Smart home planning for new builds and renovations
I plan the smart home.
Your electrician installs it.
I take on the consulting, planning, site supervision and programming for you.
- I answer smart home questions directly
- From floor plan to distribution board plan, I create them all
- You only get the plans you want
30 minutes. An honest assessment of whether I can help.
Services
Building automation
Consulting, planning and programming for Loxone. Together we clarify what is wanted. I translate that into a plan your electrician can execute.
- Consulting in the design phase, while decisions can still be changed at no extra cost
- System planning with floor plan, circuit diagram and distribution board plan
- Site supervision
- Programming and parameterization of the system
- Component selection
- Scenes and automation logic
- Network and Wi-Fi planning
- Surveillance planning
Scope From single-family homes and apartment buildings to office buildings and small commercial properties, for private and commercial clients.
Process
How a joint project works
Your electrician remains your partner on site. They build the system, and in the background I take care of consulting, system planning, site supervision and programming. That is the work between the trades that nobody else takes on. You keep your well-established team and gain the specialist planning on top.
Free initial consultation about your project
In thirty minutes you describe your plans. I tell you whether I can help and what a sensible approach looks like. If it is not a fit, I will say so.
Outcome
- Honest assessment of whether I can help
- Overview of the next steps
Consulting and rough concept at a flat rate
After the initial consultation I quote you a flat rate for the consulting and the design planning. Together we clarify which functions the house should have. The concept is yours to keep, whether or not we continue the project together.
Outcome
- Detailed explanation of possible functions
- List of functions for every room out to the exterior
- Every function prioritized, so you can later cut what turns out too expensive
Design planning with floor plan
I translate the rough concept into a floor plan, which we refine together until it fits. Based on the floor plan, you receive a flat-rate quote for planning and programming.
Outcome
- Agreed floor plan with all smart home functions
- Flat-rate quote for planning and programming
Detailed planning of the overall system
With the floor plan complete, work on the circuit diagram and the distribution board plan can begin. Added to that is a parts list of all installed components with prices. Only on this basis can your electrician prepare a reliable quote, and tenders rely on it too.
Outcome
- Circuit diagram
- Distribution board plan
- Parts list of all components with prices
Your electrician builds, I stay available
Your electrician installs according to plan and remains the contact on site. If a question comes up, I answer it directly. On request I take on the site supervision. I keep track of changes so the documentation is correct in the end.
Outcome
- Installation according to plan
- Questions answered, changes recorded
I program and commission the system
I handle the programming. Scenes are set up and the automation is tested before anyone moves in. Then I show the residents how to operate their home.
Outcome
- Configured and tested system
- Introduction for the residents
Handover with complete documentation
All plans are complete and every change is documented. Whoever retrofits the pool control in three years, for example, will find thorough documentation.
Outcome
- Complete documentation of all plans and changes
Who looks after the system once the project is handed over?
Usually me, with a maintenance contract if you wish, otherwise on demand. If your electrical contractor wants to keep the handover briefing and the later support, we agree that individually. I add new functions or adjust routines remotely, provided the system has an internet connection. Questions about the smart home have a fixed address even years after move-in.
Second focus
Energy optimization and photovoltaics
Generation, storage and consumption belong in one plan. Electricity should be used above all when it is self-generated or cheap to buy. Without control, though, the wallbox charges only in the evening when the car arrives. Meanwhile the midday power from your own roof goes into the grid for a few cents.
- Sizing of the PV system and profitability assessment
- Load management and peak shaving
- Surplus charging for the wallbox
- Use of dynamic electricity tariffs, shifting large consumers into low-price hours
- Storage strategy and integration of the battery storage
- Integration of the heat pump and other large consumers
- Sizing the grid connection for consumers that will only be added later
- Grid application and entry in the German market master data register
- Consumption visualization and monitoring during operation
Also for apartment buildings Remote monitoring of heating circuit pumps, storage tanks, sewage lifting stations and water softeners. The caretaker service only drives out when it is actually needed.
All of this has to work together
A house isn’t smart because it has an app. It’s smart when nobody has to operate anything anymore. The lights are on before anyone reaches for a switch. The shading closes before the room heats up. The wallbox charges when the sun is shining. For that to happen, all these trades have to talk to each other.
