Which wiring accessories for housing, hotels and offices

Two ranges, one way of fitting

Lichtplein carries two ranges of wiring accessories from Liregus, a Lithuanian manufacturer of wiring accessories since 1944. Liregus Alfa is the basic range for new build and renovation: switches, socket outlets, dimmers, data and surface boxes in white and sand, with and without cover frame, for flush and surface mounting. The range has 115 items priced from 1 to 98 euros excl. VAT. Liregus Modern is the premium range: flat, matt and with slim cover frames, in matt white, matt black, matt sand and champagne. It has 157 items priced from 2 to 269 euros excl. VAT, and every product page carries the Liregus datasheet.

Both ranges fit the usual flush boxes and are built the same way: mechanism, centre plate and cover frame. The difference lies in the finish, the height on the wall and the breadth of the programme. Liregus Modern, for instance, has 30 data and media items and 13 dimmers, Liregus Alfa 10 and 6 respectively. The wiring accessories of both ranges are rated IP20 and are therefore meant for dry indoor spaces.

Housing: budget counts, but the resident sees the wall

For volume housing, rental properties and renovation, Liregus Alfa is the logical choice. White is the standard, sand suits a warmer interior. For the meter cupboard, garage and storage room you choose the surface-mounted version, which goes on the wall without chasing. Per dwelling, count on one-way switches, two-way switches for hall and landing, series switches in the living room and a generous number of earthed sockets in the kitchen and home office.

In owner-occupied homes and higher-end refurbishments, residents increasingly ask for matt black. That is where Liregus Modern pays off: a flat plate that almost disappears into the wall. A one-way switch in matt white is listed at 12 euros, the white Liregus Alfa version at 10 euros, so the difference per dwelling stays small while the look is clearly more refined. With dimmers, watch the lamp type: the LED rotary dimmer of 3 to 100 W in Liregus Modern works with leading and trailing edge and is made for LED. The 40 to 400 W rotary dimmer in Liregus Alfa is meant for larger loads, not for a single 6 W LED lamp.

Hotels: key card switch, USB by the bed and a calm colour

In hotel rooms, three things matter: saving energy, letting the guest charge devices and a finish that matches the interior. The hotel key card switch in the Liregus Modern range switches the room on as soon as the guest inserts the key card into the holder and off again when the card is removed. Connect large loads such as air conditioning through a relay or contactor; the card switch itself is rated 10 A and only handles the control current. Do not confuse the key card switch with what Dutch installers call a hotel switch: that is simply the two-way switch used to control one light from two positions.

By the bed and on the desk, a socket outlet with USB charger belongs. The Liregus Modern version delivers 3.4 A over the USB ports, enough to charge a phone and a tablet at the same time without loose adapters. For the television, include a TV outlet with F connector and an RJ45 CAT6a network outlet. On colour, champagne is the calm choice for classic and warm interiors, matt sand for natural tones and matt black for design hotels.

Offices: plenty of sockets, data and dimmable meeting rooms

An office workstation quickly needs two socket outlets and two data points, a meeting room a dimmer and extra sockets by the screen. That pushes the number of cover frames up fast: choose 2-, 3- or 4-gang frames instead of loose singles, which looks calmer and saves chasing. Blanking plates keep the wall tidy where a connection will be added later.

Because offices often get a light line from the LINEA range in white or black, matt black wiring accessories are on the rise here too; matt white remains the safe choice with white walls. In a multi-tenant building you can use Liregus Alfa in plant rooms and pantries and Liregus Modern in the offices and reception area, floor by floor.

Combining per project: how to keep it simple

You get the best result by choosing per room type, not per item. A simple rule: Liregus Modern where the client or guest sees the wall, Liregus Alfa where mainly the installer goes. Always keep to one range and one colour within a room, because cover frames and centre plates are designed per range and should not be combined within one frame.

Order each item in multiples of 10: wiring accessories are packed per 10 and the minimum order at Lichtplein is 10 units per item. From 100 pieces of one item we apply project prices. Everything comes from European stock and is delivered within 5 working days, to businesses only and always excl. VAT.

Checklist for your take-off list

This is how to set up a take-off list we can process straight away:

• Per room, the number of switches (one-way, two-way, series, intermediate), socket outlets (with or without earth contact), dimmers and data and media outlets.
• Per room, the range and the colour, and whether it is flush or surface mounted.
• Count cover frames separately, from 1- to 4-gang, plus blanking plates for later connections.
• A reserve of around 5 per cent on the large quantities avoids a follow-up delivery.

Frequently asked questions