Solar and battery storage
16 × 475W Aiko solar panels, 7.6kW system
Contact Solar installed our 7.6kW array in early 2026. Eight panels face roughly east and eight west, giving us useful generation across more of the day rather than concentrating everything around midday.
Tesla Powerwall 3 and Tesla Gateway
The Powerwall stores overnight electricity and solar generation for later use, while also providing backup during a power cut. It has performed reliably, but it was a significant investment and the economics depend heavily on tariff structure, export value and how the household uses energy.
Heating, hot water and cooling
Mitsubishi Ecodan R32 air source heat pump
The heat pump was installed as part of our new-build home and handles both heating and hot water. The house is well insulated and the radiators were designed around the system, so its performance has been strong even during colder weather.
Two Google Nest Learning Thermostats, 3rd generation
Nest currently controls the heating system. A Starling Home Hub brings both thermostats into Apple Home, although we are still reviewing whether the current arrangement makes full use of weather compensation and dynamic flow-temperature control.
Toshiba Wi-Fi air conditioning
Two Toshiba air-conditioning units provide cooling during warmer weather. Both have Wi-Fi adapters, giving us app control today and scope for more useful Home Assistant automations in future.
Electric cars and home charging
Peugeot e-308 and Peugeot e-208
The e-308 is our main family car and the e-208 handles my partner’s commute into Cambridge. Both have been dependable, although Peugeot’s connected-app experience remains a frustration.
Hypervolt Pro 3 charger
We replaced a Pod Point after repeated Wi-Fi and app issues. The Hypervolt has been far more dependable and now works with EDF Smart Charging. It also exposes useful information to Home Assistant for monitoring and battery-protection automations.
Apple Home today, Home Assistant for what comes next
Apple Home is our main everyday interface
Most day-to-day control still happens through Apple Home. It brings together our lighting, heating, sensors, entertainment and other connected devices in a familiar interface that everyone in the household can use.
Home Assistant Green
Home Assistant is installed and already supports parts of the setup, particularly energy and EV-charging monitoring, but we are not yet using it to its full potential. Our aim is to develop it into a more capable automation and integration layer for advanced logic, energy management, dashboards and cross-platform control that Apple Home cannot handle as easily. Learn more about Home Assistant Green.
We want automations to solve real problems rather than create complexity for its own sake. One example is preventing the Powerwall from discharging into a daytime EV charging session. Better presence detection, climate control and clearer whole-home dashboards are among the next areas we plan to explore.
Lighting, sensors and everyday controls
Philips Hue lighting
A Philips Hue Bridge supports a mixture of ceiling lights, bedside lights and lamps, together with Hue wireless controls. Both homes currently use the standard Philips Hue Bridge, while the newer Hue Bridge Pro is a possible future upgrade. Hue is not the cheapest option, but its reliability and broad integration support have made it worthwhile for us. Browse Philips Hue on Amazon.
Aqara sensors, controls and video doorbell
Our Aqara setup is built around the Aqara Hub M2 and includes temperature and humidity sensors, contact sensors, a TVOC air-quality monitor, an FP300 presence sensor, a Climate Sensor W100 and the G4 video doorbell. This gives us useful environmental and occupancy information without tying every device to Wi-Fi. Browse Aqara temperature sensors or see the Aqara doorbell.
Shelly and Meross controls
A Shelly in-wall relay provides smart control without replacing the conventional wall switch, while a small number of Meross smart plugs handle individual lamps and appliances. The Meross plugs work with both Apple Home and Home Assistant. Browse Meross smart plugs on Amazon.
Apple and Google displays
Apple TV and HomePod devices support Apple Home and entertainment, while two original Google Home Hub displays remain useful as simple screens, speakers and clocks.
The French home
Our Normandy home also uses Apple Home, with an Apple TV acting as the home hub. Eve temperature sensors, an Eve Energy smart plug and Eufy cameras support remote monitoring and control. We are reviewing whether Aqara should replace or supplement parts of that setup because reliability and battery life matter even more in a second home.
UniFi networking in the UK and France
UK: Vodafone full fibre with a UniFi Dream Router 7
Our UK network uses a UniFi Dream Router 7, a wired UniFi U7 Lite access point and Netgear Ethernet switches. Wired connections in key rooms support equipment that benefits from a stable link, while Wi-Fi handles the growing number of smart-home and personal devices.
The move to UniFi raised typical Wi-Fi speeds in weaker areas from around 200 Mbps to roughly 500 to 600 Mbps and stopped the unexplained dropouts we experienced with Vodafone’s extenders. A UniFi Talk G3 Touch Pro handset is also part of the UK setup.
France: Sosh full fibre with a UniFi Dream Machine
Our Normandy home uses Sosh fibre, an original UniFi Dream Machine and a UniFi AC Mesh access point. This gives us reliable remote management through the same UniFi environment while making use of equipment we already owned.
VPN links connect the two homes, allowing selected devices to use the internet connection in the other country where that is useful. We keep the internal network names, addresses and detailed routing arrangements private.
Doorbell and camera platforms
Aqara G4 and Eufy
The Aqara G4 provides our connected doorbell in the UK, while Eufy cameras are used across the UK and French homes. Local features and avoiding an unnecessary monthly subscription remain important parts of our approach.
UniFi Protect planned
We plan to add two wired UniFi turret cameras in the UK, with the exact models still to be confirmed. They will use UniFi Protect on the UDR7 for management and recording. We will cover the product choice and installation once the project is under way.
EDF import, export and smart charging
EDF Go Electric 12M and EDF Export Exclusive
As at July 2026, our Anglia-region import tariff charges 30.28p per kWh from 6am to 11pm and 6.99p per kWh overnight, with a standing charge of 57.10p per day. EDF Export Exclusive pays 24p per kWh for exported energy for the first 12 months.
We also use EDF’s Smart Charging bolt-on with the Hypervolt. Our strategy is to avoid peak import, use cheap overnight electricity where needed and export solar when the 24p rate is more valuable than storing it.
Read the numbers behind our move from Octopus to EDF.
Get an EDF quote using our referral link. Referral rewards and tariff terms can change, so check EDF’s current conditions before switching.
Cards and cashback we use
We use the British Airways American Express Premium Plus and a Virgin Atlantic card to collect travel rewards, alongside Quidco for cashback. These are personal choices rather than universal recommendations, and card suitability depends on spending, fees and how rewards will actually be used.
BA Amex referral link, Virgin Money referral page, and Quidco referral link.
This page is a living document. We update it when equipment, services or our honest view of them changes.