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In my house there is a switch in every room that controls an outlet. I’ve asked my electrician to remove that so that the outlet is always on.

He says it’s safer to have a “control switch” but I can’t think of a good reason why.

What am I missing?

Alaska Man
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Shamoon
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    Think they are usually used for table/desk lamps if room does not have ceiling lights. Other than that, having one outlet on switch not needed. Electrician might not have wanted the work to rewire and patch walls. Rooms have more than one outlet or just the one? – crip659 Apr 05 '21 at 01:05
  • I assume that you are not the original owner. My guess is that the previous owner may have wanted to be able to decisively cut power to a specific item without having to unplug it. For example, a heavy item that is difficult to move- refrigerator, built-ins, maybe an entertainment center. To turn on/off certain lights in a room from the doorway. And, there are some delicate "appliances" that might need extra protection from the possibility of "backsurge." I have a desktop computer that I should unplug during thunderstorms, but it's too hard to get to. If you know which switch does what... – Joseph Filip Apr 05 '21 at 01:33
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    This question made no sense to me until I got the idea it might be talking about a switch _away from_ the socket it controls…?  Which also suggests that OP may be talking about the USA specifically?  (That might be worth mentioning in the question.)  Here in the UK, all rooms have ceiling light(s) with wall switch(es); and each power socket has a built-in switch.  (Well, except for very old buildings.)  Electrical standards must vary a lot between countries; _most_ of the electrical questions on this site wouldn't really apply here! – gidds Apr 05 '21 at 10:38
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    @gidds That is not entirely true - kitchens tend to have a lot of "remote switches" for things like dish-washer, washing machine, etc which are plugged in to a socket that is unswitched. – MikeB Apr 05 '21 at 11:54
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    @JosephFilip A refrigerator on a switch? That seems like asking to have to throw out its contents. – Michael Richardson Apr 05 '21 at 13:39
  • It's nice to have mood lighting in bedrooms, dens, reading areas (read: floor/table lamps), and be able to turn them off with a switch rather than walking over to them. Especially if you have stuff in the way or have to walk around lots of furniture to get to them. – TylerH Apr 05 '21 at 15:45
  • @Michael how else do you defrost it without pulling it out? – Richard Tingle Apr 05 '21 at 19:23
  • @RichardTingle That is an excellent point. If it was anywhere near the normal light switch though (and most outlet switches are), I still think the likelihood of having your refrigerator accidentally turned off outweighs the convenience. – Michael Richardson Apr 05 '21 at 20:19
  • @RichardTingle If you're defrosting, the refrigerator ought to be empty. If the refrigerator is empty, it should be near trivial to pull it out. – Tim Sparkles Apr 06 '21 at 00:02
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    @RichardTingle _"how else do you defrost it without pulling it out?"_ - I have never seen a refrigerator without built-in turn off switch. Even very old ones have "0" position on rotating dial which turns off cooling. – user11153 Apr 06 '21 at 12:10
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    @RichardTingle, in some places, the socket for the fridge is e.g. in a closet above it. Then again, I understand you're supposed to at least clean up the dust from behind the thing every once in a while too, and that requires pulling it out. – ilkkachu Apr 06 '21 at 12:44
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    @ilkkachu I would guestimate that happens in _most_ houses just as often as the draining of the hot water heater ... never. – CGCampbell Apr 06 '21 at 14:47
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    @MichaelRichardson - UK homes have refrigerators, washing machines, driers, etc, on switched outlets, and we just avoid turning them off unless we really want to. It's not hard. – Michael Harvey Apr 06 '21 at 20:11
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    **Is this question *only* referring to the US?** I am from Germany and in Germany, this is not typical in my experience. A light switch is typically connected to a cable in the ceiling (you connect your light to the cable). For me, it is confusing to have a power outlet be controlled by a light switch but that's mostly because I am not used to it. – Dr. Manuel Kuehner Apr 07 '21 at 03:43
  • You're missing the existence of "switch guards" which are cheap and can be installed with a screwdriver and will prevent you from accidentally turning off the switch while still allowing you to turn off the switch when you want to...and they can be removed with a screwdriver when you decide that you want a plain switch after all. – user3067860 Apr 07 '21 at 14:21

5 Answers5

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It's in the Building and Electrical Codes

You may have noticed that you can walk into a room that you've never been in before, and reach for a light switch, your hand has a really good chance of finding it. It's almost like magic, and it's so universal that people take it for granted.

Actually, it's no accident. It's required by both the electrical and the building codes. Every room must have a light, and the light must be operated in a switch located at -- well, your hand knows.