Truly smart is what you don’t notice.
Your electrician builds every one of these trades. The house only becomes smart once the interfaces between them work together. Those are what I plan and program, so that their work adds up to one system.
My own home is the model house
Not a showroom, but a single-family home lived in every day. Everything integrated here has been working together in real everyday life for years, not just in theory. During our conversation I will share my screen, walk you through the app and show you the functions live in operation.
About me
I live in the system I plan.
Christian Uhrmacher, electrical engineer specializing in automation technology. I started out in the trades with an apprenticeship as a mechatronics technician, followed by further training as a state-certified technician. I have worked on construction sites as an electrical installer. I know the side the electrician is on.
After that I spent several years developing software and working as a project manager and managing director, before starting my own engineering firm. Through my company Sopal GmbH I also act as a general contractor for electrical installations, with the work carried out by specialist firms.
Frequently asked questions
What I get asked before a first project
Do I have to change my electrician?
No. They remain your partner and install as before. I provide the plans and take care of the programming. Nothing changes about your usual way of working together.
What if my electrician is skeptical about an external planner?
Understandable. I know that concern. That is why I speak to them before the project starts. They get a finished plan and no competition, plus someone to answer the questions that would otherwise land on their desk. I completed an apprenticeship in the trades myself and have worked as an electrical installer, so I know the side they are on.
Do you also handle the installation?
I do not install myself. That is your electrician’s job. I provide the planning and the programming. If your project has no electrician on board, there are two options. In the Rhine-Main region my company Sopal GmbH can take on the installation as general contractor, carried out by specialist firms. Across Germany I work with partner companies and can recommend installers.
Who commissions you?
You do. Whether client, architect, general planner, property developer or electrician, I work on behalf of whoever discusses the project with me, just as you would bring in a structural engineer or an HVAC planner. That way you stay in control of your project. Who places the order and who I invoice is agreed individually, to suit your project.
What does the planning cost?
The initial consultation is free. After that I work with flat rates, staggered by planning phase and by the amount of support you want. It starts with a flat rate for the consulting and the design planning. Once the floor plan is settled, the scope of the project is known and I can quote the remaining work as a flat rate too. So before every step, you know what it costs.
When should I bring you in?
Ideally in the design phase, while cable routing and the grid connection can still be changed at no extra cost. Joining later is possible too, but the room to maneuver gets smaller.
Does this work for renovations or only for new builds?
Both. In a new build I plan the system right from the design phase. In a renovation the planning follows what the building and its cable routes allow, which I assess before planning. In both cases your electrician does the installation and I deliver the plan and the programming.
Do you only plan Loxone?
I have deliberately specialized in Loxone rather than KNX or another building automation system, because Loxone offers the widest range of possibilities and the best software. If a project calls for something else, we discuss it individually in the initial consultation.
Do you only work in the Rhine-Main region?
No, I work worldwide. My office is in Kelkheim near Frankfurt, Germany. Consulting, planning and programming are location-independent, so distance makes no difference. It is different if I am to carry out the commissioning on site. Whether the journey is worthwhile depends on the distance and the size of the project. We clarify that before you decide.
Who looks after the system once the project is handed over?
Usually me, with a maintenance contract if you wish, otherwise on demand. If your electrical contractor wants to keep the handover briefing and the later support, we agree that individually. I add new functions or adjust routines remotely, provided the system has an internet connection. Questions about the smart home have a fixed address even years after move-in.
What if something needs to be changed later?
Then nobody has to come out. I access the system remotely, add functions or adjust settings. Only when new hardware is added is your electrician on site again.
What if there is no internet available on site?
No internet connection is needed on site. I deliver the finished software digitally or on an SD card, whichever you prefer. An internet connection is an advantage for integrating new functions or making changes quickly.
What happens in the initial consultation?
You describe your project, and I tell you whether and how I can help. Thirty minutes, free of charge. If it is not a fit, I will say so.
Who is liable if something does not work?
Consulting, planning and programming all come from me. So it is clear who stands behind the overall system.
Want to realize a
smart home project
without replacing your electrician?
Then let’s talk about your next project, no strings attached. You bring the plans, and together we will see whether and how I can support you.
Free initial consultation30 minutes. An honest assessment of whether I can help.