You’re excited to start your new life in your new home, but getting there can be overwhelming. Moving homes is never going to be 100% stress-free, but luckily for you, this checklist can help put your mind at ease knowing your new home’s electrical needs are taken care of.

1. Plan the location of your electrical outlets

It’s usually not until long after people have already moved in to their new home that they realise they should have added more power outlets. To avoid needing to use messy extension cords and power boards, take the time to think about where you’d like to be able to have easy access to electricity in your new home. When in doubt, it’s always favourable to install more power points than to have not enough.

2. Plan your lighting

Think about your lighting preferences before you move in based on your ceiling height, room size and type of space you’re working with or would like to create.

Consider options such as pendant lights over your dining table, downlights instead of one light in the centre, decorative lights and chandeliers, sensor lights, spotlights and floodlights.

For example, if your walls are covered in cooler tones, you might want to warm them up with lighting options that casts a warm glow. Conversely, you might want a cooler glow to brighten up a darker space.

Lighting usually makes up to 8-15% of your electricity bill and, depending on your lighting setup, you could be looking at saving hundreds of dollars by choosing more energy-efficient options. Click here to see a comparison of different lighting options for your home.

3. Think about energy efficiency

With electricity rates rising every year, any small saving can make a big difference. Here are some tips that will help you save on your electricity bill this summer.

4. Think about smart home systems

Make your new home a smart one with modern options for lighting automation to set the mood and control your lighting with a click of a button, you can also integrate heating automation to take control of your home’s temperature.

Access automation to make entering your home quicker and safer and security automation to provide you with a peace of mind.

5. Safety comes first

A Residual Current Device (RCD) is a life-saving device designed to prevent fatal electric shocks by switching off electricity automatically if there is a fault. They do this by monitoring the flow of electricity from the main switch board and reacting to any imbalance in the current. This should be a priority for your new home to help make your home as safe as possible. Learn more about RCDs here.

6. Think about switching to solar

People tend to focus on the possible financial benefits of solar, however, it’s important to look beyond just monetary savings and consider the other benefits that adding a solar system to your home might bring.

It’s a way to do your bit for the environment. Solar panels can help reduce your carbon footprint by reducing your home’s greenhouse gas emissions. Solar panels may also add value to your home. When asked by realestate.com.au, 85% of Aussies said they thought solar panels would add to a property’s value (Consumer Omnibus Study, April 2015 realestate.com.au/Blog).

Let the expert electricians in Bathurst help you make your home a safe and efficient one. Call us on 02 6334 4888 or submit a contact form here.