A home starts with people
First we ask how you will live. Only then do we ask what will go in the walls.
We do not start designing a smart home by asking how many switches there will be or where the distribution board will go. We start by asking how people will live in the home.
What does their typical day look like? When do they get up and go to bed? How do they use each room—where do they work, relax and spend time together as a family? What are their requirements for thermal comfort, privacy, security and lighting? What do they want to control themselves, and what should work automatically without them having to think about it?
Only after answering these questions does a technical brief take shape. A home should not be a collection of technologies that people have to learn to operate. Technology should adapt to people and the way they live.
Consultations gradually produce a very specific set of requirements for practically everything in the home that, to put it a little figuratively, electricity flows through: lighting, socket circuits, the data network and Wi-Fi, heating and cooling, the heat source, heat-recovery ventilation, shading, security, CCTV and access control, audio and other technologies. Above all, they define how all these systems are to work together.
What we ask
Daily rhythm
Getting up, leaving, returning, evenings, night, weekends, working from home.
Use of rooms
Who uses them, when and for what. Where privacy matters more than the view.
Comfort
Temperature in each room, air quality, light during the day and in the evening.
Safety and privacy
Security, access, cameras, protection against water leaks.
Manual or automatic
What people want to control themselves and what the home should take care of on its own.
What may come later
Photovoltaics, a battery, a wallbox, a swimming pool, garden technologies. Even things not being bought today can be prepared for today.
How this plays out in everyday life
At night, when someone gets out of bed, only a dim guide light comes on. It wakes nobody, and nobody has to look for a switch.
On a summer afternoon, the blinds on the sun-facing façade lower before the room overheats. If strong winds start, they move to a safe position.
When leaving the home, one button switches off all the lights, sets the heating to setback mode, checks the windows and arms the alarm. The home knows nobody is in it and behaves accordingly.
Technology is not the goal, but the means. A well-designed smart home is not judged by the number of functions in its app, but by how little its residents have to look after it.
One home, many separate systems
Every trade does its job properly. But no one has to consider the home as a whole.
The technical equipment of a typical family home does not come about as a single whole. It is delivered trade by trade.
The heating contractor designs the heat source and room regulation. The ventilation contractor designs the heat-recovery unit, its own sensors and its own control. The shading contractor supplies motors and controls for them. The electrician prepares the wiring, switches and dimmers. The security company installs a control panel, detectors and a keypad. Each works professionally and correctly within its own scope.
The problem is not the quality of the individual trades. The problem is that each company deals with its own system, budget and controls, and no one is required to take an overall view of how the home will function as a whole.
The result may be several separate technologies, many sensors, thermostats, controls and apps that do not communicate with one another at all.
One room, five systems
In a typical living room there may be a heating thermostat measuring temperature; a heat-recovery ventilation sensor and control measuring CO₂ or humidity; a blind control; several switches and dimmers for individual lighting circuits; and a security motion detector. Five devices, each of which knows something about the same room. None shares that information with the others.
Typical consequences
- Duplicate sensors measuring the same thing for different systems.
- More controls on the walls, each with a different control logic.
- Systems that do not know about each other: blinds lowered because of the sun while the lights are at full brightness; cooling running while a window is open.
- More apps, one for each technology.
- Split responsibility: each trade deals only with its own part, including during servicing.
- Fragmented budgets: costs sit in the budgets of different suppliers (chapter 04).
Integrated control instead of multiplying technologies
One sensor measures once. The whole home can use the information.
In a properly designed smart home, we take the opposite approach. First, we design how the home as a whole should work; only then do we choose the technologies that will make it happen.
We aim to make maximum use of shared infrastructure, share information between systems and limit unnecessary duplication.
Shared infrastructure
One well-planned wiring system, one central distribution board with the control system, and defined interfaces to the individual technologies.
Shared information
One sensor can provide information to several technologies.
One logic
Central control ensures that systems work together instead of each working separately or against the others.
One central distribution board with a control system is a common, practical solution, including for larger family homes. What matters is a good design from the outset: sizing the distribution board, allowing space for expansion, cable routes, power supply, protection and thermal conditions. The specific infrastructure layout always follows the technical needs of the project; integrated control does not depend on there being one physical distribution board.
