Light Switches

I'm a bit weird when it comes to light switches. I like that when the light is on the switch is up and when it is off the switch is down. I don't know why, but it is a peeve of mine and I get annoyed if a room has multiple switches and I can't make them line up the way I like.

This brings me to the main conference room in my office and the mess that is the light switches in that room.

The conference room sits just off of the lobby and is entered into by a set of large double doors. The room itself is a large rectangle with the double doors on the eastern, long wall just south of center. There is a single door on the south wall by the east corner that is exit only and another single door on the west wall by the north corner that leads into our kitchen/break room.

The lights in this room require 4 switches to turn them all on. In the center of the ceiling are rectangular florescent lights that have been divided into 2 sections requiring 2 switches to turn them all on. Along the edge of the room along the long walls and the southern short one are small round lights which are turned on by a 3rd switch. The last switch turns on 2 lights on the northern wall, though it makes sense that these are on their own as they are in front of a projection screen that comes down from the ceiling.

Now, I've established the shape of the room and what is required to turn on the lights, so lets move on to the actual switches. Remember, it takes 4 switches to turn on all the lights in the room.

To the left of the main double doors as you enter the room is 1 switch that turns on half of the florescent lights in the middle of the room. Beside the door on the south wall is another single switch that turns on half of the florescent lights but it turns on the SAME HALF as the switch beside the main doors! Beside the kitchen door there is a switch panel that actually has 4 switches, so all of the lights can be turned on from here but it is not beside the main door and it has a flaw in my eyes. The switch that controls the lights on the north end has to be up when off and down when on and it drives me crazy.

Well, it isn't entirely true that the switch has to be like that because there is another panel of lights. On the west wall but on the south end where there are no doors is another panel of 4 switches that also turn on all the lights. This is the panel I use, so the switch on it that controls the northern lights is down when off for them on this one. I use this panel because it is the closest to walk to but also because it is next to another switch I need, the one that turns on the power to the SMART board in the room.

Obviously I've figured out how the make the switches work for me so it shouldn't be a problem right? Wrong. Many people that come for meetings don't care about light switches! So if I don't make it into the room first to turn on the lights, they just start flipping switches! They'll use the one beside the double doors only getting a fraction of the lights (I keep the edge lights on all day) or someone will go in through the kitchen and start flipping switches there.

Over all it really doesn't matter so long as they get the light they need. But I end up spending time after every meeting sorting the switches back out so that they don't drive me crazy.