Guides
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 vs Sonoff: Honest Review 2026
We migrated our own Home Assistant Zigbee network from a Sonoff dongle to the ZBT-2. Here's the honest first-hand verdict — specs, reliability and price.
Tado vs Hive: which smart heating system wins for UK homes in 2026
Tado vs Hive compared for UK homes in 2026 — cloud reliability, multi-zone TRV costs, app polish, Home Assistant integration quality and which one to buy.
M5Paper E-Ink Dashboards for Home Assistant (UK Guide, 2026)
M5Stack's PaperS3 and PaperColor turn a wall, fridge or desk corner into an always-on Home Assistant glance display — battery-powered, paper-quiet, no PoE cable. Honest UK guide with ESPHome reality check.
Tado vs Hive vs Drayton Wiser UK 2026: Which Wins?
Tado X, Hive Active Heating and Drayton Wiser side by side — current 2026 UK prices, HA integration, subscription gotchas, and which one to pick for which household.
Home Assistant for UK Property Managers (Portfolio Guide 2026)
How UK property managers and letting agents run Home Assistant across 20–100 doors: one dashboard, bulk locks and thermostats, leak monitoring, GDPR-clean.
Octopus Tariffs Compared UK 2026: Agile, Cosy, Go, Tracker
Octopus Agile, Cosy, Tracker, Go and Intelligent Go side by side — current 2026 rates, which suits which household, and the gotchas. Honest UK guide.
Heat Pump Payback UK 2026: Marginal Cost Over a New Boiler
An ASHP installs for £12k, but with the £7,500 BUS grant the marginal cost over a new gas boiler is often £1,500. Worked UK payback examples for 2026.
Home Battery Payback UK 2026: Is a £6,500 Battery Worth It?
GivEnergy, Tesla Powerwall or Sunsynk in a UK home: how long does a £4,500–£12,000 battery take to pay back? Worked examples on Intelligent Go, Cosy and SEG.
UK Home Energy Upgrades 2026: Which Pay Back Fastest?
Side-by-side payback for smart plugs, thermostats, heat pumps, solar and batteries in UK homes in 2026 — and the order to do them in. Worked numbers, no fluff.
Smart Plug Power Monitoring UK 2026: Find £200+ in Vampire Loads
Use a £15 Tapo P110 to hunt vampire loads in your UK home. Worked audit: 5 plugs, one weekend, £400+/year of standby power found and eliminated.
Smart Thermostat Payback UK 2026: Is It Worth £400 in Kit?
Drayton Wiser, Tado or Hive in a UK home: how long does a £200–£500 smart heating upgrade take to pay back? Worked examples for flat, semi and detached.
Solar Panel Payback UK 2026: Is a £7,000 4kW Array Worth It?
How long does a UK solar PV install actually pay back in 2026? Worked examples for 4 kW and 6 kW arrays, with and without battery, on current Octopus SEG.
Drayton Wiser vs Tado: which smart heating system is best in the UK (2026)
Drayton Wiser vs Tado compared for UK homes in 2026 — zoning, geofencing, boiler compatibility, app reliability, Home Assistant integration quality and which one to buy.
Home Assistant for Airbnb and Holiday Lets (UK Owner's Guide)
How UK holiday-let hosts use Home Assistant to control heating between guests, prevent leaks, manage smart locks at changeover and run multiple cottages from one place.
Home Assistant Update Broke Something? How to Fix It (2026)
Updated Home Assistant and now Tado is slow, lights unavailable, or automations don't fire? Common post-update breakages and how to fix each one.
When to Stop Self-Managing Home Assistant (UK Guide, 2026)
Honest test for UK Home Assistant users wondering whether to keep nursing their setup or hand it over to a managed service. What self-management actually costs, when habbb is the right answer, when it isn't.
Best Smart Heating for Home Assistant UK 2026: which brand to buy
Which smart heating brand should you buy for Home Assistant in the UK in 2026? Honest verdict across Drayton Wiser, Tado, Hive and Honeywell Evohome, with links to head-to-head comparisons.
Pay someone to set up Home Assistant UK: £150–£2,500 in 2026
One-off installers cost £500–£2,500. Managed services run £30–£40/month. We break down the three real UK options, what each gets you, and what breaks later.
EV charging + Home Assistant 2026 UK: Zappi vs Ohme vs Hypervolt vs Easee
Use Home Assistant with a Zappi, Ohme, Hypervolt, Easee or Wallbox to charge your EV only on cheap Octopus rates or solar. 2026 UK guide — realistic £300–£500/year savings per car, plus the charger integration comparison table.
Home battery and Home Assistant: Charge cheap, discharge at peak (UK)
How to use Home Assistant to orchestrate a UK home battery — charge on cheap overnight rates, discharge at peak, and stop fighting your battery's app.
Octopus Agile + Home Assistant 2026: Automate cheap electricity in the UK
Use Home Assistant with Octopus Agile to shift loads to cheap half-hourly prices in 2026: real savings numbers, the right integration, and three starter automations.
How to save £1-2 a day on energy bills with Home Assistant (UK)
How UK homeowners are saving £1-2 a day on energy bills with Home Assistant — time-shifting, solar self-consumption and smarter heating, explained plainly.
