Winter nights and the festive season draws in….prepare your home lighting accordingly
As the nights start to draw in we turn our attention making sure lighting works both inside and out and there are a number of things that you can or should do to make lighting more effective or efficient over this period. In this blog we examine some of the common lighting improvements that Electric4U get involved in and talk about how this can be done cheaply and effectively.
Lamp lighting throughout the house
There is nothing worse as the nights draw in, when you want the atmosphere of lamp lighting throughout the house than having to turn all your lamps on manually each evening. Its possible that you have circumvented the problem slightly with a number good old light timers throughout the house as I used to do but even then you need to go around and reprogram them as the nights draw in and it gets dark earlier.
In the past in some of the larger houses people had such things as lamp sockets so they could enter a room and turn all of their lamps on themselves, now with the invention of Phillips Hue and Alexa devices – not only can you turn all lamps on in your rooms on and off at predetermined times you can also override those times and turn the lighting off earlier if you decide to go to bed early by saying “Alexa – lounge lights out”.
In addition you may have a certain light in your house – perhaps a chandelier – that you want to come on at the same time every evening no matter what the season. There are numerous types of smart plug that can be installed with the chandelier so that it never fails to come on of an evening.
Downlights
Have you ever thought about what is involved in fitting new downlights in a room? It involves chasing from the existing switch up the wall to the ceiling first of all. Then, if you don’t have concrete or wooden floors above then the floors can be lifted to install the cables and holes drilled for lights to be installed. If you do have wooden floors or concrete above then the electrician needs to “fish” the cables to each downlight through the ceiling and it can be a time consuming business to take the cables from one light to another with minimal damage to the ceiling.
We also specialise in fitting downlights and can help you to install downlights in your home with minimal fuss and bother.
Garden Lighting
In the same way that garden lighting is useful in the summer to illuminate outside gatherings its also very useful in winter for both for your security and safety. As it starts to get dark you may decide that you need new outside lighting either on a PIR sensor to detect movement or by use of an indoor or outdoor switch.
Philips Hue can also be used in conjunction with one tap switch if you need to illuminate all the lights in the garden at once so you can, for example, walk to the shed at the bottom of the garden. Alternatively you may prefer specific security lights which come on when there is movement. With the advent of smart home cameras through companies such as Nest, security PIR senor lights are becoming less popular as they disturb the neighbours whereas Nest notifies you when it sees a human shape passing one of the cameras (yes it can distinguish between a fox and a person!). Electric4U can install these types of security camera easily and commission them for you so your house is protected and the neighbours are not bothered by PIR floodlights at all times of the evening.
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Diwali and Christmas Lighting
How many times have you installed your Christmas, Thanksgiving, Diwali or Halloween lighting by threading a flex via the window to an internal socket? We have all done this I am sure, not only does it leave you vulnerable to theft if the window isn’t secure and also open to drafts through the part open window, it also leaves you open to trip hazards and can damage the cable. Then next year when you come to use the lighting you are not able to get it to work!
Most decorative lighting is low voltage so the shock hazard is minimal but it is important to have Residual Current Device (RCD) protected sockets for outside use anyway to avoid shock hazard for use of other electrical devices and fit in with the latest electrical standards. So why not get some fitted in handy places so they can be used for power tools and your external festive lighting? Here at Electric4U we are able to install this type of exterior socket easily for use with exterior lighting and also for use with power tools such as lawnmowers and power washers.
To Conclude
There are a number of things you can be doing this autumn to prepare for the darker nights making your home more attractive, user friendly and safe. Electric4U can help with this type of work. Contact our friendly and efficient team on electrics@electric4u.org to find out more or prepare a quote now.
