The Ultimate Electrical Planning Guide for New Builds & Self-Build Homes (UK)
Whether you're embarking on a new build with a contractor or taking the reins with a self-build project, one of the most important aspects to get right from the start is your electrical planning. From standard sockets and lighting to EV charging, solar and advanced smart home infrastructure, forward-thinking electrical design will save time, money, and hassle in the long run.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key considerations for planning your electrical system, including smart home wiring, solar and battery readiness, EV charging, Wi-Fi access points, and how to future-proof your property—even if you’re not installing everything right away.
Why Electrical Planning Matters from Day One
Good electrical design goes far beyond “where do you want your sockets?” It affects comfort, convenience, safety, energy efficiency, and long-term flexibility. Proper planning at the build stage gives you:
Flexibility to install tech like smart heating or solar in future
Clean, concealed cabling with no disruptive retrofitting
Optimal placement for lighting, media, and Wi-Fi coverage
A compliant, scalable infrastructure that adapts with you
Essential Electrical Considerations for New Builds & Self-Builds
Whether you're building for now or planning for the future, these are the core areas to address:
1. Smart Home Wiring Infrastructure
Even if you’re not installing a smart system immediately, running the right cabling now saves huge costs later.
✔️ Include CAT or smart home cabling to all light switches, key rooms, heating zones, and major appliances
✔️ Wire lighting to a central hub location (e.g. utility or comms room) for all future or current smart devices
✔️ Plan space in the consumer unit for extra circuits
Systems like Loxone, Rako, or Lutron require specific wiring topologies—get advice from a smart home installer early in your design phase. Get in touch HERE if you need help with the design.
2. EV Charging Infrastructure
Most homes will have at least one electric vehicle in the next 5–10 years. Even if you're not installing an EV charger now, run suitable cabling from the consumer unit to a future charge point location.
Use appropriately sized EV-rated cabling
Consider two charging points if you have multiple parking bays
Include a dedicated circuit and MCB in your consumer unit
Include a monitoring cable for smart EV charging (unfortunately, most new builds forget this and still require a cable installing even if the power cable is in place)
This ensures minimal disruption later and compliance with EV regulations.
3. Solar PV & Battery Storage
You don’t have to install panels on day one—but you should include:
Cable routes from roof to plant room/consumer unit
Space in your consumer unit for PV inverters and battery isolators
Conduit or ducting for battery and inverter placement
It’s always a good idea to physically run the cables in, to save future mess and headaches down the line
This makes your home “solar ready” and qualifies you for faster retrofit options under UK government schemes.
4. Heat Pump Integration
Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are a popular low-carbon alternative to traditional boilers. From an electrical standpoint, they often require:
Dedicated circuits in your consumer unit
Smart controls (integrated with home automation if desired)
External cabling to pump units and sensors
Plan where your heat pump will be sited, and ensure both power and control cables are pre-run.
5. Wi-Fi and Network Access Points
Don’t leave your internet setup as an afterthought. Poor Wi-Fi can ruin a new home experience.
✔️ Run CAT6 or CAT7 data cables to ceilings of key rooms (ideal for ceiling-mounted access points)
✔️ Plan for a central location for your router and patch panel
✔️ Include hardwired connections to TVs, offices, and entertainment areas for robust connectivity
A wired backbone supports streaming, smart tech, and reliable home working and can be installed in future as long as cabling is in place.
6. Lighting & Power Design
Of course, you still need to plan everyday electrics:
Think about sockets and USB ports
Add exterior sockets and lighting points
Include separate circuits for kitchen, utility, and home office for added convenience (so if power trips, you aren’t without ALL of your sockets)
Use dimmable circuits where mood lighting is desired
Smart lighting control is becoming very popular with its energy efficiency and preset scenes for ease of control
LED lighting, PIR sensors, and smart switches can be added now or upgraded later if wiring is correct.
7. Planning for Control Panels and Consumer Units
You’ll need space for a consumer unit—but also potentially a smart home cabinet, patch panel, battery storage hub, and solar inverter.
Plan your utility room or plant space to accommodate these neatly, and keep cabling tidy and labelled for future maintenance or upgrades.
Work with a Qualified Electrician or Smart Home Specialist
At Carter’s Electrical Services, we work with homeowners and developers across Oxfordshire and the UK to design future-ready electrical systems for new and self-build homes. Whether you’re building a high-spec smart home or just want peace of mind that your infrastructure is in place, we’ll help you plan, design and install a safe, smart, scalable system that works for years to come.
📞 Contact us today to start your electrical planning journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Budget is always a major factor during any construction project. If a home automation system fits within your budget then it’s more cost-effective to install it during the build to save on alterations costs. However, the second best option, if you don’t have the budget now but think you may install a professional smart home system later, is to pre-wire during the build. Even if you’re not installing everything straight away, it saves time, money and disruption later.
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It depends on your requirements, typically running Cat cables to light switches and installing individual lights back to a central point is best practice for easy upgrades in future. Depending on your installation we recommend CAT6 or CAT7, Loxone Tree cable, KNX cabling and control cables to light switches, sensors, AV points and heating zones.
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Run cables or install conduit now, please install large enough conduit for a few cables to run in and a separate cable for network connectivity, we can plan this out to ensure it’s adequately sized and runs where it’s needed, so get in touch here. Position consumer units with extra capacity. Include a route from roof to where the equipment is located, a route from the roof to the electrical mains and a route down to the router.
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No—it’s cheaper to run cables during the build than to retrofit later. The extra cost is minimal compared to the expense of post-build upgrades. The most long term cost-effective solution is to install all items within your budget at the build stage to save any alteration costs in future. However, this isn’t always within immediate budgets, so second best option would be to install cabling and infrastructure now and upgrade later.
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Absolutely. Contact us early in the design stage. We’ll collaborate with you and your builder to ensure everything is planned correctly. We understand how crucial it is to plan it properly from the start and can guide you every step of the way to ensure nothing is missed and you get the perfect home. Get in touch now.