Here's another non-accident. Ever go up a stairway, go the first couple of steps and then your feet just know what to do? That's because of a rule that says on a stairway, every step's rise and run must be identical. This is what happens if it's not.

This is one of literally a thousand rules in the Building Codes designed to keep people safe.

A switched receptacle is allowed as a substitute for an overhead light

Normally, Codes require that the light switch operate an overhead light or other built-in lights - sconces, cove lighting, etc. However, builders lobbied to get an exception to allow a switched receptacle instead -- on the presumption that someone would plug a floor lamp into that receptacle, and be contented with that as the room light, and switch the light only at the switch.

The reason builders wanted this is, it's cheaper.

Of course, this is a bad plan for exactly the reasons you are observing - #1 people will switch the light off at the light, and #2 it renders the receptacle unusable as a plain receptacle. This is especially bad with the consumer electronics revolution, where people have an exponentially increasing number of things to plug in other than lamps.

Unfortunately, you only have 2 options for eliminating the receptacles.

  • If the wiring permits, convert the receptacle to a half-switched -- meaning one of the 2 sockets will be switched by the light, and the other will not.
  • Install an overhead light, sconces, cove lighting etc. hardwired into the room, and rewire the circuit so the switch operates the overhead light instead of the receptacle. The overhead light will satisfy the Code requirements for a functional room light.
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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  • Isn't this a duplicate answer? – user253751 Apr 05 '21 at 18:06
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    @user253751 I haven't looked, but it happens all the time that I write big answers that can take awhile to write (I can disappear for a couple hours too if life intervenes)... and then, during that time, someone else has posted. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '21 at 18:14
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    I mean a duplicate of your own answer to a different question. – user253751 Apr 05 '21 at 19:00
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    @user253751 if questions are not duplicates themselves, but largely similar answer fits, what's wrong with that? – Mołot Apr 06 '21 at 00:54
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    @Mołot in some SE's, the standard is duplicate only refers to the question; in others, duplicate can refer to a duplicate question, or a question that can be answered by answers to a different question. As I am not a regular member of this community, but rather only come here for specific answers I am seeking, I don't know _this_ exchange's policy. If there is an answer that is duplicate to to this one, and it's the policy of the SE, then this question could be closed as a dupe. – CGCampbell Apr 06 '21 at 14:55
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    Generally when I've encountered a switched outlet that meant to control a floor lamp, it was already wired as half-switched. OP should check both halves of the outlet — possibly one half is already unswitched, – AndyB Apr 07 '21 at 05:31
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Additional reason: More than 20 years ago I had a socket in the garden, switched from the inside. That was to deny any unauthorized person a connection for power tools. While still doing that, is is no longer effective as everything is battry operated now.

Jens
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    This is the exact reason I have a switched outlet on my front porch from 28 years ago. We have a festival come to town each year and when we first moved in we were warned that people would just randomly walk through our yard, "borrow" things that weren't locked down, etc. The outlet is switched with the front porch light to prevent such borrowing. Don't think anyone ever attempted to do any such borrowing, but that's how we wired it. Excellent point. – FreeMan Apr 05 '21 at 11:25
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    Well, you still need to charge those batteries... – Jon Custer Apr 05 '21 at 15:42
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    Except outside receptacles are now more mandatory than they've ever been, so that switch is more useful than ever. *Meanwhile, in an old industrial district near my house*... there are a couple of J1772 connectors (EV level 2 chargers) just poking out of a chain link fence with nothing anywhere near them, and nothing I see keeps you from pulling up in a Chevy Bolt and topping up! LOL! – Harper - Reinstate Monica Apr 05 '21 at 18:20
  • @FreeMan How does having the outside outlet off stop people from picking things up? – Azor Ahai -him- Apr 07 '21 at 04:21
  • Having the switch for the outlet on the inside of the house, @AzorAhai-him-, prevents people from "borrowing" electricity from the outlet outside. I was told that this happened. – FreeMan Apr 07 '21 at 10:34
  • @Free Oh, you said things haha – Azor Ahai -him- Apr 07 '21 at 14:55
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A number of years ago it was required by building code to have a switched receptacle if there are no ceiling fixtures in a room. It still is I am certain. It is a safety issue for entering a room when it is dark. If you have a ceiling light, then I believe it can go, but to remove all the related wiring and switch will require drywall work and/or a blank plate where the switch used to be. That is unless code allows simply wire nutting both ends of the swicth leg and leaving them in the outlet/switch boxes. Then it would be just a blank plate only, where the switch is eliminated.

