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.
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.
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.
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.
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 + 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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
Drayton Wiser vs Tado : quel système de chauffage connecté choisir au Royaume-Uni (2026)
Drayton Wiser vs Tado comparés pour les foyers britanniques en 2026 — zonage, géolocalisation, compatibilité chaudière, fiabilité des applis, qualité d'intégration Home Assistant et lequel acheter.
Home Assistant pour Airbnb et locations saisonnières (guide propriétaire UK)
Comment les hôtes de locations saisonnières au Royaume-Uni utilisent Home Assistant pour gérer le chauffage entre les séjours, prévenir les fuites, gérer les serrures connectées aux changements de locataires et piloter plusieurs cottages depuis un seul endroit.
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.
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.
Recharge VE et Home Assistant : chargez uniquement sur solaire ou electricite bon marche (UK)
Utilisez Home Assistant avec Zappi, Ohme, Hypervolt ou Easee pour ne recharger qu'aux heures creuses Octopus ou au solaire. Des centaines de livres economisees.
Batterie domestique et Home Assistant : charger bon marche, decharger en pointe (UK)
Comment utiliser Home Assistant pour orchestrer une batterie domestique britannique — charger en heures creuses, decharger en pointe, sans se battre avec l'appli.
Octopus Agile et Home Assistant : automatisez votre maison autour de l'electricite bon marche (UK)
Comment utiliser Home Assistant avec Octopus Agile pour decaler les consommations vers les prix les plus bas, avec des chiffres d'economies honnetes.
Comment economiser 1 a 2 £ par jour sur vos factures d'energie avec Home Assistant (UK)
Comment les foyers britanniques economisent 1 a 2 £ par jour grace a Home Assistant : decalage des consommations, autoconsommation solaire et chauffage intelligent.
Solaire et Home Assistant : maximisez l'autoconsommation (UK 2026)
Comment utiliser Home Assistant pour maximiser l'autoconsommation solaire au Royaume-Uni : diversion vers l'eau chaude, batteries, consommations programmees, VE.
Meilleure clé Zigbee pour Home Assistant au Royaume-Uni 2026 : ZBT-2 vs Sonoff vs Aeotec
Quel coordinateur Zigbee acheter pour Home Assistant au Royaume-Uni en 2026 ? Choix honnête et tranché entre la ZBT-2, la Sonoff ZBDongle-E et l'Aeotec — plus le câble USB que la plupart des nouveaux acheteurs oublient.
Hive et Home Assistant : guide pour propriétaires britanniques
Comment connecter le chauffage Hive à Home Assistant au Royaume-Uni, ce que cela permet que l'appli Hive ne fait pas, et les pièges à éviter.
Home Assistant pour les non-techniciens : un guide honnête
Home Assistant est-il trop difficile si vous n'êtes pas technicien ? Un guide britannique honnête sur ce qui est vraiment dur et les deux options réalistes.
Home Assistant infogéré au Royaume-Uni : qu'est-ce que c'est et à qui ça s'adresse
Un service Home Assistant infogéré pour les propriétaires britanniques. Nous installons, mettons à jour et réparons. Vous obtenez une maison connectée qui marche.
Home Assistant sur Raspberry Pi avec SSD : la méthode fiable (UK)
Oubliez la carte SD. Voici comment installer Home Assistant sur un [Raspberry Pi 4](https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=raspberry+pi+4+4gb&tag=simtuts-21) avec un SSD USB en 20 minutes — et pourquoi c'est le seul choix sensé.