance ? Looking at the state of our light switches currently I don't think we would cope with stainless ones after all ...

May be worth making sure you have a neutral feed into your switches, even if it's not needed initially. If you upgrade to smart switches in the future and want to control them from an App or Alexa/Siri - the switch modules will need a neutral to function.

On the finish: if you do want metal then brushed is much easier to look after than polished! I have brushed nickel finish in the kitchen and brushed stainless steel door furniture.

I have led dimmers

Extensively and widely available

We have dimmer switches and low energy bulbs. They work perfectly well. Yes, you have to get dimmable bulbs and they're pricier, but because each bulb lasts for so many years, the extra cost is negligible when spread out over the years.

Do not skimp on your consumer unit. Get one with multiple breakers, rather than, say, upstairs power/downstairs power/upstairs lights/downstairs lights. Ours has separate breakers for nearly every room, which means that when something went wrong in one room, and the breaker could not be reset, only that one room was without power until the the electrician cane out, rather than the whole downstairs zone.

Power sockets above table-height in study/office/anywhere really. Yes, they're ugly, but they're so damn convenient! Make sure that they are several centimetres above table top, as so many plugs are very bulky. USB ports at this level, too. Power socket on the landing and in the entrance for vacuuming (these can be at traditional skirting height).

Power and light in loft, garage, shed and garden.

Nest Protect smoke detectors. I don't have them, but stayed in a house which did, and was very impressed. I loved the gentle nightlight that came on when I got up in the night. Each one gave enough light without blinding, and glowed up and glowed down without disturbing.

Light switches at each entrance of rooms with multiple entrances.

You just need to buy dimmable LED bulbs - we have some.

In our last house we wired Cat 5 data to all living rooms /bedrooms/study that cantake TV or Internet, much more efficient than WiFi.

Agree with:
Plug sockets in built in cupboards - ideal in bathrooms and kitchens
Lots of usb plugs
Multiple sockets behind beds/sofas
Data cables built in - ideal for larger properties where WiFi reach can be stretched and also stops WiFi slowing down - we have this for TVs
The kits you get where there’s a channel in wall you can thread extra cables through so wall mount TVs have no visible wiring - these are great for where you’ll want to plug in sky boxes/games consoles.

Add any security wiring too such as exterior lighting and hard wired cctv.

Add usb sockets to the plugs

Add usb sockets to the plugs
^

This

If you're planning on having an extension then everything will have to be at building regs heights (light switches lower and sockets higher). In the existing part of the house they can just replace like for like in the same place, but if you want it all to match then put them in at the new heights.

Sensors for lights in areas like halls and landings - means the lights come on when someone is in the area rather than having them on constantly.

Think about the furniture layout of a room before placing sockets and switches e.g. sockets by beds/desk.

Also second the posted who said about hiding tv cables in the wall, so much nicer not to have to see them!

Assuming that you are having a socket on each side of the bed, I'd also love a switch there for the main light so I don't have to get out of bed to switch it on/off.
I'd also wire in electric blinds so I can do the curtains and blinds without getting out of bed!

My husband is an electrician and wanted to future proof our new-build 5 yrs ago, you could ask a few sparks to see what they suggest these days as they know all the great new gadgets & the cons to avoid!
We didn't get the 'smart home' set up as we thought it may be harder to undo that when needed and none of the systems were compatible, it was a big investment to be stuck with that brand forevermore. Maybe things are different now 5yrs on?
We have CAT5E data cabling to most rooms. It's great for TVs, Sky boxes, computer etc & Far quicker than WiFi due to the amount of data they need.
I have to say I absolute love the emergency/sensor light he fitted in the cupboard with the fuse board & a few others around the house/garage. I always thought emergency lights were big ugly things but this one just looks like a normal flush ceiling light (has the little green light so you know it's charging) and has been so useful through the years instead of trying to do things holding the phone!
He also did 5amp sockets I sitting rooms & hall for table/floor lamps that can be controlled from the normal light switches, they don't really float my boat as I'm not a fan of side-lights but most people who visit think they are great. Those 5amp plugs are fabulous for my Xmas tree (he changed the plug on an extension lead to plug the fairy lights into in case I decide to move the trees!) no more stretching under or around, no more scratched arms from trying to turn them off, all done from the main switches in the hallway & sitting rooms : still blows my mind after 5 yrs!!! 🎄

We have switches either side of the bed that do the main bedroom light : I was inspired by a premier inn!
We have an alarm panel at front door, back door & behind our bedroom door.
Sockets of either end of the kitchen island are handy too.

Just done my second rewire - agree with more plug sockets than you ever thought you’d need, especially by TV and somewhere to connect hoover.

Disagree with USB plugs though, with wireless charging, volt changes on phone chargers (requires the plug bit to convert) and USB leads changing to USB C/others both ends I think plugs that accommodate all are much safer long term.

Oh and I have all dimmers with LEDs, you just have to look for the right bulb/check it’s dimmable if it’s a light fitting, once you’ve done that they last years so not really a problem.

Don't think it's been mentioned but make sure you take the opportunity to get mains-powered smoke detectors wired in. Outdoors power point(s) as well to avoid trailing extension leads through the house when you want to hoover the car or mow the law. Might also consider whether it's worth doing anything related to charging an electric car - even if you don't have one now, you almost certainly will in the next few years.

Not really hi-tech future-proof suggestions but practical things that are a lot cheaper to do as part of an overall rewire than as separate jobs.

And another thing

Good outside sockets and lights including one or two electric car charging points.
Are you interested in solar panels as I expect we will all have them soon?

The previous house had solar water heating, I think of it sadly now my 15yo takes 45 min electric showers.