Let there be light! (We plan out our electrical distribution system)

My experiences with the electrical circuits in homes in the Philippines have led me to believe that in many cases it is an afterthought. Our neighbor has exactly two circuit breakers, one for upstairs and one for downstairs and that’s probably twice as many as most homes have (except for the newer homes being built in housing developments). For our house I wanted a simple yet comprehensive plan. I believe that as time progresses more and more demands would be placed on the electrical system and wanted a system that would accommodate these added demands. Once rice was cooked on a stove top, now we use an electric rice cooker and so on. We ended up with a twenty circuit distribution plan that has served us very well. In fact when the electrical inspector came to certify the work he was very surprised by the number of distribution circuits we had and insisted we up size the feeder cable leading from the service pole to the house! Although we tried to explain that though there were more distribution circuits the overall amperage was still just 100amps, something which our Electrical inspector apparently couldn't get his head around. Rather than argue with him we decided that the fastest way forward to getting our certificate was to replace the main feeder wire, which we did and soon secured our electrical cert. Small yet helpful features were planned in such as having a second light switch in the second floor master bedroom to control the front exterior floodlight, a handy feature readily available so that it can be controlled without having to leave the bedroom late at night and from that position gives a commanding view of the area below while still remaining safely out of harm’s way. We installed cable and electrical outlets high on the wall in the front corner of the living room anticipating mounting a flat screen TV on the wall and not having the cable and cords run down the wall. We planned for and routed conduit for speaker wiring so that we could properly distribute the speaker system (again high up on the wall clearing up valuable floor space) for surround sound and the inevitable Karaoke night. This was another plan that has been a pleasant addition, now we don’t have that unsightly wiring strung around the walls. One thing is certain in the construction concept of concrete hollow block with the electrical conduit placed right into the slab and walls you want to plan for many contingences since it would be an enormous job to do after construction is complete. For the most part we kept our distribution plan very simple, only one voltage and no backup generator (though it can be added at a later date should we need one). We had plenty of outlets installed sufficient enough we believe to allow for new electrical demands and relocation of components without fear of not having an outlet nearby.


Distribution panel getting wired

We have window style A/C units (placed in their own purpose built wall openings) in each bedroom with a dedicated co-located outlet and on-demand hot water heaters in each CR all having their own dedicated circuits. We also have vent fans in each CR as well as wall mounted oscillating fans in each bedroom to aid in air movement. Ceiling fans with lights for the downstairs living and dining areas as well as the upstairs family hall all intended to keep the air in motion. The distribution panel is located in the bodega beneath the stair case on the first floor making it readily accessible yet out of the way. Though in hindsight and strictly due to my conservative nature of wanting to plan for any contingency I would have moved the first floor outlets up a little higher on the walls thus far we have had no concerns with the flooding getting anywhere near them.