UPB OR RA2?

Electrical contractor new to HA
Facing a problem with splitting up combined loads.  I have 3 "zones" of lights in the kitchen which were all wired together to a single switch with no way of separating (easily)
Pendants over sink, chandeliers over island & under cabinet lights are presently all controlled by a single switch in the island
I Want to separate into the respective areas for scene control with local dimming capability
I am figuring on tying through the switch legs so that basically everything will now just have a constant 120 volt feed.  My question is, what do you recommend?
Looking at either Radio Ra2 multi button keypad with dimming modules at the lights or Leviton HLC multi-button with a Pulseworx dimming module at each area of lights
Can I have dimming capabilities at the HLC, like the Lutron will?  Also, looks like the Lutron solution requires Inclusive software to integrate the dimming module into the system
As a side note, I plan on eventually changing out my existing alarm panel to an OmniPro and integrating the home as I go along
 

UPB/HLC is very flexible.  I have pendants over an island controlled by a switch in the island. A UPB module controls the pendants, and a UPB switch tells the module to go on and off and dim.  It works so smoothly you would think the switch was connected pendant, but it is not. 
 
Any UPB switch can send a link with a switch tap to any other switch. So you could control lights with hidden modules and control them with phantom switches, or control them with a double tap of an existing switch, or with a button on a multibutton controller.  Any will work, but I recommend you keep consistency through the house. 
 
If you are going the HLC route with an Omni (that is what I did) it is the easiest with Leviton switches, but you don't HAVE to use Leviton switches, its a bit more work.  
 
It sounds like you have planned what I am installing in my new house presently, Leviton room controllers that trigger scenes. I would plan out the location of your "room" and "home" controllers, but don't get caught up with those names. You don't HAVE to have a room controller in each room. Just place them where you think they are convenient.  Then find a way to have every light you want controlled with a switch or module.  These can go in boxes anywhere. Your remote controlling the switches so they only have to be accessible for initial programming, but the electrical code says you must leave some way to access them. You can also used controlled outlets (Simply Automated makes those) or you can also switch an outlet with a 15A relays switch (Leviton makes those.)
 
The great part about UPB is that you work on the hardware first, then make it do what you want all with programming. Its so flexible, its hard to do it wrong.

Thanks Cocoonut. So will the Leviton 6-button keypad paired with a couple Pulseworx fixture module dimmers (FMD2-4) do the trick?

Sorry ano, new to site and looking quickly to reply I thought Cocoonut was your name. Duh.

I had to look up the HLC multi- button, and wow, those aren't the prettiest.  I really like my RadioRa2 system; the elegance and reliability are primarily why I purchased it.  The UPB system is more flexible in terms of programming and multi-tap buttons.  With RadioRa2, you don't need to wire up a repeater or similar device to bridge circuits on both sides of the electrical panel.  If you're decided on an HAI panel, then UPB is probably the way to go although both systems are very good.

Thanks dgage.  Yeah I agree!  I was at a Leviton seminar for the Lumina system & actually asked the rep when are they going to do something with the design of some of their products.  Especially the keypads & tabletop keypads.  Lutron definitely has em beat there.  Only problem with my kitchen scenario is I wouldn't be able to program the fixture modules until I complete their Level 2 training.  Sucks

I use the new PCS 7 button scene switches (with custom engraved buttons) for link transmitters in a few spots. 
They look very nice and work very well, the toggle functions work better than on my SA units. 
I replaced a couple SA 240s with 8 button faceplates with these and am very happy with the change.
Most of the actual switches and modules I use to control loads are Simply Automated.  The two interact via UPB perfectly.
My install is about 80 units spread across 3 buildings.

+1 on the PCS 7 button controller.   They look and work nice.

I'm using the Leviton buttons and don't think they look bad.  You can also use the Leviton 8 button unit if you need more buttons, and Leviton will engrave both of these as well.  (Sometimes for free if you find the right deal.)  The Leviton ones also indicate status which can be helpful in some situations.

Jumping in now...  I am fully certified in RadioRa2 up to their full suite...  I'll summarize this quickly.  When I first saw RadioRa2, I was blown away.  Such a beautiful fit and finish combined with solutions for a lot of everyday issues.  However, as I programmed my first client house (keep in mind my own home is UPB) I was floored at how inflexible their programming is.  I use SA switches which have a downright toyish feel compared to the lux feel of the RA2 but the functionality blows RadioRa2 out of the water by a long shot.
 
If I did it again tomorrow, I'd still stick with Simply Automated.  Nothing has topped them yet in value.  If I didn't care about money, I'd probably go Pulseworx because they look a ton better but I can't justify the price difference.

Work2Play said:

Jumping in now...  I am fully certified in RadioRa2 up to their full suite...  I'll summarize this quickly.  When I first saw RadioRa2, I was blown away.  Such a beautiful fit and finish combined with solutions for a lot of everyday issues.  However, as I programmed my first client house (keep in mind my own home is UPB) I was floored at how inflexible their programming is.  I use SA switches which have a downright toyish feel compared to the lux feel of the RA2 but the functionality blows RadioRa2 out of the water by a long shot.
 
If I did it again tomorrow, I'd still stick with Simply Automated.  Nothing has topped them yet in value.  If I didn't care about money, I'd probably go Pulseworx because they look a ton better but I can't justify the price difference.

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RadioRA 2 expects you to use a switch to control a local load only. You basically need a keypad in every room to compete with UPB's functionality. The good thing about this is a guest can easily read the button labels and use the system. With the UPB switches I have the double tap programmed for, only I know that functionality exists. I mainly did the double tap to cut costs over the keypads.

rsw686 said:

With the UPB switches I have the double tap programmed for, only I know that functionality exists. I mainly did the double tap to cut costs over the keypads.

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Same here - I'm a cheap a** - but I'm very happy with what I have.  I too use a lot of secret double-tap functions that a guest would never guess - keeping the look of the switches very standard.  Of course most people struggle with the microswitches and return-to-center but that's easy enough to get over.
 
If you're planning your wiring from the start, you can wire appropriately... but I used UPB to override some of CA's Stupid Title 24 laws which caused very inconvenient wiring, and I made things much more functional and logical.