Light switches can be annoying, especially when you have dirty hands, your hands are full, or when you just need to grab something quickly from a room. Also, it is way too easy to forget to turn the light off when you are done. The answer to this problem: a motion sensor switch!! This is really a game changer and an improvement that can be made in less than an hour.
Top uses of motion sensor switches:
Laundry/mud rooms (where you often find yourself with your hands full!)
Closets (note: this only works where the light switch is inside the closet)
Garage (this is our personal favorite...gone are the days of stumbling around after the overhead light has timed out)
Half baths
Where motion sensor switches might cause more frustration:
Bathrooms - especially if where your switch is located won't pick up motion from someone in a shower or tub. Also, you lose control to choose whether or night you want the light on when you get up in the middle of the night.
Closets where the light switch is on the outside of the door. For example, the walk-in closet in our primary bedroom has the shower light and closet light on the outside of the door, in the main bathroom area. If I put a motion sensor for the closet switch, it would turn on any time I walked into the bathroom. That's not super practical or energy-efficient.
Living rooms - any room where you find yourself sitting still eg watching tv, sleeping this will be annoying.
Gym space - you can do it, just be prepared to wave your arms after you've been holding a stretch for awhile or riding your bike, haha
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Click here to buy our favorite in-wall motion sensor switch.
Remember, when doing any electrical work, to turn off the circuit and TEST your wires to make sure they aren't hot. The other day my husband was changing out an outlet and turned off the circuit but the wires were still out. The tool to check is cheap and you should have one on hand! Click here for the one we use.
Now, the easy part is installing the switch. Tinkering so that the sensitivity and timing works for your family does take some patience to get it right. Also, getting people to remember it's not a switch anymore can take a minute. ;-) We put it on a 3-way outlet so have to remember we can't touch the switch on the wall. We love this in our laundry room, except it does get annoying sometimes when standing still and washing something at the utility sink and it turns off. But, to be honest, because that's rarely what we are doing in the laundry room, we just let it be. It is SO NICE to come in from the garage and have the light turn on automatically, and not have to worry about it when leaving. But be warned: once you put one in one room you will find yourself walking into other rooms expecting the lights to just turn on. :-D
If you have experience with electrical, this should not take very long at all. Less than an hour. If you have to hire an electrician, add it to the list and only have them come out when you have a few things for them to do, as there is often a flat fee for them coming to the house. Maximize that!