One suitably selected wall control can operate the lighting, blinds and temperature. One sensor measures once, and the whole home can use the information. And one central logic can ensure that all the systems work together.
Information sharing always depends on the sensor’s characteristics and location and on the requirements of the individual functions.
This does not mean that a smart home needs no wiring, sensors or other hardware. It means that we use only as many devices as are genuinely needed and make full use of their capabilities. Some devices remain separate because their function, safety requirements or the manufacturer requires it.
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House cross-section · illustrative diagram
Each trade has its own sensors, its own controls and its own wiring to its unit.
The diagram can be moved sideways. Select rooms and elements below.
The diagram is a graphic representation. The same information is provided in the list of rooms and elements below it.
Counts in the illustrative model · not measured or project-specific data
Legend
Fewer controls do not automatically mean fewer sensors. The number of sensors may remain similar, but each serves more functions: the presence sensor monitors the home when the alarm is armed and otherwise controls lighting and heating.
Living room and kitchen
Thermostat, blind control, three switches and dimmers, heat-recovery ventilation control and sensor, security detector and window contact. Five systems in one room.
- Heating and cooling
- Shading
- Lighting
- Lighting
- Lighting
- Heat-recovery ventilation
- Heat-recovery ventilation
- Security
- Security
- Shading
- Shading
Examples of integration and their conditions
Sensors measure the temperature in rooms and may be built into wall controls. The central system uses them to control the valves for individual circuits and sends requests to the heat or cooling source. If a window is open in a room, the control system can limit heating and cooling there.
The heat source must support external control (for example, Modbus, 0–10 V or a volt-free contact). Its internal regulation and protective functions remain the manufacturer’s responsibility; the central system should not ‘fight’ them. For surface cooling, protection against condensation is essential: temperature and relative humidity are measured, the dew point is calculated and cooling mode is limited.
CO₂ and humidity measurements in key rooms control ventilation output. The same data can serve other functions, such as displaying air quality or providing alerts.
The unit must have a suitable interface for external control of output and modes, and the manufacturer must support such control. The unit’s service and protective functions (filters, defrosting, safeguards) remain in its own control electronics.
Blinds are controlled by the same system that already controls lighting, heating and ventilation. One command operates them all at once, scenes make them part of everyday situations, and automation responds to solar radiation and temperature. In summer, shading works with cooling to help limit overheating; in winter, it can let solar heat in.
Motors suitable for central control, a cable to each motor, outputs in the distribution board and a correctly positioned weather station. Protective responses to wind or frost depend on the capabilities of the technology used.
One button can activate a lighting scene that sets all circuits at the same time, each to a different light intensity or colour. Presence and daylight determine when lights are on; the time profile determines how. If lighting is designed appropriately, its character can also adapt to the time of day (explained in detail in MINALOX Healthy Living).
Dimmable luminaires and drivers compatible with the control system used (for example, DALI or 24 V), and appropriate circuit wiring. A luminaire alone cannot provide a progression of light through the day; it needs control.
In an integrated home, security is one of the control system’s functions. Presence sensors that switch on lights and control heating setback monitor the home when the alarm is armed. A window contact serves both the alarm and the control system. An alarm can switch on all the lights, raise the blinds and send a notification.
With the right design, integrated smart control can also provide full security for a typical family home. A separate alarm control panel may therefore not be essential. What matters is the quality of the design, the components used and their installation, as well as the specific security requirements of the property.
Flood sensors, a pulse-output water meter and an electrically operated water shut-off valve can work together: if a leak or unusually long water draw is detected, the home can alert the user and, if appropriate, shut off the supply. Faults in a heat pump, heat-recovery unit or pumps can be monitored in the same way.
A valve with electrical actuation, a defined safe state and the option of emergency manual operation. The technology must provide fault signals through a suitable interface.
What central control does not replace
Integration means coordination, not replacing everything.
- the internal control and protective functions of heat sources, ventilation units and actuators,
- fire alarm systems and other systems required by regulations,
- standard requirements for electrical installations and their inspection,
- functions for which the equipment manufacturer does not allow external control.
