Much of the advice we are asked to give concerns a low-EMF approach to property refurbishment, and in particular to electrical wiring installation.  There are a number of things which can be done fairly straightforwardly and at reasonable cost which will have a significant impact and reduce power frequency EMFs from a building.

The location of the consumer unit is a key consideration as they typically give off high electrical and magnetic fields, so their proximity to bedrooms needs to be considered.  A demand switch can be installed here which shuts the power supply right off when it detects current is not being drawn.  The use of one (or more) of these will have the effect of creating an EMF-free environment on the circuit it is attached to.

So-called ‘dirty electricity’ or ‘DE’ Is becoming more of a problem for all of us.  The devices and appliances we install and operate in our homes, along with the quality of the incoming electricity supply, affects the smooth cycle of power flow and introduces spikes of power which are thought to be biologically disruptive to building occupants.  If there is DE coming from the incoming supply then the use of a voltage regulator can improve this situation.  For DE generated indoors by power-hungry things like TFT/Plasma televisions, PCs, sound systems and some features of lighting e.g. low voltage halogen downlighters, CFL bulbs and dimmer switches, the use of individual filters would be more appropriate.

Where properties are being wired installation via radial circuits, as opposed to ring circuits, will have the result of lower levels of EMFs being produced.  This would be of benefit to any building occupant, but for people suffering from electro-hypersensitivity going one step further and installing shielded cabling would have the effect of reducing EMFs to a negligible level.  The shielding in such cables is usually a metal mesh and this must be earthed for the installation to be low EMF: essentially the mesh will contain and run to earth the fields associated with cabling and those that are typically detected by a survey running inside walls etc.

All the above points are general ideas for consideration.  Apart from installation fo simple DE filters, involvement of a qualified electrician is necessary to ensure solutions are effective and safe.  Not all electricians understand what customers are trying to achieve when they request a low-EMF installation but they should be willing to work with customers to achieve their intended result.