3 way electrical socket switches

Discussion in 'Eco Talk' started by hershal, Oct 21, 2017.

  1. hershal

    hershal New Member

    Hi,

    We're doing a new build home, and I had the idea that all electrical sockets for plugs should have 3 way switches:
    1 - always on
    2 - on or off controlled by master
    3 - always off

    This should allow for when leaving the house, flicking off the master switch, and thereby should save energy.

    Do such sockets exist?
    How much energy might it save?

    I'm not keen on having a separate switch next to the socket as a work around, as this would look messy in my opinion.
     
  2. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    No. And y would you . Can’t see ur point?
     
  3. hershal

    hershal New Member

    Thanks for the reply
    Just figured less standing energy usage, eg TV, computer, toaster
    (when not in use)

    you feel this would be negligent I take it?
     
  4. You could get your Electrician to design the circuits you want turned off when you go out, to have switches controlling suitably rated contactors.
    You could then have switches at the door,possibly key switches you turn off when you leave.
     
  5. CraigMcK

    CraigMcK Screwfix Select

    I don't believe toasters use power in standby. Also the cost of doing it would far outweigh any savings. Modern appliances use very little in standby.
     
  6. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    Usually as simple as turning all the MCB's off in the CU except the kitchen circuit which the fridge/freezer runs on.

    Mr. HandyAndy - Really
     
  7. Pollowick

    Pollowick Screwfix Select

    As you are at new build stage and hopefully pre wiring then you should consider a "Smart Home " solution. With that, every socket and every light can be wired back to a central point as a series of radials. Then, they are connected to a controller which switches power to each on request.

    You then have a master switch by the front door - touch that on exit and all lights go off, followed by a preset programme of lights on/off for security. Then when you arrive home, touch the switch again, and a predetermined set f lights turn on and specific sockets are powered up.
     
  8. Pollowick

    Pollowick Screwfix Select

    Who puts a fridge freezer on a kitchen circuit? Anyone sensible uses a separate radial with RCBO for that.
     
    KIAB and Dr Bodgit like this.
  9. Rulland

    Rulland Screwfix Select

    I beg to differ matey, I've yet to see any house that has a dedicated circuit for the fridge freezer, it may be sensible, but practical, I ain't seen one on properties I've worked on, new or old tbh.
     
  10. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select


    Agree. And on a dedicated circuit, you may have no indication that the circuit has tripped(whereas on a kitchen circuit, other appliances will have stopped too)!

    Mr. HandyAndy - Really
     
  11. Pollowick

    Pollowick Screwfix Select


    I can show you plenty - starting with mine here.
     
  12. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    I’ve done it b4 when I’ve been fitting / wiring new kitchens!
     
  13. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    I have never done it for anyone else, but I have wired a separate socket outlet for the freezers in the utility at home, this was 10 years ago when not many were being installed, it was a new build. A problem though, my wife decided to have a move around and for 4 years the freezers were not plugged into that socket, following a subsequent re arrangement, they are now back on it. Moral to the story, don't jump too quickly when your nearest and dearest changes her mind, she might change it back again. As for the aspect of total control of everything, you need to do some costings here, with modern power supplies in good TV's etc the quiescent current is very small, most won't show a power draw on a wattmeter on standby. It was all a load of b011043 about switching it off to save energy.
     
  14. Sparkielev

    Sparkielev Screwfix Select

    I agree I not seen any either although have come across circuits for white goods
     
  15. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    I have plug in timers, plug in remote controlled sockets, and a wall socket with three remote controls, a timer and connection to PC, phone and tablet. In the main they are used to switch on alarms used to keep my mother safe and happy, but using the sockets has highlighted some problems.
    1) After a power cut they stay off.
    2) Mine have a limit of three on times, any more needs the use of IFTTT.
    3) There is a little red light showing on, I want a bedroom to be dark at night.
    One socket needs to switch off three times a day for carers to come in without setting it off, the other of the double socket pair needs to stay on 24/7 it powers the emergency pendent. However although programmed to stay on 24/7 we would find it off, the work around is for it to switch off/on three times a day, then if it does switch off in error maximum off time is 8 hours. I am sure you can see the problem.

    The plug in remote socket will work with PC, phone or tablet however not with a remote control, and it also monitors, so I can see if on or off, and how much power is being used, I actually measured power used by freezer, but was also rather worried it would switch off and defrost stuff, it didn't but it was a worry.

    As to separate timer and remote, if remote first then clock loses time, if timer first remote will not auto switch on so either way will not work. Hence why I got the combined timers and remote.

    I have the remote plug in sockets, and timers, and remote plug timer, but in the main they are not used. So much needs a button pressing to make them work, the battery charger needs me to press a select button, the washing machine needs a button pressing unless you use built in delay timers, which loses it's info if the machine is switched off at the wall.

    TV and satellite box once switched off it needs you to manually switch it on again, even the electric bed has a button on the plug which needs pressing to reactivate after a power cut, the chair lift I would not switch off, the hoist I would not switch off, the call station alarm I would not switch off, the computer should be switched off using the built in power down option not simply unplugged.

    As one looks around the house, most items either use that little any auto socket will use more, need a button pressing to switch them back on, or need to run 24/7 like cordless phones and freezer.

    So yes you can get a socket which will auto turn off and on as you leave home and return, my pair of sockets do have Geofencing so can be set to switch off when my phone is one mile away and on again when I approach home. However it uses IFTTT which needs the internet, not sure I want to trust it to work?

    So my Energenie, or any of the others, LightWave is another make, they will switch off and on but don't think really a good idea in the main to have it in the fixed socket even though that is what I have done. There are plug in adaptors and socket bars which do the same thing, this 4 socket bar does the same thing and can be moved to where required, please note without the gateway you can't use timers, with gate way and internet you can use all features, but the gateway costs, this pack of 3 comes without the remote, you can program up to three remote controls to work same socket, plus the gateway. Since I only have three items I have never tried programming more than one item to same button, but see no reason why you can't, so you could split house into 4 zones, so remote will switch each zone independent or all zones together.
     
  16. Dr Bodgit

    Dr Bodgit Super Member

    All fridges have an internal light so you'd know whenever you opened the fridge door, which is fairly often.

    Had a separate radial for the fridge and freezer in my previous house, not sure if it was on an RCD though as was installed circa 2000. Will put one in in my current house (on RCCD), your comment made me think I might put a clock or summint on that circuit too to act as the canary in the coal mine.
     
  17. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    A rechargeable torch which auto lights with a power failure. Although my fridge and fridge/freezer both have blue lights on when running, I find one does not notice a light not working as quickly as one which comes on.
     
  18. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    If I were building a new home, it would be wired for a smart home, where each socket in the house can be programmed to come on or off according to whatever program I wrote for it.
    This does not necessarily need to be wired radially; most smart home systems rely on BPL (Broadband over power lines), such that the signals telling the socket to turn on/off run as a protocol over the wiring system. Smart sockets are still fairly expensive, but they are dropping in price quite quickly. Have a read at www.knx.org.
     
  19. Dr Bodgit

    Dr Bodgit Super Member

    More complicated, more to go wrong and more to go obsolete. No thanks.
     
  20. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    More complicated, more to go wrong and more to go obsolete. No thanks.

    That's what the washer women said when washing machines entered a market dominated by mangles!

    The only universal constant is the inevitability of change.
     

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