The principles in this chapter are not tied to one brand. As an example of a platform in use, we often work with the Loxone control system in our projects. It is not the only option; the choice of platform depends on the requirements of the particular home.
The true cost of a conventional home
Every item makes sense. The problem arises when they are added together.
In a conventional home, the client often cannot see the true cost of all the technologies in one place. There is one item called electrical installation, but many related costs are scattered across the individual trades.
If we build a simple home with a few sockets and switches, basic lighting and an ordinary thermostat, that electrical installation will of course cost less. That is entirely logical.
But as soon as we start planning a modern family home with a heat pump, individual room temperature control, heat-recovery ventilation, security, electric blinds, cameras and high-quality dimmable lighting, the situation can change very quickly.
Heating and cooling
The heating or plumbing contractor supplies the heat pump and room-by-room regulation: room thermostats and, possibly, its own control unit and valve actuators.
Unless the client wants the very cheapest room thermostats, the cost per room is not negligible. Each thermostat has to be purchased, connected, installed and configured.
A smart home often already has information about the temperature in each room and can manage heating centrally. So why install another separate infrastructure?
The heat source retains its own control and protective functions. Some manufacturers require their own control or reference sensor for certain functions. The scope of external control must be checked for the specific model.
Heat-recovery ventilation
The ventilation contractor needs to control the heat-recovery unit, so they place their own temperature, humidity or CO₂ sensors around the home and add their own control.
Suddenly there is another device, more wiring, another control system and another control. Air-quality sensors in particular can be quite expensive.
A properly designed system can use information from suitably selected sensors for several purposes at once, for example to control ventilation, heating and other functions.
This applies provided that the individual technologies are compatible and their manufacturers allow this type of control. The unit’s control may remain for servicing purposes.
Shading system
The shading contractor supplies motors and controls: a button by the window, a remote control, or possibly its own control unit or smart motors with an app. The blinds can therefore be operated conveniently, but still separately.
True automation—central control, scenarios or responses to sunlight—often requires additional control units, sensors, accessories or more expensive motors. Another control is also added to the wall, alongside the light switch, thermostat and any heat-recovery control. Every such device costs money, often needs its own wiring and has to be installed by someone. Yet it still knows nothing about the rest of the home.
The blinds are controlled by the same system that already controls lighting, heating and ventilation: central control of all blinds, automatic scenarios, responses to solar radiation, coordination with heating and cooling, and protective responses to weather conditions as supported by the technology used.
Central control needs a cable to each motor, outputs in the distribution board and a weather station. These are also costs that belong in the comparison.
Lighting
In the living room, we might want an LED strip, a dimmable pendant over the dining table and some decorative lighting. More switches, dimmers or remote controls start to add up. Each manufacturer often has its own way of controlling its products.
If we want, say, eight separate lighting circuits, ordinary switches quickly raise the question of how to control them all conveniently. Do we really want eight switches on the wall and to play them like a piano several times a day? Separate lighting systems can dim, group lights and create scenes, but they have their own controls and app and know nothing about the rest of the home.
One button activates a lighting scene that sets all the circuits at once, each to a different intensity or colour. The main difference is integration: the lighting is aware of occupancy, daylight and blind position, is controlled in the same way as the rest of the home, and, if properly designed, can also adapt its character to the time of day.
Dimmable circuits require compatible luminaires and drivers, as well as suitable wiring, in both options.
Security
The security contractor runs additional cables and places motion detectors, magnetic contacts and other elements around the home. These are often not inexpensive devices, and many are not particularly attractive.
A motion detector can tell that someone is moving in a room, but it does not switch on the light. It does not control the blinds, help with heating or support other automation. Its only purpose is security. Yet there is often another sensor in the same room that detects presence for the lighting.
In a smart home, the control system itself can provide security. One suitably selected presence sensor can serve security, lighting and heating. Window and door contacts can serve both the alarm and the control system. A separate control panel, keypad and duplicate detectors may therefore not be needed.
What matters is the quality of the design, the components and installation, and the property’s specific security requirements: the suitability and location of detectors, tamper protection where needed, backup power, behaviour during outages, communication and alarm notifications. A sensor intended for lighting automation may not, without more, be suitable for every security function. A separate system of a particular grade may be suitable for properties with higher security needs or specific insurer requirements; that is an individual requirement, not a general rule.
