This article discusses the importance of having dedicated light switch in bedrooms and hallways and how it can prevent accidents and injuries.
The Situation:
Many homes have "half hot switches," allowing for half a bed side outlet, to be used as an outlet, the other half connected to a light, lamp, walls sconce or other. The switched half is typically connected to a light switch by the doorway.
What's the problem?
Simply put, you go in a bedroom, turn on bedside lamp with the wall switch, go to bed, turn off the light with the switch on the lamp. You wake up, its light, no need for lights, have your day, come back at night, tired, maybe some wine, try to turn on light with light switch, but you cannot because the lamp off. For you, in your home, it is not exactly safe, but you live there. For strangers unfamiliar with your home, this is not safe. We have had guests fall several times, fumbling for light switches. Many times they are elderly with possible vision or mobility issues.
Nowhere else in your home are you forced to fumble around to turn on lights before walking into a room.
The Solution:
Firstly, if you bedside lamp is within 4' of the door & switch, or you have a hard wired or hard installed fan remote with light, and there is no pull chain that might turn it off, or you have a sconce light, can lights, or any other hard wired light, you pass! No need to change anything.
If not, the fix is simple! First we turn the half hot outlet into a full hot with a jumper wire. That allows the outlet to be always on power. We then re use the switch at the entry, to power to a remodel box above the switch, and install a sconce light. Please let us know if you would like a dimmer installed. The whole operation is about $100, plus the cost of the sconce light itself.
If you want to give the go ahead we can install the sconce light box, then you can supply the light fixtures later, we will leave them blanked for now. Please authorize while we are doing the summer/fall tune up, coming back to install the light is easy, doing the switch work is not!