Today, most newly built or renovated private houses are still equipped with a rather simple electricity installation, providing not much more than a series of light points, switches and power outlets throughout the building. While this so-called base case electricity installation is very robust and safe, it is being challenged by the ever increasing expectations of 21st century homeowners and occupants. Examples of increased expectations include flexible space usage, networking capabilities, automation, remote control of HVAC and other electricity powered equipment, and adaptability of the system to meet changing needs. In this whitepaper we outline the challenges presented to the base case electricity installation and provide a guideline for installers to help them meet the increased expectations. Aspects discussed include a gradual shift towards automation-enabled systems and an activity-centred approach of installation design. We encourage installers to grasp this opportunity and become advocates of a more flexible home electricity installation. This is also in their own interest, as it is likely to make their work more interesting, satisfying and rewarding. The whitepaper is based on interviews with a number of home electricity system installers and representatives of electric systems manufacturers ABB, Abitana, Legrand Group, Niko and Siemens. In addition, we organized five workshops with these manufacturers and with organizations such as Tecnolec, Enter vzw and CeDuBo[i]. In this whitepaper, the participants at the interviews and workshops are referred to as ‘our expert panel’.

1. WHITE PAPER
ADVOCATING A MORE FLEXIBLE ELECTRICITY
INSTALLATION
Didier Wijnants
18/03/2015
ECI Publication No Cu0216
Available from www.leonardo-energy.org

2. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page i
Document Issue Control Sheet
Document Title: Advocating a more flexible home electricity installation
Publication No: Cu0216
Issue: 01
Release: Public
Author(s): Didier Wijnants
Reviewer(s): Diedert Debusscher
Document History
Issue Date Purpose
1 18/03/2015 Initial public release
2
3
Disclaimer
While this publication has been prepared with care, European Copper Institute and other contributors provide
no warranty with regards to the content and shall not be liable for any direct, incidental or consequential
damages that may result from the use of the information or the data contained.
Copyright© European Copper Institute.
Reproduction is authorized providing the material is unabridged and the source is acknowledged.

3. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page ii
CONTENTS
1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1
2. The home electricity installation as a promoter of comfort .............................................................. 1
3. Challenges presented to the base case electricity installation........................................................... 2
3.1. Increasing comfort, functionality and flexibility.......................................................................................2
3.2. Reducing energy consumption.................................................................................................................2
4. Towards a future-proof home electricity installation ........................................................................ 2
5. Strategies and best practices for reaching beyond the base case ...................................................... 3
5.1. Making sure that the installation can be extended..................................................................................3
5.2. Planning for a more flexible basic installation .........................................................................................4
5.3. User-friendly Integration of applications and functionalities ..................................................................4
5.4. Improving the communication with homeowners and architects ...........................................................6
6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 6
References...................................................................................................................................................... 7

4. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION
Today, most newly built or renovated private houses are still equipped with a rather simple electricity
installation, providing not much more than a series of light points, switches and power outlets throughout the
building. While this so-called base case electricity installation is very robust and safe, it is being challenged by
the ever increasing expectations of 21
st
century homeowners and occupants. Examples of increased
expectations include flexible space usage, networking capabilities, automation, remote control of HVAC and
other electricity powered equipment, and adaptability of the system to meet changing needs.
In this whitepaper we outline the challenges presented to the base case electricity installation and provide a
guideline for installers to help them meet the increased expectations. Aspects discussed include a gradual shift
towards automation-enabled systems and an activity-centred approach of installation design. We encourage
installers to grasp this opportunity and become advocates of a more flexible home electricity installation.
This is also in their own interest, as it is likely to make their work more interesting, satisfying and rewarding.
The whitepaper is based on interviews with a number of home electricity system installers and representatives
of electric systems manufacturers ABB, Abitana, Legrand Group, Niko and Siemens. In addition, we organized
five workshops with these manufacturers and with organizations such as Tecnolec, Enter vzw and CeDuBo
1
. In
this whitepaper, the participants at the interviews and workshops are referred to as ‘our expert panel’.
2. THE HOME ELECTRICITY INSTALLATION AS A PROMOTER OF COMFORT
In the industrialised world, the home electricity installation has been a promoter of comfort ever since its
introduction in the late nineteenth century. The wealthier people in Europe and North America electrified
their homes starting around 1890. For example, the White House was electrified in 1891. However, home
electricity installations became commonplace only much later. In urban areas it was introduced in most
buildings just after World War I. It took a few more decades to reach the rural areas of Europe and North
America.
Initially, the home electricity system was primarily designed for lighting purposes, with the Edison bulb
replacing the unpleasantly smelling, inconvenient and unsafe gas, oil and candle lights. In addition to bringing
convenience and safety, the introduction of electric lighting had a profound impact on everyday life. In fact, it
promoted a new flexibility in household routines
2
. Electric lighting enabled people to spread their work over
the entire day rather than being confined to daylight hours. For example: electric lighting encouraged women
to prepare the main meal in the evening rather than at midday. No wonder that the Edison Mazda lamp used
to be advertised with the slogan ‘The Sun’s Only Rival’.
Increased freedom and comfort in organizing daily routines proved to be the main advantage of home
electricity and continued to inspire further development of the installation. Wall switches allowed people to
turn lights on and off at the entrance door of rooms, multiple light fixtures allowed to adapt lighting for various
purposes, and power outlets in every room enabled people to use appliances at different locations in the
house. As a result, the number and type of electric appliances used in households grew dramatically after
World War II.
This encouraged the sector to develop more robust home electricity installations with more light fixtures,
switches and power outlets. This evolution is still ongoing. Today, almost every apparatus in the house is either
powered by electricity or controlled electronically. Think of the fridge, the freezer, the washing machine, the
dishwasher, one or more televisions, the Hi-Fi system and probably a series of additional audio devices. There
are also the numerous mobile appliances such as the vacuum cleaner, the hair dryer, the electric toothbrush,
the shaver, et cetera. Most people now also have one or more home computers, maybe a game console or
two, plus a wide variety of power-charged mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets.

5. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 2
3. CHALLENGES PRESENTED TO THE BASE CASE ELECTRICITY INSTALLATION
Along with the increasing number of appliances, occupants have grown accustomed to the comfort that
electricity brings. Consider the extent of appliance types that are used, including a variety of
telecommunication tools, small devices such as aroma dispensers and mosquito repellents and even electricity
powered barbecues and fire places. This increased use of appliances also triggers occupants to raise their
expectations towards their electric installation to a significantly higher level than ten or twenty years ago. They
require it to provide more comfort, functionality and flexibility and at the same time they want to consume as
little energy as possible.
3.1. INCREASING COMFORT, FUNCTIONALITY AND FLEXIBILITY
Users expect their home electricity installation to offer great comfort and excellent functionality throughout
the entire lifecycle of the building. However, at the time of installation it is not always clear what functionality
will be required ten or twenty years from now. Indeed, initial requirements tend to change and new
requirements are being introduced at a rather fast pace. Our expert panel pointed out two main reasons for
this:
 New functionality and more comfort—New types of appliances and systems have emerged and/or
are being developed to add functionality and increase user comfort. Examples include new domestic
and kitchen appliances, multimedia tools, multi-room audio systems, and systems that allow remote
control of HVAC and other equipment. In addition, appliances such as theft and fire prevention
systems were rather special a decade ago but have become the mainstream in private homes now. It
is important to note that an increasing number of the new appliances and systems need to be always
connected to each other and/or to the internet for maximum result.
 Increased flexibility—Users require their home electricity installation to be very flexible to cope with
increased in-house mobility and rapidly changing circumstances. A prime example is the desire to
rearrange part of the interior after purchasing new equipment (a new Hi-Fi system, a home theatre, a
game console, an additional computer) or due to changing habits, emerging professional
requirements, kids growing up or occupants getting older and less agile. A seemingly trivial but in fact
significant example is the need to be able to charge battery powered mobile devices everywhere at
any time.
3.2. REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Our expert panel also pointed out that today’s homeowners are strongly motivated to further reduce their
energy consumption or at least avoid raising their energy bill while increasing their level of comfort and
flexibility. This once again pushes the home electricity installation towards greater (operational) flexibility,
including the ability to switch off electricity consumers when they are not needed and taking advantage of
solar power and other renewable sources.
4. TOWARDS A FUTURE-PROOF HOME ELECTRICITY INSTALLATION
A wide range of solutions to provide more comfort, functionality and flexibility and/or to contribute to
consuming less electricity is available already. However, the base case home electricity installation rapidly
reaches its limits when trying to integrate these new functionalities. While some of them can be implemented
with little or no impact on the base installation itself, a great part of the newer functionalities require specific
wiring and additional hardware that is difficult to integrate in a base case installation. Examples include
context-dependent lighting, remote heating control and solar power generation. In this respect, the base case
home electricity installation clearly fails to meet the challenges and changing requirements presented by

6. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 3
today’s and tomorrow’s homeowners. Therefore it is important to reach beyond the base case installation and
build smarter home electricity installations from the start.
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case in house renovation or construction projects today. Our expert panel
suggested that this may be due to the following reasons:
 During the design phase of the project, homeowners and architects tend to focus exclusively on
functional space layout and architectural aesthetics considerations.
 Even during discussions on the required electricity installation, homeowners are insufficiently aware
of their needs for comfort and flexibility and fail to anticipate future needs.
 Homeowners and architects are insufficiently aware of the wide range of home electricity solutions
available today.
 Homeowners and architects assume that these functionalities produce significant additional
investment costs.
 The draft layout of the electricity installation is being designed by the homeowner or the architect
without input from an expert electrician.
 Homeowners and architects are insufficiently convinced of the added value of the newer solutions.
As a result, even new houses are being equipped with a base case installation that quite often frustrates the
homeowners already after a few months
3
.
In the following chapter we outline a number of strategies and best practices to overcome this situation. Our
expert panel believes that installers can assume a leading role in promoting a smarter and future-proof home
electricity installation. This will not only avoid frustrations among homeowners, but also make the work of the
installer more interesting, professionally satisfying and ultimately rewarding, both emotionally and financially.
5. STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES FOR REACHING BEYOND THE BASE CASE
Our expert panel suggests a number of strategies and best practices for reaching beyond the base case home
electricity installation. In this chapter we outline the proposed solutions and the associated benefits. While
some of the proposed solutions can be integrated with little or no additional cost, others will have a larger
impact on the budget. However, it is essential that homeowners learn to think about these costs in relation
to the extra comfort they bring, in just about the same way they are willing to pay for a luxurious bathroom or
a comfortable kitchen.
5.1. MAKING SURE THAT THE INSTALLATION CAN BE EXTENDED
It is very important to design the installation for extensibility. Many people try to minimize the initial
investment by barring a number of optional features such as a PV system on the roof, an Ethernet network or
full electrification of the garden shed, freestanding garage or attic. These subprojects are often postponed for
a few years until fresh funds are available. Unfortunately, they then will require additional distribution panels
and wiring, forcing the installer to dig in the garden or cut into walls, introducing additional costs and
nuisances.
Therefore our expert panel recommends to consider the following from the start:
 Horizontal extensibility—Install at least cable conduits or a horizontal shaft between the house or
terrace and the garden shed or garage. This will allow easy wiring later on.
 Vertical extensibility—Install at least additional cable conduits from the ground floor to the attic to
allow the necessary wiring for installation of a PV system on the roof and full electrification of the

7. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 4
attic. Discuss with the architect or the homeowner whether to provide a real vertical shaft for
extensibility purposes.
 Dropped ceilings—Provide dropped ceilings in halls or corridors to allow easy installation of
additional wiring whenever needed.
 Distribution panels—Provide enough distribution panels. In bigger houses it is best practice to
provide one distribution panel per storey with probably additional panels for special equipment
clusters or freestanding units such as the kitchen, the garden shed, and the garage. Separate
distribution panels offer the homeowner more options when considering to rearrange part of his
house.
5.2. PLANNING FOR A MORE FLEXIBLE BASIC INSTALLATION
Homeowners and architects tend to underestimate the flexibility that users require from the home electricity
installation and only a few of them think years ahead when planning the installation. This is a first opportunity
for the installer to bring in his expertise. He might propose to use one of the checklists provided by
manufacturers or the manufacturer-independent checklist from Leonardo ENERGY
4
. Our expert panel
suggested to pay special attention to the following points:
 Power outlets—Provide a sufficient number of power outlets in each room. In living spaces and
bedrooms, it is best to provide outlets in each corner of the room, to allow easy rearranging of the
interior. Long walls should be equipped with additional outlets in between. Furthermore, each outlet
should be equipped with at least two sockets so that there is always one socket free for powering
mobile appliances such as a vacuum cleaner. Of course, many more outlets and sockets will be
needed in the kitchen.
 USB outlets—For mobile devices such as your cell phones and tablets, it’s very convenient when you
provide USB wall outlets, either as a separate socket or integrated into a power socket.
 UTP wiring and patch panel—Provide at least cable conducts for UTP wiring and a patch panel to
allow easy installation and configuration of a multifunctional structured network for data, telephony
and television
5
. When installing UTP wiring, make sure to provide at least two RJ45 sockets per room.
 Multimedia corner—The location for the multimedia equipment (Hi-Fi, television, audio streamer, et
cetera) needs special attention. Be sure to provide enough power sockets and RJ45 sockets to allow
installation of additional equipment in the future. Don’t forget to install speaker wire to make it really
plug and play. What’s more, consider whether it might be useful to provide more than one
multimedia corner. This is more than a ‘nice to have’. People’s preferences and priorities change over
time, so they will be grateful when the house offers them possibilities to rearrange things when they
want to.
 Equipment—Provide wiring or at least cable conduits to equipment such as gates, roll-down shutters,
sun blinds and curtains, even when you originally install only manual equipment. When conduits
and/or wiring are available, an upgrade to more comfortable electric equipment is easy and worry-
free.
 Detectors—Install motion detectors in hallways and corridors. This will provide more comfort as the
occupant will not need to search for the switch. It will also avoid that these spaces are left illuminated
all the time.
5.3. USER-FRIENDLY INTEGRATION OF APPLICATIONS AND FUNCTIONALITIES
Even more comfort and flexibility can be achieved by integrating solutions in a comprehensive home
automation system. However, it may be necessary to convince homeowners of that. Many people still think
that these systems are only for the rich and that they are complicated to use. In addition, few homeowners

8. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 5
and architects are well aware of the wide range of available functionalities offered by home automation. On
the contrary, many homeowners are somewhat afraid of ‘automated’ systems ruling their daily life.
This is another opportunity for installers, as they are well aware of the possibilities of home automation and
can help homeowners to get a better understanding of it. They can explain that the technology has become
affordable for any middle class family and that functionalities can be easily integrated in a user-friendly way.
They can explain how these systems really work, what type of functions they offer and how they can improve
the quality of life. Examples include:
 The ‘night-time button’, which could mean switching off all lights as well as a number of appliances
and turning the heating to eco-mode.
 The ‘wake-up button’, which may involve switching on some lights and turning the heating on.
 The ‘at home simulator’, intended to deceive potential burglars when the occupant is out of town for
a few days.
These are just some examples of possible functions. Providing good, practical examples of home automation
functions will help homeowners to better see the benefits in terms of comfort, safety, and energy efficiency.
Manufacturers and consulting firms offer design guides with practical examples
6
. Possibilities are endless, but
the crux is finding and developing exactly those functions that bring extra comfort, safety and efficiency into
the house. In this context, our expert panel suggested adopting an activity-centred approach when
developing a home automation system. This would include systematic consideration of the following aspects:
 Activities—Think of each room as a container of activities. What exactly do you do in your living room
or bedroom at different times during the day or evening? Each room has its own set of activities. It’s
important to have a clear picture in mind. Think about the most common activities (going to sleep,
getting up) but also about the activities performed once a week or month (cleaning). Then think about
the lights and appliances you want to switch on and off before, during and after these activities.
Which functions need to be activated simultaneously?
 People—Think about the people who will perform the activities in the rooms. What is the possible
interaction between these people? What appliances do they need during these activities? Can they
disturb other activities?
 Entrance and exit—How can people enter and leave the house? How can they enter or leave each
room? Would it be interesting to automatically switch certain lights or appliances when entering or
leaving through a particular door?
This activity-centred approach is a great way to define useful solutions tailored to the needs of the occupant. It
also enables you to build a priority list, marking the solutions as ‘essential’, ‘beneficial’ or ‘nice to have’. This
will also help in keeping the budget under control.
In addition, our expert panel outlined a number of best practices when implementing a home automation
system:
 Push-buttons and remote control—Provide push-buttons on the wall and beside doors for integrated
activity-based functions such as ‘enter room’, ‘leave room’, ‘read book’ and ‘listen to music’. Try to
limit the number of dedicated push-buttons for individual control of lights and appliances. Additional
control options will be made accessible via remote control, either using a dedicated IR or RF unit or a
smartphone or tablet. However, be careful: functions such as ‘mute all sound’ or ‘panic’ should be
available via a push-button because they need to be activated quickly without having to scroll a
control menu.
 Systematize—Implement push-buttons for functions in a systematic way. For example, always
provide the ‘entrance’ buttons at the top and the ‘exit’ buttons at the bottom of the push-button bar

9. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 6
beside the door. Buttons for other functions can be placed in between, preferably marked with a
symbol or text indicating the function. This will make the system more user-friendly.
 Avoid misunderstandings—Make sure that each and every button on the wall performs a certain
function. Non-active buttons are quite disturbing. Dimmable lights with a dim memory are tricky too,
especially if they can be dimmed down to nearly-zero. People might think that the light is faulty when
actually it is only dimmed down to zero. Therefore, always provide a minimal lighting level for
dimmable lights.
5.4. IMPROVING THE COMMUNICATION WITH HOMEOWNERS AND ARCHITECTS
While homeowners and/or architects may not always be well-informed about the newer techniques and
possibilities in home electricity installations, they certainly are interested in solutions that provide more
comfort, safety and flexibility and reduce energy consumption. Installers can provide the required information
and their expert advice will be greatly welcomed as long as they are not perceived as trying to sell things
merely for the sake of selling.
For this to happen it is essential that the installer is involved in the project at an early stage. Therefore
installers must present themselves as a partner of the architect rather than as an executioner of his plans.
What’s more, installers that are able and willing to reach beyond the base case electricity installation can offer
great added value to the architect, especially if they are involved in the project at an early stage. Consider the
following aspects that can be discussed with the architect and the homeowner during the design phase of
the house:
 Integration of horizontal and vertical shafts to enable extension of the electricity installation.
 Integration of removable dropped ceilings in halls and corridors. This will offer greater flexibility when
considering to extend or modify the electricity installation.
 Optimization of the interior finishing workflow, making sure that electricity cable conduits are
protected from accidental damage during stucco work or other interior finishing activities.
 Information exchange with and coordination of suppliers of systems and appliances such as sun
blinds, gates, roll-down shutters and heating systems.
During the communication with the architect and the homeowner, it is important to keep focused on the
added value that a more sophisticated electricity installation can bring. Our expert panel encourages installers
to advocate the above-mentioned activity-centred approach, as this will make the benefits more clear and
obvious for everyone.
6. CONCLUSION
The home electricity installation has always been a promoter of daily life comfort and flexibility. This is even
more so today, as the range of available appliances and functionalities increases. However, the base case
electricity installation that is still provided in most newly built houses often fails to meet the growing
expectations of occupants. Installers can take the lead in reaching beyond the base case and providing
installations with more comfort and great flexibility. They can also advocate a gradual shift towards
automation-enabled systems and adopt an activity-centred approach to installation design. In addition, this
will make their work more interesting, satisfying and rewarding.

10. Publication No Cu0216
Issue Date: March 2015
Page 7
REFERENCES
1
Tecnolec vzw is a Belgian Knowledge Centre for employers and employees in the electricity installer business
(www.tecnolec.be). Enter vzw is a Belgian Centre of Expertise specialized in ergonomic design, especially for
persons with disabilities and/or advanced age (www.entervzw.be). CeDuBo is a Flemish Information and
Coordination Centre promoting sustainable construction (www.cedubo.be).
2
IET, Lighting the Home (online exhibition of the Institution of Engineering and Technology),
http://www.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/exhibition/domestic/lighting.cfm
3
Guy Kasier, Ten ways to frustrate homeowners with their electrical installation, http://www.leonardo-
energy.org/ten-ways-frustrate-homeowners-their-electrical-installation
4
Guy Kasier, Checklist for the electrical installation in the home, http://www.leonardo-energy.org/checklist-
electrical-installation-home.
5
The future of power line communications technology as a competitor of UTP is still highly uncertain as it has
a negative impact on the mains power quality, an issue of increasing importance.
6
For example: Guy Kasier, Checklist: Design Guide Integrated Home Systems, http://www.leonardo-
energy.org/tools-and-tutorials/checklist-design-guide-integrated-home-systems.