Other related technologies
CCTV, access control and intercom, gates and barriers, energy metering, photovoltaics, a wallbox, water management and audio.
Each has its own controls, app and often its own sensors.
Integration makes sense where the technology offers a suitable interface.
Elsewhere, it is enough to prepare the infrastructure for future integration. Not everything needs to be integrated, and not everything is suitable for integration.
This list could go on for quite a while. Every individual item is reasonable and defensible. The problem only arises when they are added together.
Why a smart home seems expensive
One budget does not mean a higher price. It means you can see the whole cost, earlier.
The main reason is price transparency.
Designing a smart home brings one comprehensive budget. The client can see the cost of the control system, sensors, controls, regulation, integration, programming and other technologies. Everything at once, in one place. And the figure may be alarming at first glance.
But when an electrician designs a conventional electrical installation, they often initially quote only for the basic wiring. They will not discuss in detail how the heat source, heat-recovery ventilation, blinds or security should work. Other trades will deal with those, after all.
The client then pays for one technology after another, often under entirely different budget items and at different stages of construction. By the end of the build, they may find they have paid a very similar amount for all these systems to what they would have invested in a comprehensively designed smart home. They have simply paid it gradually. And their home is full of separate controls and technologies that cannot communicate with one another.
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Where costs arise · no amounts
What the client usually sees at the beginning.
- Wiring and socket circuitswiring
- Switches and lighting pointscontrols
- Distribution boardcomponents
- Installation and inspectioninstallation
Before work begins, the client should know exactly what they will get, how it will work and what it will cost. One budget lets them decide in good time what to simplify, what to defer and what to prepare for later.
Let’s compare like with like
Two homes. The same functions. The full costs.
We do not compare the cost of a smart home with the cost of a basic electrical installation. We compare the total costs of two homes with a comparable level of comfort.
We need to compare the total investment in all the technologies we want to use in the home, and of course their resulting functionality.
If both homes are to offer similar comfort, regulation, security and automation, the price difference may be surprisingly small. In some cases, total costs may even be comparable.
We are not claiming this is always the case. It depends on the size of the home, the range of technologies, the specific products and the client’s requirements. But it is certainly not true that a smart home must automatically be several times more expensive.
The same requirement, a different route
Every function can be broken down into the same sequence: what measures, what decides, what executes and what the person uses to control it. Only at this level can we see where information is shared, where duplication can be removed and what remains separate.
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Same requirement, different route
The heat source must allow external control. For surface cooling, protection against condensation is required in both options.
A cable to each motor and outputs in the distribution board are costs incurred by the integrated option.
The unit must have an interface for external control of output and modes.
With the right design, full security for a typical family home. Design, components and installation quality are what matter.
Separate lighting systems can also create scenes. The difference is integration: presence sensors that monitor the home when the alarm is armed can also be used by lighting, heating and shading.
Optional above-standard feature
Not part of the brief being compared. Always priced separately.
| Function | Conventional house | Integrated control |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic lighting during the day | not usually included in the design | an extension to lighting control (see MINALOX Healthy Living) |
| Layered lighting and complex scenes | would be impractical to operate | an extension made possible by integration |
| Multi-room audio | separate system | an extension supplied separately |
| Energy management (photovoltaics, battery, wallbox) | separate systems | an extension depending on the technologies’ interfaces |
| Other automation (water, irrigation, swimming pool) | separate systems | an extension depending on the project |
We compare more than price
Alongside the total price, we also assess the number of devices used, the complexity of installation, control options, how the technologies work together and the comfort of everyday use.
And because a home serves its residents for decades, we also look at both options over the long term:
- servicing and maintenance: who looks after the system and how demanding that is,
- availability of spare parts after years of operation,
- service life and upgrades: what can be replaced or updated, and how,
- future expandability with new functions and technologies,
- dependence on a particular supplier or integrator, for both options.
The aim is not for one option to win on every point. It is to assess both approaches with the same objectivity.
