HMI in home

[TConnolly]

3. If you need to hire a local HVAC repairman, or security alarm contractor, or any other maintenance or repair person, he may take one look at your control system and say "not me, buddy".

One of the panel builders I use did his own house. When the city inspector came to pass it off he took one look at the main panel, threw up his hands and said "I give up," passed off the inspection and left.

 

[DwSoFt]

Plus, I have the PLC monitoring my doors. I have a record along with an email of every time the door opens so I know when my teenagers sneak out of the house at night.

lmao

 

[Albert LaFrance]

One of the panel builders I use did his own house. When the city inspector came to pass it off he took one look at the main panel, threw up his hands and said "I give up," passed off the inspection and left.

Actually, that's a very good topic to discuss.

I think the aspect of a home automation system that's most likely to raise a code-compliance question with an inspector is the placing of line-voltage and low-voltage control conductors in the same enclosure. Article 725, Sec. 136 of the National Electrical Code generally prohibits that, but allows it when the low-voltage conductors (referred to as Class 2 and Class 3 wiring) are "...introduced solely to connect the equipment connected to Class 2 and Class 3 circuts"... and are routed at least 1/4" (6 mm) from line-voltage conductors, or meet certain insulation requirements.

The potential problem is that such installations are rarely seen in residential construction, so inspectors may not be familiar with the permitted cases under 725.136. The closest thing you'd probably find in a typical house is where the 24-volt wiring from a thermostat connects to the control board in a furnace, on which line-voltage wiring is also located. But that's inside an appliance which has UL approval and is done according to the manufacturer's instructions, so inspectors probably don't even look at it in the context of Art. 725. A custom-built panel, on the other hand, might receive closer scrutiny.

 

[ianingram]

My boss has a system known as Clipsal C-Bus

http://www.clipsal.com.au/homeowner/products/smart_home_technology/c-bus_home_control

He has a touchscreen to dim lights, control air conditioning, even the music is piped through it..

(Must have cost a few $$$)