# 'On' position of light switches in other countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140 "2004-05-02T12:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/21 "2004-05-03T03:16:02Z")
In one house I owned, I had Lutron dimmers controlling almost every overhead light. The switch was a single large button … tap once, an LED graph on the side of the switch ramps up, and the light is on. Tap again, the LEDs ramp down, and the light is off. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/22 "2004-05-03T07:10:00Z")
Light switches are down = on in India as well. Interestingly, almost all of the newer type junction box switches (where the mains of the house are) are up = on and down = off or tripped. I wonder whether that’s because it’s easier to trip a switch down = off due to gravity. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/23 "2004-05-03T10:54:52Z")
Trips are spring-loaded and I don’t think gravity would have much of an influence. But, WAG, I think that this is tied in to the canadian solution, you are more likely to knock a lever-switch down accidentally, and working in the confines of a consumer unit, often located in awkward positions, it would be too easy to energise a circuit and give someone working on it an unpleasant surprise. OK, you are supposed to pull the breaker, but IRL that doesn’t always happen, now does it? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tom\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_P)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/24 "2004-05-03T12:58:15Z")
A and C on **Mangetout’s** diagram above are ON in Norway. I have seen the occasional switch that goes the other way, but they probably installed upside down. I believe it’s the same in most other European countries. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/25 "2004-05-03T14:15:14Z")
But… But… But “up” isn’t always “on” in America, either. If you have a room that’s large enough to have two switches - a kitchen with a door to the outside might have a switch at the external door and one at the side opposite so you don’t have to walk across the (dark) kitchen if you are coming into the kitchen from inside the house - so… the switches can be either “up” or “down”, depending on the _other_ switch. What does that do to your theory?? ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/26 "2004-05-03T14:21:56Z")
This thread explains a lot about my last apartment, where every single switch was wired so that “down” meant “on.” I now realize that it wasn’t wrong, it had simply been done by a British electrician. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/27 "2004-05-03T14:37:57Z")
> [@JerH](#): > > This thread explains a lot about my last apartment, where every single switch was wired so that “down” meant “on.” I now realize that it wasn’t wrong, it had simply been done by a British electrician. Incorrect diagnosis. If it were a british tech., 1/4~1/3 would have been upside down, just to make life more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/28 "2004-05-03T15:53:56Z")
Here in the US, lights are turned on or off by clapping ones hands. Clap on, clap off, the clapper. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140/29 "2004-05-03T16:11:48Z")
> [@Rex Fenestrarum](#): > > But… But… But “up” isn’t always “on” in America, either. If you have a room that’s large enough to have two switches - a kitchen with a door to the outside might have a switch at the external door and one at the side opposite so you don’t have to walk across the (dark) kitchen if you are coming into the kitchen from inside the house - so… the switches can be either “up” or “down”, depending on the _other_ switch. What does that do to your theory?? Our stairwell has **three** lightswitches. Unfortunately, the upstairs and downstrais ones don’t work in conjunction anymore since we’ve put in the newer switches (the ones that pop “up” when you press “down”) for whatever reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-position-of-light-switches-in-other-countries/243140.md?page=1)