I think the cheap X10 paddle switches do hurt value but feel the better switches integrated with a system like the HAI Omni [Link: homeautomationnet.com] greatly enhance value to a home although there is no study to quantify how much.

When a potential buyer sees the savings in lighting and cooling cost, all his landscape lights will always come on based on a celestial clock and knows they never has to enter a dark house, these things add a sense of security and value. I know we have a lot of installers selling these systems to high end new home buyers who pay a small fortune for these features, so they think it adds value. Some of these buyers are rock stars and celebrities who could have anything they want but are very happy with properly installed and integrated X10.

I think John is right though, if you set this up as a “tinkerer” thing then it becomes a headache. They key to adding value is the seamless integration with the home owner. Very few home buyers are interested in buying something they have to tinker with; they just want something that works. I love to give the example of my 80 year old mother’s house which has extensive X10 lighting triggered by motion detectors through an Omni. After about 5 years of flawless performance, one day she calls and says that none of her lights work. I ask her to go to a switch and tell me if there is a lighted red led on her switch, and she says yes. I then ask her to tap the top of the switch, which she does and then says, oh yes they are on, thanks. What she was telling me was she was so used to motion turning on lights that when her power line interface failed she did not know what to do. This is the same for her landscape lights sprinklers, and A/C they just do there thing, and make her life easy. I guarantee she puts the substantial value on enhancement to her homes value for these features. I think potential buyers would also.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com