ᐅ Electrical Planning – Power Outlets

That’s just how it is, like in many areas of life...

One person is satisfied with a small car, while another needs a luxury sedan...

For me, it was never an option to have only a few electrical outlets and LAN ports here and there... I always hated seeing all the power strips in the corners of rental apartments. Besides, those can easily become overloaded if you’re not just plugging in a TV, satellite receiver, and Blu-ray player...

In my case, since a double combination outlet only cost about 30 euros, I installed sockets everywhere it made sense...

And the LAN cables were even partially free of charge, so I ran several hundred meters throughout the house... I already mentioned coaxial cable costing about 20 cents per meter — what’s there to think about? Just install it in every room and that’s it... then you’re done with about 50 euros for the whole house.

Mycraft schrieb:
Yes, that's just how it is, like in many areas of life...

Some are satisfied with a simple car, while others need a luxury model...

In my case, a double wall socket only cost about 30 euros, so I installed outlets wherever it was reasonably possible...

Well, and LAN cables were sometimes even free, so I ran several hundred meters inside the house... I already mentioned coax cable at 20 cents per meter—what's there to think about? Just install it in every room and be done with it... then the whole house is covered for about 50 euros...

: I approached the outlets similarly to you. However, we didn’t go for the complex KNX system (simply no budget left).

: I used LAN cables very sparingly. But where it’s installed, I really need it; otherwise, wireless works fine.

: COAX: In every room except the hallway and the guest bathroom/laundry room. That really only costs about 50 euros (plus the few outlets later).

Mycraft schrieb:
Also, such setups can easily get overloaded if you connect more than just a TV, satellite receiver, and a Blu-ray player...

It’s no different with 12 sockets lined up side by side—unless you mean that each one has its own separate supply line (in which case, of course, that’s not an issue)?

Sebastian79 schrieb:
It’s the same with 12 sockets side by side – or do you think each one has a separate supply line (if so, then of course that’s no problem)?

So, this is how we handled it: We discussed with the master electrician what kind of loads could be connected to which sockets or were likely to be. We decided that any socket exceeding around 1,600 watts (approximately 1.6 kW) – just to add some safety margin – would have its own dedicated supply line. This required some planning and slightly more cabling, but it wasn’t an issue.

I didn’t say that it’s a problem either. It’s just that very few people do it that way.

Sebastian79 schrieb:

Only very few people do it that way

The certified electrician who supported me insisted on it.
Personally, I thought it was a good approach. Some parts are straightforward. The vacuum cleaner uses 1,600 watts. Where do you plug it in? Here, there, or over there: a dedicated circuit. And so on. The planning was done in less than 60 minutes, making the setup clear and easy to handle.

I mostly installed the cables myself as part of my own work. Afterwards, the installation was always inspected and approved by the electrician with a formal report.

The amount of electrical equipment included with the house was extremely poor. A total of 20 sockets. The installation company quoted prices for additions that were so high I literally struggled to breathe. So, I simply expanded the system myself together with the trusted electrician. One minor issue was the official inspection, as the original installation company for the house then refused to carry it out. My electrician, who was familiar with the entire system (the 20% installed by the house builder was basically substandard), handled the inspection instead.