A dream house is not just about comfort and luxury. It is also about safety. It looks like much needs to be done to make houses safe, especially in terms of electricity.
Several independent houses, villas and apartments are going in for automation. Use of electrical gadgets is going up. The range and quality of electrical, electronic products available in the market is also improving, with some of the best global options now in the market.
Safety
However, the stress on safety is more as the city has 10 to 15 deaths a year because of electrocution and many of these are within the premises of buildings.
One of the main efforts that consumers should take at home is to install Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker.
Of the four lakh residential connections in Coimbatore, less than a lakh have installed the Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker, commonly known as safety trip, says an official of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation.
This is installed near the main distribution board. Some States such as Karnataka and Kerala have made it mandatory for houses to have the safety trip. The average cost of a house in the city now is Rs.30 lakh. The safety trip costs just about Rs. 2,000 and is an important safety measure.
The residents can install it even after constructing a house or take it to the new houses if they are living in rented houses. While industries install the safety trip, houses and commercial outlets do not have it. The electrical and civil contractors should also insist on installing it while constructing a new house, says the official.
Electrical consultant P.P. Subramanian says multi-storeyed buildings, apartments, bungalows and industries have the safety trips. One main requirement to have the circuit breaker is proper wiring in the building. Awareness should improve. Tamil Nadu can also make it mandatory in all residential buildings.
