House Fixture Wiring

• Wiring for light fixtures or ceiling fans uses one hot wire to supply the fixture with electric current, a second wire often called neutral that carries the current back to the power company and a third wire that grounds the fixture and helps prevent electric shocks.
  
  

Wire Color Codes

• The ground wire in a house is usually bare although it may be covered with green insulation. The black or other colored wire is the hot wire and carries current from the circuit breaker panel. The white wire carries electricity back to the circuit panel from the light fixture.
  
  

Conduit Grounding

• In some houses, conduit is used instead of sheathed cable to wire the house. In these houses, the metal conduit is used instead of a ground wire. Fixture ground wires get connected to the metal wiring box, usually with a green ground screw.
  
  

Old House Wiring

• Some older houses do not have ground wiring at all. The wiring in these houses does not provide the protection offered by modern grounding. Installing ground fault circuit interrupting circuit breakers, outlets or devices can help prevent electric shocks in older wiring.