A suitable electric supply in your house means you can effectively use your electric items. But for that, you need to place the electric outlets correctly.
Otherwise, you will be using a lot of multi-plugs to bring the electric supply close to places where you keep the electric items. So planning is crucial when you are making your new home.
But fear not, because, in this article, we will be showing you a guide on how you can set up the electric sockets or outlets in just the right place. This way, your house will look less messy, and your household items can be placed much more efficiently.
Guide to Planning Electric Outlets
You would generally want to place electrical outlets where there will be a lot of electric equipment or places that are easy to reach.
For a complete plan, here is a list that will help you on come up with a plan for the electric outlets in your home:
1. Create a List
Creating a list of how many rooms you have and how many electrical outlets are essential can help you out.
For example, you can have an electric outlet in your bedroom for a phone charger or an electric outlet beside the washroom for the washing machine.
Having a list of all the electric appliances in your possession is also very beneficial. The more electric appliances you have, the more outlets you need. You can contact an electrician if you need help in creating the list.
Across the US, you will see that the same type of sockets are used as the rest of North America. You will find your traditional Type A and Type B sockets with a standard voltage of 110V. The type A’s have two flat pins and the type B’s have two flats and one grounding pin at the bottom.
If you are in Boise ID or in Columbia MO and need help setting up outlets, you can always find a verified professional electrician in Columbia Mo or Boise ID online.
2. Outlets for Your Bedroom
Your bedroom will not usually have many electric appliances. You will mainly use an air conditioner, a charger, and a television for your bedroom. For these, you will need three separate electric outlets at best.
Place one right beside where you want to place your television and one beside where you want to put your air conditioner. An outlet for your phone charger can be anywhere you want, but for convenience, you can place it beside your bed.
3. Outlets for Your Kitchen
Your kitchen will need a lot of electric outlets since you will frequently be using a lot of electric cooking appliances. Some common kitchen appliances include an oven, pressure cooker, blender, electric kettle, electric stove, and so on.
So having a few extra outlets will not hurt. Be sure to keep them in an area that is easy to access, but far away from the stove so that too much heat does not reach these outlets.
But remember, if you are purchasing electric appliances from amazon or outside of the country, make sure you check the required voltage and frequency. Some appliances require 220-240v to run efficiently. And as we discussed before, generally in Columbia the outlets offer 110v. In that case, you have to use a voltage converter
4. Outlets for Bathroom
You hardly use many electric items in the bathroom, mainly because, well, it is a bathroom. Since there will be a lot of water here and there, having too many electrical outlets can surely cause a disaster.
But you can keep one just in case. You might need one to use your electric trimmer. But be sure to keep it far away from the showering area, so water does not reach these outlets. One beside bathroom cabinets is the best option.
5. Outlets for Your Home Office
Your home office is where you will be keeping a few electric equipments too. Some major items you will use in your home office are your laptop or desktop computer, printers, and additional lamps.
Since all of these items are connected and related, you can simply place one electric outlet and your laptop or desktop table beside the electric outlet. For multiple devices, you can simply use a multiplug.
6. Some for Your Garage
Garages are often left out when someone plans for electric outlets. But they are just as important as others. This is because you will use many power tools in your garages. But they are just as important as others.
Tools that you need to fix your car or motorcycle, or some other electric tools that you need for your DIY projects, all require electricity to run. So, install two to three electric outlets in your garage for better convenience.
7. Outdoor Outlets
Generally, outdoor outlets are not compulsory, but having one won’t hurt. For example, if you have a backyard and you want to decorate your Christmas tree with lighting outdoors, you definitely need to have some electrical outlets.
By having electric outlets outside, you do not need wire extensions that you bring from the inside of your house. This reduces the risk of tripping, which is bound to happen with kids around. So having some backup electric outlets can help out in the long run.
8. Extra Outlets
So far, we have discussed the absolute necessary outlets you need for your custom house. Without these outlets, it would be difficult to use your electric appliances, and you need to use longer wires as extensions.
But even after these, you might need to install some extra outlets, especially after any kind of home or apartment renovation. Because if one outlet starts to malfunction, you can immediately use the other one. Having extra outlets also means that if you buy new electric equipment, you can use the extra outlet for it.
Contact an Electrician
Lastly, once you have a basic idea of how many electrical outlets you need, you need to contact an electrician. Once they arrive, discuss your overall plan with them. Since they have worked with electric outlets before, they will be able to find any missing links in your plan.
There are a lot of well-experienced electricians. You need to find one that has good reviews. This way, you know you are working with someone who knows what they are doing. A bad electrician could be much more harmful than you think.
Final Thoughts
Electricity is essential in life as electric items are now a part of our life. That is why in our house, we need to have the correct number of electric outlets at the right place to use these items properly.
We hope this article has given you a proper run-through of what you need to do to have the right number of electric outlets for your house.