Jack
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  • We had an addition built years ago. Rooms with ceiling light/s no switched outlets. Rooms without ceiling lights have a switched outlet. Was done by an Electrician so am guessing it was for code. – crip659 Apr 05 '21 at 11:46
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    @crip659 I had some work done by an electrician nearly 30 years ago. No permit, no inspection (to be fair, no payment, either), but it was most certainly _not_ done to code (thought I didn't know it at the time). Sadly, not a safe assumption to make. – FreeMan Apr 05 '21 at 12:37
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    @FreeMan Mine was done with permits and inspections, that is why I mentioned the switched outlets as being for code. Sorry that I did not explain better. – crip659 Apr 05 '21 at 13:02
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    My comment wasn't clear either, @crip659. "Having an electrician do the work" is _not_ a guarantee that it will be done to code, not that having switched outlets isn't to code. – FreeMan Apr 05 '21 at 13:05
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A remote switch for an power outlet can also be a safety measure.

When I was a child, a TV appliance caught fire during the night and we lost part of our home. When my parents got to build their own house later, they put a master switch on each room that would control all power outlets in that room. Every night they would make the rounds cutting off power to any appliance in the house. It is also very convenient as it allows you to unplug everything in one go, I miss that feature from my childhood home.

Diego Sánchez
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    My mom's house had a switch at the top of the basement stairs that would turn off all of the lights and outlets in the basement, except for the laundry machines. While convenient for avoiding having to walk to the far end of the basement (ranch-style home) to turn off a light, it caused many instances of anguish in my youth, when it was flipped several times as an attention-getter, but had the side-effect of resetting my Nintendo console! – Dan Henderson Apr 05 '21 at 21:24
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    A better safety measure would be to check that 1. All the electrical installation is up to code and 2. All electrical devices complies to safety standards, are in good condition and are properly used. If both of those points are ensured, a master switch is more a matter of convenience than safety and if one of those points is overlooked (especially the second one) it's an accident waiting to happen with or without a switch. – zakinster Apr 06 '21 at 09:53
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    @zankister That might be true in an ideal world, but in reality there are manufacturing defects, parts wear out of use, dust covers ventilation fans and, in general, accidents happen even with all (theoretical) safeties in place. Being able to cut power in one single place adds an extra layer of safety. – Diego Sánchez Apr 06 '21 at 17:38
  • @DanHenderson You think that was a side-effect, actually your parents knew that was the most effective way to get your attention. – user3067860 Apr 07 '21 at 13:50
  • @user3067860 no, they genuinely thought it was only the lights. All the basement lights were overhead, so other than that one switch at the top of the stairs, the outlets weren't otherwise switched. Turning that switch off also turned off the TV, VCR, bar fridge, sump pump, and the doorbell(!), so it actually wound up getting a piece of electrical tape put over it to prevent it ever being flipped again. – Dan Henderson Apr 07 '21 at 20:39
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    @DiegoSánchez sounds like you're describing a **fuse box**. – Dan Henderson Apr 07 '21 at 20:41
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From where I am, there is no code requiring switches to power outlets but I have installed one for my autistic son's TV. I require that all appliances not in use be unplugged to save on the electric bill. The outlet switch however makes it easier for my son to just leave the TV plugged in reducing the chances for him to be electrocuted.

keerok
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    The standby usage of a TV is of the order of [**5W a year**](https://www.verdeenergy.com/how-many-watts-does-a-tv-use-when-off/#:~:text=The%20standby%20mode%20electricity%20estimates,electricity%20adds%20up%20over%20time.). Unplugging will save on the bill, but...! – Andrew Leach Apr 06 '21 at 10:49
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    I’m certain that the cost of adding additional switches is more than you’ll save over even a very long timeframe. Plus, if you’re getting electric shocks from unplugging things, something else has gone very wrong. – Tim Apr 06 '21 at 11:13
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    "5W per year" is a bit confusing, as a watt is already a rate (1 joule per second). I assume that means the TV pulls 5W while off, which in a year would add up to approximately 43 kWh of energy. Where I live, that would amount to about $11/year, *if* the TV were in standby the entire year. Unless you install the switch yourself, it would likely take *decades* to recover the cost of having one installed. – chepner Apr 06 '21 at 13:27
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    While the logic or math may not be precise, this is a _very_ valid reason for this particular person and his son. It doesn't deserve down votes, and it is a benefit of having a switch controlled outlet. It's an unusual one, no doubt about it, but it is a benefit in this family's life. – FreeMan Apr 06 '21 at 13:31