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Planning Electrical Items In Your Kitchen
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Planning Electrical Items In Your Kitchen

We've put together this short blog post to help with planning electrical items in your kitchen when using our online rewire calculator.

Kitchens are often the busiest room within a property when it comes to electrical items and often required the most load (power requirement), this factored in with making sure electrical items are in the right position often becomes bit of a head scratcher for our customers, fear not however as this guide should assist you with planing electrical items within your kitchen.

Sockets

There are often two types of socket outlets within your kitchen, there are sockets above your work top and sockets below your work tops. The sockets above your worktops are typically used for your every day appliance such as your Kettle, Toaster, and microwave. These socket outlets would be installed and positions in suitable locations depending on the layout of your kitchen.

The second type of socket outlets in the kitchen are under unit socket outlets, These would be used for your fixed or free standing appliance, the socket outlets for the appliances are positioned in the cupboard unit next to the appliance. Appliances that would usually be plugged in to these sockets are Fridge/ freezers, Washing machines, Tumble dryers, Dish washers, integrate microwaves and single ovens. the socket outlets for these items would need to be in a easily accessible cupboard so 

The second type of socket outlets in the kitchen are under unit socket outlets, These would be used for your fixed or free standing appliance, the socket outlets for the appliances are positioned in the cupboard unit next to the appliance. Appliances that would usually be plugged in to these sockets are Fridge/ freezers, Washing machines, Tumble dryers, Dish washers, integrate microwaves and single ovens. the socket outlets for these items would need to be in a easily accessible cupboard so that you can easily isolated the appliance by either turning off the switch or unplugging the appliance from the outlet.

Cooker, Hob and Oven Circuits

Another area that often causes confusion for our customers is the cooker circuits. Depending on the Kilo-wattage of the cooker oven or hob you may need a dedicated circuits as they often require too much power to be connected to the kitchen socket circuit. We've put this guide together to help assist you with selecting the correct type of circuit for your cooker.

(This table should be used as a guide only, always consult a qualified local electrician)

If your appliance requires a dedicated circuit it will also require a isolation switch, theses can be installed above or below your worktops, the isolation switch would need to be positioned in a easily accessible cupboard if positioned below the worktops or within the a cupboard.

Lighting

To really bring your Kitchen to life the lighting is a factor tat you don't want to be over looking when planning your rewire project. Kitchen lighting comes in all shaped and sizes and the quantity will depend on the size of your kitchen and the budget. we've put together a break down of the typical lights found within the kitchen.

Down Lights

Downlighter's are a great addition to any kitchen as they can be positioned where the lighting is required the most they also give your kitchen a elegant modern look.

Lighting Pendants

If you are including a breakfast bar or island in your kitchen plan you may wish to add 2-3 low hanging pendants as these will also give a modern feel to the space. If you plan to have a dining table within the kitchen you could also add one or two lighting pendants above the table. If budget is a big factor with the rewire you may wish to install a central positioned 6’ lighting pendant which could later be replaced with a decorative style light fitting of your choice.

Under Unit Lighting

If you really want the wow factor in your kitchen under unit lighting can also be added to your rewire, this is a great was to add some softer lighting to the kitchen.

A standard set up for a kitchen switching configuration would be a set of lights controlled by a 1 way or 2 way switch but if your are having a high specification kitchen or your kitchen forms part of a model kitchen diner you may wish to add additional switches for each group of lights, a more and more popular example of this would be a 4 gang switch being installed and each switch controlling a different group.

Eg

Switch 1= 1 way switching configuration for kitchen down lights.

Switch 2= 1 way switching configuration for pendants.

Switch 3= 1 way switching configuration for unit lights.

Switch 4= 2 way switching configuration for room lights

This option gives more versatile switch options and sets different moods for the lighting in your kitchen.

Extractor Hood Power Supplies

Its always a a good option and is often mandatory that there is a cooker hood or kitchen extract fan installed within the property as these will remove any unwanted smells within the kitchen, cooker hoods often come with built in lighting. Extract fans come with a number of different air extraction options.

Its always a a good option and is often mandatory that there is a cooker hood or kitchen extract fan installed within the property as these will remove any unwanted smells within the kitchen, cooker hoods often come with built in lighting. Extract fans come with a number of different air extraction options.

Watch Our Video For Help Planning Electrical Items In Your Kitchen

We hope you found this blog post useful. Please watch our short video and have a read of our other blogs to assist you with planning electrical items in other rooms of your property.

For more information please contact our team or fill out our online rewire calculator to get your instant quotation.

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Robert-Shaw
Robert Shaw
★ Founder and Director at Smart Electricians ★
Rob has worked within the electrical industry for 16 years helping home owners, business owners, landlords and construction companies with all their electrical needs. The proud owner of Smart Electricians, Rob prides himself on giving a friendly, professional and reliable service to his customers and clients. Rob’s friendly manner and impressive work ethic has led to Rob being one of Sheffield’s leading electrical contractors, giving Smart Electricians a great reputation not only for electrical installations but also in the ever growing industry of home automation and smart technology.
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