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The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/wayfareralex on 2026-03-10 08:08:20+00:00.
Hi everyone,
I run an an architecture firm and we're designing and building a custom home for a client. Entirely built by contractors. We're at the stage where we were going to appoint a contractor for electrical work and domotics / home automation. These contractors work with KNX, Niko Home and some other locally produced systems that are widely available in our country. The exact ecosystem had yet to be decided upon.
All of the sudden the client wants to implement Home Assistant. Now we are only architects, not home automation experts. We only have a basic understanding of what the ecosystems above do and their pros and cons in regards to open or closed system, futureproofing,.. Just enough to manage a project and delegate to contractors what the client wants in terms of home automation.
The clients needs are rather simple: control of light schemes, control of solar screens and shutters, control of heating and ventilation and an energy management system to take control of home energy use. All of these seem to be easily done with systems above. But now the client is adamant on using HA. Mainly because: "its open source", "is able to make connections with practically anything", "its cheaper than other systems like Niko Home"
We were unfamiliar with HA and after some browsing I'm still not entirely sure what the benefit would be, but I seem to be under the impression that it's mainly aimed towards DIY and hobbyists. Now this is fine but strikes me as an odd choice for the client considering he's looking for a contractor to implement the system and is not tech savvy himself. In fact, he struggles with basic trouble shooting problems with a printer or his email. And its mainly a patience problem, hes 70+ and gives up easily. How do I know this? Besides being one of the architects on the project, ~~I'm also the client's father~~ (edit: the client is MY father - woops!)
Despite my initial reservations I asked 7 contractors in the area and they all had one of the following reactions:
My fear is that we have a client that's over-educated about what is possible (watches lots of tech videos online, but is unable to do it himself), wants its because it is possible, but cant look past what would be actually useful for him.
Can anyone help me understand why HA would be beneficial to this particular client / project OR give me arguments why this would NOT be a good choice?
Much appreciated.