Rules for a fair comparison
- The same functional scope. Both options meet the same brief, neither more nor less.
- Comparable component quality. Not the cheapest thermostat compared with a premium wall control, or vice versa.
- Complete costs on both sides. Regulation, controls, sensors, wiring, installation, configuration and commissioning. Not just the electrical installation itself, but also related supplies from the individual trades.
- Above-standard features priced separately. Functions beyond the brief are priced separately as optional items.
- The same pricing basis. The same period, the same scope of supplies and work, and the same VAT presentation.
Reference family home
A model brief and methodology. Not a final price.
For a fair comparison, we need a model brief that applies equally to both options.
Model brief
Imagine a typical modern family home in which we require:
- Heating and cooling: individual zoned temperature control in each room.
- External blinds: individual control, with the option of central control of all the blinds.
- Heat-recovery ventilation: ventilation control based on air quality, using at least CO₂ sensors.
- Security: full security with motion sensors, window and door contacts and any other necessary elements, designed according to the property’s risks.
- Lighting: at least dimmable lighting, ideally with the option to create basic lighting scenes.
The brands, manufacturers and specific technologies for the conventional option are chosen by whoever designs it. They can be solutions they work with regularly and would recommend to their own clients. The only important point is that all the functions listed actually work and the client has an appropriate level of comfort.
The brief deliberately excludes dynamic lighting, complex lighting scenes beyond the basics, multiroom audio and advanced automation. These are assessed separately (chapter 08).
Functional scope: what is shared, what can be removed, what remains
An integrated design does not remove equipment from individual trades across the board. For each requirement, we distinguish three groups: information that can be shared; duplication that may be removed; and equipment that remains separate and essential.
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Reference home · functional scope by requirement
Shared
- temperature from sensors in shared wall controls
- window status, if provided by the security system through an interface, or from dedicated contacts
- presence for setback
May be removed
- separate room thermostats
- separate room-regulation control unit
Remains essential
- heat and cooling source with its own regulation and protective functions
- circuit valve actuators
- protection against condensation with surface cooling
- control or reference sensor, if required by the manufacturer
Added
- outputs for valve actuators
- interface to the heat source
Comparison methodology
- Fix the brief: layout, number of rooms and zones, number of windows with blinds, rooms with CO₂-based control, scope of security, lighting circuits and scenes.
- Design the conventional option by trade, including the regulation, controls and sensors for each trade.
- Design the integrated option to the same brief, without added functions.
- Price both options using the same cost structure (matrix below).
- Add non-financial and long-term indicators.
- Price above-standard features separately as optional items.
- Evaluate and describe the assumptions under which the result applies.
Cost matrix
Complete each cell for both options. Select an area to see what the budget needs to include on each side.
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Cost matrix · both options in the same structure
| Area | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heating and cooling · conventional option
- heat and cooling source
- room thermostats
- control unit for regulation and valve actuators
- thermostat wiring
- protection against condensation with surface cooling
- installation, setup and commissioning of the control system
Heating and cooling · integrated option
- heat and cooling source (same)
- valve actuators (same)
- temperature sensors in controls or separate sensors
- outputs for valve actuators and interface to the source
- protection against condensation with surface cooling
- configuration and commissioning
The ‘Control system and shared infrastructure’ row contains costs incurred only by the integrated option. We always show it; nothing is hidden. Items that are the same in both options (for example, socket circuits, the main supply and inspection) are either priced equally on both sides or omitted from both.
Non-financial and long-term indicators
- number of end devices and separate sensors,
- number of wall controls,
- number of separate systems and apps,
- number of trades with their own regulation,
- complexity of installation and coordination,
- how functions work together: whether they share information,
- servicing and responsibility: who is responsible for what,
- availability of spare parts, service life and upgrade options,
- expandability and dependence on a particular supplier.
The methodology does not include final prices. The outcome of a comparison always applies only to a specific home, a specific brief and a specific price level. We do not claim in advance that the integrated solution must be cheaper. That cannot be claimed without a specific project.
A comparison often shows that the difference between a conventional and a smart home is not so much the price as how efficiently we can use the technologies the client would be paying for anyway. Instead of a general claim that a smart home is expensive, we have a real comparison of two technical solutions for the same home.
