Ways an Electrician Can Help with a Kitchen Remodel

When renovating your kitchen, you'll likely focus on components such as benchtops, cabinets and splashbacks. However, less tangible elements, such as lighting and electrical wiring, are just as crucial. For both of these, you'll need the services of electrical contractors during the remodel. 

Lighting

The light within a kitchen influences how the room feels and functions. Not only is natural daylight relevant, but artificial lighting is also important. During your remodel, an electrician can explain the options. Ambient lighting refers to the general illumination within the kitchen, and you can provide this through recessed ceiling fixtures or pendant lights above a dining table or kitchen island. 

Task lights help with food preparation. You could install lighting strips underneath the upper cabinetry to illuminate the benchtop. You might like lights inside the cabinets as well. Accent lighting is purely decorative. You could spotlight your treasures within a glass cabinet or shine a light on a piece of wall art. Alternatively, get creative and place lighting along the cupboard kickboards for a unique effect. 

An electrician will help you work out a lighting plan and advise on whether to use LED, incandescent, or fluorescent globes. Don't rely on one central ceiling globe, which won't illuminate all areas evenly. Plus, as soon as you stand at the benchtop, you'll cast it in shadow.

Appliances

During the kitchen remodel, you might fit new appliances or reconfigure the layout. An electrician can rewire the room to support the new arrangement. Many large appliances, such as ovens and dishwashers, need a dedicated circuit, making the machine safer and more convenient. If major appliances share a circuit and you switch them on simultaneously, you could overload the system and trip the circuit breaker. If the breaker doesn't trip as it should, the wiring could overheat and possibly trigger a house fire. An electrician can advise which appliances require their own circuit and what strength current they'll need to run.

Thus, an electrician can enhance the design, convenience, and safety of your new kitchen. Well-planned lighting opens up the room, so it's more practical and welcoming. Illuminated counters and cabinets make food preparation and storage easier, and spotlighted artwork and other features beautify the room. An electrician can help you devise lighting ideas for the entire room. Additionally, ensuring that large appliances run on dedicated circuits increases the kitchen's safety and helps to prevent overloaded wires from causing a house fire.

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