{
  "id": "emitters:bedroom-wiring-electric-field",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "bedroom-wiring-electric-field",
  "name": "Bedroom wiring AC electric field",
  "summary": "Live conductors in walls and in lamp flex create a power-frequency electric field that couples to the body whether or not any current flows; building biology grades below 1 V/m with ground reference as 'no anomaly'.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "body voltage",
      "AC electric field bedroom"
    ],
    "category": "elf-electric",
    "environment": [
      "home"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "Power frequency and harmonics",
        "minHz": 50,
        "maxHz": 2000
      }
    ],
    "dutyCycle": "Continuous — the field exists whenever the circuit is energised, even with everything switched off.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 0.3,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "electric-field-strength",
          "unit": "V/m",
          "value": 1,
          "max": 50,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "SBM-2024 bands with ground reference: <1 V/m no anomaly, 1–5 weak, 5–50 strong, >50 extreme. Without ground reference the bands are <0.3 / 0.3–1.5 / 1.5–10 / >10 V/m.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "sbm-2024"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "meters": 0.3,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "body-voltage",
          "unit": "mV",
          "value": 10,
          "max": 1000,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "SBM-2024 body-voltage bands with ground reference: <10 mV no anomaly, 10–100 weak, 100–1000 strong, >1000 extreme. Readings depend entirely on the grounding method used, so protocol must be identical to compare.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "sbm-2024"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "Unplug bedside lamps and chargers at the socket, not just at the switch.",
        "effect": "Removes the nearest energised conductor, usually the largest single contribution at the pillow.",
        "sourceIds": [
          "sbm-2024"
        ]
      },
      {
        "action": "Fit a demand switch (Netzfreischalter) on the bedroom lighting circuit.",
        "effect": "De-energises the circuit when no load is drawing, eliminating the field for the whole night.",
        "sourceIds": [
          "sbm-2024"
        ]
      },
      {
        "action": "Use shielded cable or grounded shielding paint on the wall behind the bed head where rewiring is impractical.",
        "effect": "Grounded conductive surfaces block power-frequency electric fields effectively — unlike magnetic fields."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "ac-electric-field-meter",
      "body-voltage-kit"
    ],
    "related": [
      "limits:sbm-2024-electric-bands",
      "protocols:body-voltage-survey",
      "quantities:body-voltage"
    ],
    "questions": [
      "why-do-i-get-a-high-reading-with-everything-switched-off"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "sbm-2024",
      "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)",
      "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)",
      "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf",
      "year": 2024,
      "kind": "ngo",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters/bedroom-wiring-electric-field",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/bedroom-wiring-electric-field",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/bedroom-wiring-electric-field.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}