First house ecomod/improvement - added a switch

[Daox]

Me and the wife moved into our first house one week ago today (Aug 26th). Our first weekend was spent with my in-laws. They came and helped me with the first improvement to the house. The house was built in 1886 and still retained pull chain switches on all the downstairs lights. So, the previous owners simply left the lights on all the time! At least they did put in CFLs. But they had three 13w CFLs and one 4 foot flourescent (~16w from what I've heard) downstairs just lit up 24/7/365. We ended up wiring them all up to a switch at the top of the stairs (father in-law is a master electrician). Rough estimation tells me this will save about 40-50 kw/hrs (~$5) per month. Shouldn't take long at all to pay for itself in materials (which we mostly had laying around already).

I'll get pics of it as soon as I get internet access at home.

[SuperTrooper]

Good start, Daox!

When we moved into our current home in 2003 there was a mercury vapor street light mounted on the garage to light the garage and walkway. It took me about a week to replace it with 2 motion sensor floodlights. I can only imagine how much money I've saved.

[jamesqf]

Especially if you aimed the sensor so that it doesn't turn on for people walking by on the sidewalk. One of the many things I hated about living in a semi-urban area - when I'd try to go for a walk at night, I'd get zapped by a couple of lights per block.

[metromizer]

First off, congratulations on your first house!

My advice is to watch the electrician work, and learn. With an older house like yours, you'll likely need those skills <household wiring is much easier than some tradesmen would have you think>. On some of the more complicated stuff, a room addition I once did, I once paid an electrician for an hour of his time to look at my situation and tell me what i need to meet code in my area. The building inspector loved what I did, passed with flying colors, and I didn't have to outsource simple stapling romex and adding a breaker at $75-$100/hr.

[BrianAbington]

were I live you can run the wiring...but you have to pay an electrician to hook it up to the breaker box.

[SmartTrucker]

I believe in Quebec it's illegal to even hook up a new light. Which is ridiculous considering how easy most electrical work is. Everything I've seen in homes I've had is very basic stuff.

[jjackstone]

Anywhere that happens is a place where a union worker is attempting to protect his job. Not that he/she could do the job one bit better than you, but you would be taking his living away and that can't be allowed. I know this from experience.
JJ

[Doofus McFancypants]

My father in law owns a 150 yr old farmhouse ( has for 30 years now)
Nob-and-tube wireing - insluatiuon was old newspapers. was a real mess inside
He spent many long hours basically gutting 1 room at a time and reworking the wireing / plumbing.

awsome project - but taking it a little at a time - you can get there.

Congrats on your 1st house !!!

steve