On this page 3 sections
Occupancy sensor installation on a circuit and a neutral the device needs
Occupancy sensor installation in Sacramento fails for two boring reasons: no neutral in the box, and a load the device is not listed for. The right device in the right box is a small job. Adding a neutral because the box never had one is not.
The room should go off when empty
Occupancy or vacancy. Presence, not a clock.
The smart switch will not stay connected
Often there is no neutral in the box, or the load is not listed. We look at the box before anyone buys another device.
Vacancy where you want to switch it on yourself
The sensor still needs the circuit and the neutral the device actually needs.
Occupancy sensor installation: a neutral in the box, a load the device is listed for
Occupancy sensor installation is the device in a box that can take it. Many sensors and smart switches need a neutral. A switch loop with no neutral is a wiring job, not a device from the shelf.
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The box
A neutral when the device wants one. Fill and a yoke that sits flush.
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Listed for the load
A sensor that is not listed for the lighting on the circuit is how it fails again.
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What moves the cost
Whether a neutral has to be pulled, and how many locations. Occupancy sensor installation in Sacramento is a device job until the box says otherwise.
Sensors and smart controls questions
The smart switch will not stay connected.
Often there is no neutral in the box, or the load is not listed. We look at the box before anyone buys another device.
I want it on a schedule, not when someone walks in.
That is timers.
Vacancy for a hall or a closet?
Yes — the lights stay off until you switch them on, then they time out. That is this job.
Can it dim too?
Some devices can. A dimmer that only dims, with no sensor, is dimmer installation.
Where are occupancy sensors required?
Title 24, the California energy code, and the adopted energy code call them out in some commercial and some residential spaces. We read the room use and the switch location.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves homeowners throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
Get estimate
Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.
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You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
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We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
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Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
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- CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical