Snap Audio & Video delivered the cable as needed, and included an invoice that specifies the type and amount of wire in the order. Nieber paid only for the low-voltage wire he used and received a credit for any surplus returned. Nieber had a similar arrangement with a local electrical contractor, who provided product, guidance and site visits to ensure code compliance.

Automation with Control4
Nieber says he went with Control4 for automation because the company “had everything I needed at a lower price.”

As of this writing, the automation system had not been installed or configured, but Nieber plans to use Control4 to optimize the home’s energy-saving potential. He plans to incorporate heat sensors and other triggers for some of these automation scenarios:
-  Activate a small circulation pump to move hot water from the roof’s solar tubes through the radiant floor system.
-  If the roof gets too hot in the summertime, automatically turn on a circulation pump that sends water through a tube at the top of the house to cool the roof and reduce the air conditioning load.
-  If too much hot water is generated, the Control4 system triggers another circulating pump to dissipate the heat through a series of underground tubes.
-  Alternatively, the system could activate a different circulation pump to cool the hot water with up to 400 gallons of rain water, distributing it through tubes that circle the perimeter of the house.

The automation system will be configured initially by Snap Audio & Video, because only authorized dealers have access to Control4’s core programming software, called Composer. Control4’s Composer Home Edition ($150) allows end users to make adjustments to their systems after the initial programming is complete.

Even with the consumer software, though, Allsopp expects his company will perform programming tweaks periodically for years, and that’s something that can be done remotely. He estimates that the Niebers will require about 10 to 20 hours of professional programming every year to incorporate new gadgets. 

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Julie Jacobson - Editor-at-large, CE Pro

Julie Jacobson is co-founder of EH Publishing and currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro, mostly in the areas of home automation, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. She majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. Julie is a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player with the scars to prove it. Follow her on Twitter @juliejacobson.