An electrical power point is a socket in the wall that gives power to your electrical devices through a plug. Many older buildings don’t have enough power points to support the number of electrical devices that we use today, therefore, power point installation is a common service of ours at Lola Electrical.
There are five main different types of power points that you would find in a home or commercial building:
Single power sockets are not overly beneficial in this day and age as it’s more than likely you’ll need an additional power point to cope with the load of your electrical devices. If you’re constructing a new building or want us to install a power point into your existing property, we will always install at least a double power point as standard because it can work out more costly to install further power points in the future.
Power points with an extra switch are very handy in your home as it can be used to control a fan or light without the need for an additional output on your walls. However, this isn’t practical for a commercial building as many people will not know what the switch operates.
USB power points are usually an extension of a double power point. These are especially useful as they cut out the need for a USB adapter, therefore, they can be commonly used in commercial buildings and in the lounge or bedroom of a home.
More and more commercial buildings and homes are using extension leads to cope with the capacity of their electrical equipment, however, this can overload the power point as it can’t support the number of amps that are running through it. If you are getting in this situation, it is advised to have additional power points; because adding power points can become expensive, it is a good idea to upgrade any existing power points that you already have, such as changing a single power point to a double. If more is needed, then it is time to install additional power points. Sometimes, this can be easy as the wiring within the walls can extend to an additional outlet. If this isn’t the case, then some rewiring would need to take place which is why new builds should always come with enough power points to save costs later down the line.
Power points can suffer from wear and tear over time and the switches can be very hard to move or even fall out entirely which can pose as a hazard. In some cases, you can just replace the switch but in others, the whole socket would need to be replaced. Some sockets can be easily removed off the wall if they are regularly used.
Power points would also need to be replaced if the socket itself melts or was set on fire due to an overcurrent by using too many amps at one time.
If you’re looking to get a power point upgraded, installed or replaced, give Lola Electrical a call on 0203 146 1859 and we’ll be happy to help you.