Solar and Home Assistant: Maximise self-consumption (UK 2026)
How to use Home Assistant to maximise solar self-consumption in UK homes: divert to hot water, charge batteries, schedule loads and EV charging.
Best Zigbee Stick / USB Dongle for Home Assistant UK 2026
ZBT-2 is the right Zigbee coordinator for Home Assistant in 2026 — with sharp cases for the Sonoff ZBDongle-E and Aeotec. Honest UK buying guide.
Connect Hive Heating to Home Assistant: UK Setup Guide (2026)
How to integrate Hive heating with Home Assistant in 2026: what the integration covers, the schedule control the Hive app can't do, and what to watch out for.
Home Assistant for Non-Technical Users: An Honest Guide
Is Home Assistant too hard if you're not technical? An honest UK guide to what's actually difficult, and the two realistic ways to get it running.
Managed Home Assistant in the UK: What It Is and Who It's For
A managed Home Assistant service for UK homeowners. We set up the hardware, run the updates, fix the breakages. You get one smart home that just works.
Raspberry Pi Home Assistant SSD Setup UK 2026
Skip the SD card — install Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 5 or Pi 4 USB SSD in 20 minutes. UK parts list with 2026 prices, plus the bootloader gotcha.
M5Paper E-Ink Dashboards for Home Assistant (US Guide, 2026)
M5Stack's PaperS3 and PaperColor turn a wall, fridge, or desk into an always-on Home Assistant glance display — battery-powered, no PoE cable, no backlight in the bedroom at 3am. Honest US guide with ESPHome reality check.
Raspberry Pi Home Assistant SSD Setup (US, 2026)
Install Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 5 with a real SSD in about 20 minutes. US parts list with 2026 prices, where to buy, and the Home Assistant Green pre-built alternative.
EV Charging + Home Assistant USA 2026: Tesla, Wallbox, Emporia
Cut $500–$1,200/year per EV with Home Assistant + Tesla Wall Connector, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Emporia EV or ChargePoint. PG&E EV2-A, Texas free nights, NEM 3.0 solar — 2026 US guide.
Home Battery + Home Assistant USA: Powerwall, Enphase, Franklin
How to orchestrate a US home battery in Home Assistant — NEM 3.0 self-consumption, TOU arbitrage, ConnectedSolutions payouts, and stop fighting the app.
Home Battery Payback USA 2026: Is a $12,000 Powerwall Worth It?
Tesla Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ, Franklin aPower 2 — how long does an $11,500–$15,000 battery take to pay back? Worked examples for NEM 3.0, MA ConnectedSolutions, TX backup.
US Home Energy Upgrades 2026: What Pays Back After OBBBA?
OBBBA killed the 30% federal solar/battery credit. Worked 2026 US payback for smart thermostats, batteries, solar — and the order to do them in.
Save $1–$3 a Day on Energy Bills with Home Assistant (US)
How US homeowners use Home Assistant to cut energy bills $1–$3 a day — TOU time-shifting, NEM 3.0 solar self-consumption and smarter heating, in plain English.
Smart Thermostat Payback USA 2026: Is It Worth $400 in Kit?
Ecobee, Nest or Honeywell T9 in a US home: how long does a $200–$500 smart heating upgrade take to pay back? Worked examples for apartment, single-family, and zoned homes.
Solar + Home Assistant USA: Self-Consume After NEM 3.0 (2026)
After NEM 3.0, US solar export credit fell ~75%. Use Home Assistant to self-consume: heat-pump water heater, EV ramp, battery dispatch, TOU load shifting.
Solar Panel Payback USA 2026: After NEM 3.0 + No ITC
OBBBA killed the federal 30% solar tax credit for 2026 buyers. Worked payback examples for California, Massachusetts and Texas with current prices and tariffs.
Best Zigbee Stick for Home Assistant in the USA 2026: ZBT-2 vs Sonoff vs ConBee III
Which Zigbee coordinator should you buy for Home Assistant in the US in 2026? Honest, opinionated pick from the ZBT-2, Sonoff ZBDongle-E and ConBee III — plus the USB cable most new buyers forget.
Home Assistant Green Setup Guide (USA, 2026)
How to set up a Home Assistant Green in the US in 2026 — what's in the box, how it compares to a DIY Pi 5 build, when you need a ZBT-2 radio, and when to hand it to habbb.
Time-of-Use Electricity + Home Assistant (USA, 2026): Automate the Cheap Hours
How US homeowners on PG&E, ConEd, ComEd and other TOU plans use Home Assistant to shift EV charging, water heating, dishwashers and HVAC into off-peak windows — without standing at the breaker box.
Home Assistant for Airbnb and Vacation Rentals (US Host Guide, 2026)
How US Airbnb and vacation-rental hosts use Home Assistant to control heating, locks, leaks, and energy across multiple properties from one dashboard — and how habbb manages it for $60/month plus state sales tax.
Home Assistant Managed Service for the US: What We Do, Who It's For
habbb is a managed Home Assistant service. UK since 2026, now opening Bring-Your-Own-HA support to US homeowners and property managers. $60/month plus state sales tax, no contract. Here's what's covered and what isn't.
Home Assistant for Property Managers (US Portfolio Guide, 2026)
How US property managers run Home Assistant across 5–50 rental units: one dashboard, bulk lock and thermostat control, leak shutoff, per-door energy.