Electricians can help you make the most of your renovation

Older houses with original wiring often benefit from a complete rewire. It sounds daunting, but it’s easy to do during a renovation, and will yield great results for the functionality and safety of your home. Fire hazards are a serious threat to your family’s safety, and rewiring an older home is an effective way to eliminate those hazards. If you’re renovating to sell, a rewire will add value to your home by assuring potential buyers of the quality and safety of the house.

Safety switches save lives, so it’s important to make sure they work! An electrician can test your safety switch and appliances, and identify any causes of short circuiting. If you’re not up to date on safety switches and surge protectors, this is the time to invest in these priceless features. Older houses also feature older switchboards and fuses, which were not built to handle all of the appliances we use in the current day. Make a plan for how many appliances you will use in which area of the house, and think about upgrading to eco-friendly items to save power. 

Install

A renovation is a great time to think about additional features which would benefit your home. Whether you’re looking to add value, convenience, or entertainment, an electrician can help you select and install the right items. If you’re into entertaining, ask your electrician about installing a home entertainment or home automation system, or lights in and around your swimming pool. Any room can be enhanced with down lights or pendant lights, which look particularly attractive over a kitchen bench or dining table.

For many owners of older homes the most glaring problem is often a lack of power points. People simply did not always have so many things to plug in! The best part about installing new outlets is the freedom to choose exactly where they will go, allowing for convenience and cohesion with your interior design. A popular new option is power points which feature USB outlets. These will charge any device with a USB compatible cord, including phones, cameras, tablets, and more.

If you don’t already have them, ceiling fans are a worthy investment. They’re affordable to install, energy efficient, and can work effectively with your air conditioner to keep power costs down and your house feeling comfortable. With a fan to circulate the air, your air conditioner does not have to be set so low, or work so hard. Reversing a ceiling fan for winter can also keep you warm, by pushing the warm air from the ceiling down into the living space.

Find a professional licensed electrician in your area using our home improvement directory.