Chch sparky recommendation - familiarity with Shelly?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Chch sparky recommendation - familiarity with Shelly?

sib106

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#318390 13-Jan-2025 19:56

Hey gang! I’m looking for recommendations on electricians in Christchurch who are familiar with Shelly relays (or at least not scared by something new). Preferably a reasonable hourly rate too 😁. We’re looking to take the dive into Shelly-assisted HWC solar diversion and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have the necessary background to teach up or instruct a sparky on a safe and appropriate setup.

webup

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3331798 15-Jan-2025 14:32

Good luck, 99% of sparkies in NZ have next to zero knowledge on home automation which should be in their area of expertise.
The ones that do know anything about it just offer big brand systems like C4 or KNX and don’t seem to want to know about the consumer level stuff like Shelly and HomeAssistant.

Pretty frustrating trying to do home automation here in NZ unless you want to overpay for a complete proprietary system.

I looked at this zigbee switch here in NZ and PDL seems to use Zigbee but the retailers say it doesn’t work with home assistant…..

PDL356PB2MBTZ-VW - Connected Switch Iconic Zigbee default mode 2 AX 240 V - Vivid White

The PDL Iconic Connected Switch 2AX is ideal for switching LED lighting or exhaust fans. It works with Wiser and can be connected to the Wiser Hub via Zigbee, enabling the full range of Wiser benefits including Voice control, Remote Access as well as Moments and scheduling features.

boosacnoodle

963 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3331821 15-Jan-2025 15:07

I always use Foleys and found they knew about these kinds of queries.

k1w1k1d

1519 posts

Uber Geek

#3331828 15-Jan-2025 15:28

I would guess that most sparkies would rather supply and fit a system from a known brand/supplier that has good markup and warranty etc. rather than trying to configure a system from various components.

neb

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#3331841 15-Jan-2025 16:12

Was going to say that as well, I assume most sparkies would be very reluctant to take responsibility for some obscure IoT device with who-knows-what liability involved. In particular for the OPs use of HWC switching if you're switching a 1-2kW load you probably don't want to use most of the obvious Shellys that could allegedly do the job, or at least derate everything by 50% or so to get a more realistic figure of what you can safely run on it. See the photos of incinerated Shellys in another thread for why.

sib106

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3331884 15-Jan-2025 18:16

neb:
Was going to say that as well, I assume most sparkies would be very reluctant to take responsibility for some obscure IoT device with who-knows-what liability involved. In particular for the OPs use of HWC switching if you're switching a 1-2kW load you probably don't want to use most of the obvious Shellys that could allegedly do the job, or at least derate everything by 50% or so to get a more realistic figure of what you can safely run on it. See the photos of incinerated Shellys in another thread for why.

Yup, I’ve read through enough of your and others comments such that I’m intending to use a Shelly to control a suitable contactor but I’m not qualified to install or sign off on such an installation. We have a handful of Shelly relays behind light switches in our recent renovation but found our builder’s sparky to be a bit of a challenge at times. Perhaps I didn’t appreciate the value of a sparky who’s able to go beyond “the way it’s always been done.”

Handle9

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#3332029 16-Jan-2025 00:09

webup:I looked at this zigbee switch here in NZ and PDL seems to use Zigbee but the retailers say it doesn’t work with home assistant…..

PDL356PB2MBTZ-VW - Connected Switch Iconic Zigbee default mode 2 AX 240 V - Vivid White

The PDL Iconic Connected Switch 2AX is ideal for switching LED lighting or exhaust fans. It works with Wiser and can be connected to the Wiser Hub via Zigbee, enabling the full range of Wiser benefits including Voice control, Remote Access as well as Moments and scheduling features.

FWIW that switch is supported by Zigbee2MQTT

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/devices/41E2PBSWMZ_356PB2MBTZ.html#schneider-electric-41e2pbswmz-356pb2mbtz

Handle9

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#3332030 16-Jan-2025 00:46

I've worked for a long time in the commercial building automation space.

Expecting domestic electricians to design, install and commission an automation solution isn't realistic. That's not their skill set and it's in not really worth their while to do so. Automation engineers get paid a lot more than a domestic electrician, they have a skill set that is a lot more niche.

There are two pieces of work here. The design and commissioning work, which can be done by you (or an automation specialist) in conjunction with the electrician, and the installation, which needs to be done by a registered electrical worker. This is how commercial building automation is typically done.

Shelley relays have an SDOC so there's not a significant liability problem for the electrician if you say "I want to control a contactor suitable for the HWC with this relay. Here is the compliance documentation." This is exactly the same as any other client supplied device.

The alternative is you buy an off the shelf solution and the electrician installs it.

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webup

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3332105 16-Jan-2025 09:50

Handle9:

webup:I looked at this zigbee switch here in NZ and PDL seems to use Zigbee but the retailers say it doesn’t work with home assistant…..

PDL356PB2MBTZ-VW - Connected Switch Iconic Zigbee default mode 2 AX 240 V - Vivid White

The PDL Iconic Connected Switch 2AX is ideal for switching LED lighting or exhaust fans. It works with Wiser and can be connected to the Wiser Hub via Zigbee, enabling the full range of Wiser benefits including Voice control, Remote Access as well as Moments and scheduling features.

FWIW that switch is supported by Zigbee2MQTT

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/devices/41E2PBSWMZ_356PB2MBTZ.html#schneider-electric-41e2pbswmz-356pb2mbtz

Indeed, which is why with this particular seller retailing these in NZ to receive a statement from the person selling it that it doesn't work with HA was surprising/frustrating.

Handle9

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#3332377 16-Jan-2025 16:04

webup:

Handle9:

FWIW that switch is supported by Zigbee2MQTT

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/devices/41E2PBSWMZ_356PB2MBTZ.html#schneider-electric-41e2pbswmz-356pb2mbtz

Indeed, which is why with this particular seller retailing these in NZ to receive a statement from the person selling it that it doesn't work with HA was surprising/frustrating.

From what I have seen it doesn't currently work with ZHA so saying it doesn't work with Home Assistant is correct.

Schneider don't sell this as being supported by HA, they sell it as being compatible with Wiser. They are using Zigbee, which means the community can make an integration for the device but, it doesn't mean it's supported by the manufacturer.

I understand why this is the case, they don't want the support headache and is probably the right way to sell these devices.

PaulFindlay

102 posts

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#3344602 19-Feb-2025 19:02

Kelvin from https://www.facebook.com/p/Kelectron-Limited-100090209476378/ set up a Shelley device on our switchboard.