What's Worth Integrating
Decades of experience with systems teach that the most appreciated and robust systems for daily use are few. Integrations with the best value/complexity ratio include:
- Multi-zone climate control: per-room temperature, remote management, integration with photovoltaic systems.
- Lighting: scenarios for different zones and times of day, without banks of switches.
- Motorised blinds and shades, coordinated with light and climate.
- Security: sensors, video surveillance, access control, and presence simulation.
- Multiroom audio and video distribution where genuinely utilised.
- Consumption monitoring: what gets measured gets managed (and saved).
The Right Time: During Renovation
Structured cabling is installed when the walls are open. Adding home automation to a finished home means continuous building work, compromises on cable routes, and higher costs. Those who renovate and at least install provisions – empty conduits, backbones, appropriately sized distribution boards – retain the option to integrate in the future without needing to demolish anything.
Open Standards Versus Closed Systems
A house lasts fifty years; a proprietary ecosystem lasts far less. This is why we favour platforms based on open standards like KNX for core functions – lighting, climate, shading – which remain maintainable by anyone in twenty years, reserving consumer systems for easily replaceable ancillary functions.
Cost
For a 200-300 sqm villa, a well-designed home automation system focusing on essential functions typically accounts for 5-10% of the budget for a complete renovation. Much of the cost isn't the electronics but the design and programming: that's where it's decided whether the system simplifies life or complicates it.
What We Deliver to the Client
Beyond the operational system: an updated single-line diagram, address list and source programming, a simple user manual for the family, and a technical manual for future maintenance personnel. The smart home must outlast its installers.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it possible to implement home automation without renovating?
- Partially, yes, with wireless and retrofit solutions, but with limitations on reliability and aesthetics. The best outcome is achieved during renovation or new construction.
- What if the system becomes obsolete in ten years?
- That's why we separate core functions using open standards from ancillary functions on replaceable systems: the system's backbone remains, while gadgets can be updated.
- Does home automation increase energy consumption?
- On the contrary: zoned climate management, automatic shutdowns, and load monitoring typically reduce consumption, with measurable savings from the first year.
Translated from the Italian original. Contact us for the official version.