Brand new whole house automation project
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NeverDie
Senior Member
So, $7200 for the hardware to do 72 loads.
Lutron has a hardwired solution that, IIRC, ran about $200 per load, though I don't recall whether that was for the hardware only or whether it included installation of some kind.
Given the hardware costs of a branded system, I wouldn't blame someone if they were tempted to roll their own solution, using an arduino for GPIO to control the relays/dimmers, and possibly plug-in to HomeSeer or similar to manage scheduling and event logic. I don't know about dimmers, but I'm pretty sure optically isolated 20 amp relays are relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, there are undeniable advantages to buying a vetted system that has a high probability of "just working," which it sounds like Elegance would. Is that the trade-off, or is there more to it than that?
Lutron has a hardwired solution that, IIRC, ran about $200 per load, though I don't recall whether that was for the hardware only or whether it included installation of some kind.
Given the hardware costs of a branded system, I wouldn't blame someone if they were tempted to roll their own solution, using an arduino for GPIO to control the relays/dimmers, and possibly plug-in to HomeSeer or similar to manage scheduling and event logic. I don't know about dimmers, but I'm pretty sure optically isolated 20 amp relays are relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, there are undeniable advantages to buying a vetted system that has a high probability of "just working," which it sounds like Elegance would. Is that the trade-off, or is there more to it than that?
