Planning your electrical wiring for your dream renovation

5 tips for ensuring a smooth home reno with your electrician

If you’ve decided to renovate your home, chances are it’s an older home that was built some decades ago. That means your home will quite likely require more electrical work to enable it to give you the lifestyle you want.

This is because homes that are older than around 20 years will of course only have electrical wiring that is suitable for that period. Wiring that was set up to handle the appliances at that time: the basics of a stove, fridge, washing machine and a toaster or kettle.

Back then, a home only needed one power circuit and one lighting circuit for the entire house as it had low power requirements. And the switchboard would be set up accordingly.

Today however, we live with much greater power needs. If your renovation includes adding a range of the latest modern appliances, you may need a power circuit just for the kitchen alone – in which case, you’ll likely need a switchboard upgrade so that multiple power circuits can be installed.

You can see why it pays to speak to your electrician before you begin your home renovations. 

Consider the type of appliances you’ll choose

Induction ovens and steam ovens will likely draw more power than a normal oven – so if you are planning to install those appliances, then even the normal stove circuit will need to be upgraded. It is essential that you talk to your electrician about this, so that they can install the correct capacity circuit.

In an extreme case, a large oven may need the entire house to have a three phase connection.

Pro tip: Choose your appliances before you have the electrical work done. Get an understanding of their power consumption, and discuss this with your electrician. Otherwise, you could face problems as you have to downgrade and compromise your desired appliance or re-upgrade your wiring. 

Plan for the electrical demands of today’s digital world in your reno

Will you want to have USB or wireless charge points? And if so, where will they go?

While using smart apps can work well, you may want to think through a better, more sophisticated solution for a fully “smart’ home with appropriate wiring for My Lights, My Air and the like. Remember, reno time is your chance to get it right for years of enjoyment. 

With the correct wiring, you can easily have your home go to sleep, wake up and do a multitude of other things automatically.

Consider your home’s lighting

Whether you plan to have lights on your benches, cupboards, or overhead, it’s important to think through the day-to-day living and use of the area.

Start by looking at your plans, and having a good think about the day-to-day practicality.

For example, if you’re putting in an island bench, you might want to have a power point built in so you can easily use appliances while cooking. An electrician worth their salt will also be able to advise you about placement of lights so you can make the best use of your new workspace.

Things to account for when you’re working from home

Do you have a dedicated office or study that would be more efficient with data cabling and power points for your computer, printer, modem and the like? What about air conditioning in your office area so you can work in year-round comfort?

Now is the time to think about where you plan to charge your phones, plug in your modem and laptop, and avoid having leads or cables across your work areas.

Think about the future of your dream home

Even if you are only currently renovating one room, what about the next stage? Plan ahead, since there might be things that can be done now to save redoing them during the next phase of your renos.

For example, if you are tearing out a wall for the new kitchen and it backs on the bathroom, now is the time to add additional electrical cables for your future bathroom renovation.

Access for electrical installation is always important, so think outside the box. Even if you’re doing something like taking off the roof to have it replaced, it’s a good chance to add in cabling for ceiling fans or spare lights so that they can be installed in future without having to remove or cut the ceiling.

The same goes for outside the house. For example, if you’re installing a shed now, and a pool later, have the cable installed now to service the shed, and at the same time upgrade the cable to be able to run the future pool and outdoor lights.

And if you’re installing a concrete path, add a conduit now so that you can run cables for lighting in the future without cutting through your nice new path.

Contact Jaric Electrical for electrical work at your home

The expert team at Jaric Electrical can offer you the advice you need to plan your home renovation.

To find out more, call Jaric Electrical on 1300 452 742 or contact us online.