We can prepare such a comparison for a specific home. The starting point is the budget for the conventional option based on the same brief. We agree the scope and conditions individually.
What genuinely counts as above-standard
More comfort is a choice. It is not the cost of integration.
If the client starts requesting functions made possible by smart control that they would not have had in a conventional home, the total investment will of course increase. But we are no longer comparing the same scope of equipment.
Basic level of comfort
- zoned heating and cooling control
- controlled blinds, individually and centrally
- heat-recovery ventilation based on CO₂
- security to the required level
- dimmable lighting with basic scenes
Extended functions
- layered lighting with many independent circuits
- dynamic control of light colour and intensity throughout the day
- complex lighting scenes
- multi-room audio
- other advanced automation depending on the project, such as energy management with photovoltaics and a wallbox, irrigation or swimming-pool technology
With a conventional electrical installation using ordinary switches, we might not design eight independent lighting circuits in one room at all, because operating them every day with eight switches would be impractical. A smart system, however, makes it possible to use this kind of lighting naturally, comfortably and automatically. It opens up possibilities we might not otherwise have considered.
This, however, is a conscious decision by the client to invest in greater comfort, not proof that the smart electrical installation itself has to cost more.
In a price comparison, we always price above-standard features separately as optional items. We do not add any functions to the basic option that are not included in the original brief. You can try this in the comparison in chapter 06 using the ‘Show above-standard features’ switch.
Between the basic level and above-standard features lies a third option: preparing the infrastructure. It makes sense to plan future expansion during the design and construction stages. Thoughtful preparation of cable routes, conduits and spare capacity in the distribution board is often more economical than subsequent building work in a completed home. A function can often be added later; preparation within walls and structures is much more difficult to add afterwards.
How a smart home takes shape
Six phases. Clear roles.
Documentation for a smart home is not created by giving one person a floor plan and asking them to mark in sockets, switches and lighting points. It is a process involving several people with different specialisms.
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Six phases · who works in them
- Clientdescribes lifestyle, requirements and priorities
- MINALOXleads consultations and lists functions by room
- Designerno task at this stage
- Tradesno task at this stage
- Electrical installation companyno task at this stage
1. Needs and lifestyle analysis
It starts with a consultant. We talk about how people will live in the home, how they use the rooms and what should work on its own (chapter 01). The output is a list of required functions and an overview by room.
2. Technical concept and trade coordination
Before design work begins, we confirm who controls each function and what interfaces are available: the heat and cooling source, ventilation, underfloor heating and cooling, shading, doors and gates, water management, photovoltaics and the wallbox. The aim is to avoid duplicate thermostats, sensors and parallel control systems.
3. Design documentation
We prepare all the information for the designer. They produce the design documentation in accordance with the relevant technical standards, legislation and specific project requirements. This results in a design for the electrical installation, distribution boards, individual circuits, data cabling, control system and all necessary links between technologies.
At this stage, we are no longer speaking generally about having a sensor or dimmable lighting somewhere. We have specific quantities, device types, product codes and a technical solution.
The scope and level of documentation, and any authorisation requirements, are always determined according to the specific project and applicable legislation.
Depending on the project scope, the documentation may include: a functional specification, room-by-room overview, input and output list, control-system topology, distribution-board and wiring diagrams, cable plan with legend, floor plans showing end devices, list of integration interfaces, technical report, bill of quantities, list of spare capacity and future provisions, and a commissioning checklist.
4. Budget, consultation and optimisation
The completed technical design is followed by another round of consultations. We price the individual technologies and components and review not only their functionality with the client, but also the economics of the entire solution. We consider this extremely important.
If some functions prove unjustifiable in view of the budget, we can revise the design, simplify some technologies, divide implementation into stages or prepare the infrastructure for adding them later. This is where the fair-comparison rules from chapters 06 to 08 apply.
5. Handover of documentation to the installation company
Once everything has been approved and the budget is acceptable, we complete the design documentation and hand it over to the electrical installation company, which carries out the on-site wiring in accordance with it.
