What architects and builders should plan before installing home automation

Most problems with home automation don’t start in the programming — they start with decisions that weren’t taken in time: a consumer unit with no space, a shutter box with no power, a living room with no data point, or an air-conditioning unit that can’t take a gateway. This guide is a checklist for architects, developers and builders.

1. Define the scope at design stage

• What will be controlled: lighting, shutters, climate, security, access, irrigation, energy.
• Which system (wired, wireless or hybrid) and how much future expansion is needed.
• Interfaces: push-buttons, touch panels, app.
• Who will program and maintain it.

2. Electrical installation and consumer unit

• Spare space in the consumer unit for actuators, power supplies, gateways and protection (or a dedicated automation sub-board).
• Separate lighting circuits for the planned scenes (general, indirect, accent).
• Neutral in every switch box.
• Power to every shutter and awning box.

3. Conduits

Element	What to plan
Automation bus	Route from the board to every switch and sensor box
Ceiling sensors	Ceiling boxes for presence, smoke or temperature
Window contacts	Conduit to each frame on accessible exterior joinery
Shutters	Power and control to the shutter box
Exterior	Conduits to the façade, garden, gate and camera points
Spare	Free conduits between floors and to the comms cabinet

4. Data network and telecoms

• A ventilated comms cabinet with power and room for router, switch, recorder and automation equipment.
• Star wiring from the cabinet, as Spain’s telecom infrastructure regulation requires — and ideally beyond its minimum.
• Ceiling points for Wi-Fi access points and cameras, with PoE.
• Outlets in the living room, office and bedrooms (see Wi-Fi vs Ethernet).

5. HVAC and energy

• Choose equipment with a compatible gateway for the automation system.
• Thermostats in sensible positions (interior walls, no direct sun).
• Pre-wiring for an EV charger and solar self-consumption if planned (see home automation and solar panels).
• Energy meters in the consumer unit.

6. Security and access

• Cabling for an IP video intercom at the gate and entrances.
• Pre-wiring for electric strikes or motorised locks (cable to the door frame).
• Camera and alarm detector points.
• Garage operator with a position contact.

7. Coordinating the trades

The electrician, HVAC installer, joiner, telecoms installer and integrator must all work from the same drawings. Joinery must allow for contacts; the HVAC installer for the gateway; the electrician for the bus and circuits.

Worked example: a development of six detached houses

• Design: automation pre-wiring in every house, with a full package offered as an option to buyers.
• Consumer unit: a spare module and bus to every switch box.
• Shutters: power and control in every box.
• Network: a comms cabinet in each house, star cabling and two ceiling Wi-Fi points.
• HVAC: units with a compatible gateway.
• Handover: houses without the package work as conventional homes; those that opt in are programmed with no wall-chasing.

Common mistakes

• Deciding on automation after the wiring is closed.
• Consumer units with no spare space.
• Shutter boxes without power.
• HVAC chosen without checking integration.
• No comms cabinet, so equipment ends up in an unventilated loft.
• Handing over the home with no installation documentation.

Conclusion

In a new build, home automation costs little when it’s planned at design stage and a lot when it’s improvised at the end. Consumer-unit space, conduits, power in shutter boxes, a star-wired data network, integrable equipment and coordinated trades are the keys — plus complete documentation at handover.

Domolife works with architects and builders from project definition to commissioning of home automation, cabling and networks. Let’s talk about your project.