Smart home installation in Muswell Hill

The Edwardian houses off the Broadway are generous but draughty, with bay windows, original panelled doors and a loft conversion added at some point. Zoned heating usually pays for itself here — the loft bedroom and the front reception rarely want the same temperature at the same time.

Lighting control in a family house is about routines rather than showpieces: a morning scene, a homework scene, a bedtime sequence that dims the landing, and one button by the front door that turns everything off. We keep the scene list short so children and grandparents can both use it.

Television and music are the other constant. With a properly designed distribution system every set works from the same sources and one remote, which removes the boxes and cables from behind three different screens.