6. Supply of components and subsequent integration within the agreed scope
We then move into the final phase, as agreed between us. We supply components for smart control, lighting and, where appropriate, other technologies. Within the agreed scope, we provide configuration, programming and integration of the entire system. Installation and connection on site are carried out by suitably qualified installation companies. The result should be one functioning whole, not several separate technologies that cannot communicate with one another.
Our role
MINALOX is not a building contractor or an electrical installation contractor. We do not carry out ordinary building electrical installation work. We do not cut chases, run cables, fit back boxes or carry out installation or standard electrical work on site.
It is usually more efficient for the client to have this work carried out by an electrical installation company they know, or by a company specialising in this type of work. Our task is to prepare a sufficiently good design for a suitably qualified electrical installation company to work from.
MINALOX designs the technical solution, provides the agreed design and coordination services, and supplies components and technologies. Configuration, programming and integration may be included in the cooperation, depending on the specific scope agreed. The installation companies are responsible for the electrical installation and connection of individual technologies within the scope of their supply.
The scope of cooperation is always agreed for the specific project. Individual phases may also be commissioned separately.
Why this kind of documentation costs more
This kind of design documentation is usually considerably more demanding than ordinary documentation for a family-home electrical installation. The reason is not so much the complexity of drawing the plans themselves as the amount of work that precedes them: many hours of consultation, technical design, coordination between different trades, design work and budgeting. It is not just an electrical installation drawing. It is a design for how the home will work.
Between chapters
Design philosophy is not a product
Our approach is neither patented technology nor an exclusive technical solution. It is a way of selecting, designing and integrating technologies. That is why we keep it strictly separate from a specific MINALOX offer.
Design philosophy
applies regardless of brand or supplier- start with the way people live, not with technology
- design how the whole home will work before selecting technologies
- share information and remove duplication where it makes sense
- keep separate what has to remain separate
- compare like with like and price above-standard features separately
- let the client decide before implementation, with a clear understanding of both functions and costs
A specific MINALOX offer
always according to the agreed scope- consultation and technical concept
- coordination of technology interfaces
- design documentation to the scope set for the specific project
- budget and solution optimisation
- MINALOX lighting
- supply of control-system components and technologies; we often use Loxone as a platform, but it is not the only option
- configuration, programming and integration within the agreed scope
Chapter 10 · P1 · P2 · P3
A home that works for people
The goal is not a home controlled by a mobile phone.
The goal is a home that understands what we need from it and handles most everyday tasks naturally and automatically.
A presentation can explain the principle. But the real value of a smart home is best seen in everyday use. It is not about everything the system can do. It is about how little people have to look after it, if it is properly designed.
That is why our primary concern is not technology. It is how we can use it to design better homes.
Michal ŠvecFounder & Executive Director, MINALOX
- P1
A home starts with people - P2
Integrated control instead of multiplying technologies - P3
We compare like with like
Let’s start with a specific home
A specific project is the best way to show what makes sense to handle intelligently, what does not need to be complicated, and how to design the whole concept so the client gets genuine added value for a reasonable cost. A practical demonstration of a suitable installation is arranged individually.
Appendix
What this document does not claim
- It does not claim that a smart home is always cheaper.
- It does not state general energy savings or percentages. Automation can help limit unnecessary operation; the actual benefit depends on the project and how the home is used.
- It does not claim that a central system replaces all manufacturers’ regulation or equipment supplied by individual trades.
- It does not claim that every integrated security system automatically meets specific certification, standards or insurance requirements.
- It does not describe a patented or exclusive solution. It describes an approach to designing, coordinating and integrating available technologies.
Appendix
Terms
- Integrated control
- one control system coordinates several home technologies and shares information between them.
- Central logic
- the rules the system uses to make decisions, for example: an open window limits heating in the room.
- Interface
- the way a technology connects to the control system, for example Modbus, 0–10 V, a volt-free contact or DALI.
- Zoned control
- separate temperature control in individual rooms or zones.
- Lighting scene
- a stored setting for several lighting circuits, activated with one command.
- Comparable level of comfort
- the same functional scope in both options being compared.
- Above-standard features
- functions beyond the brief being compared, priced separately.
- Infrastructure provision
- wiring, conduits and spare capacity for functions to be added later.