Planning a Smart Home in a New Build: Costs, Trades and Sequence

In 2026, a smart home in a new build does not primarily cost what shines in the brochures, but what you install into walls and screed during the shell phase: empty conduits, bus cabling, additional network sockets and the control of shading, heating and heat pump. This guide breaks the investment down by trade, contrasts three build stages between roughly 6,000 and 40,000 euros and shows which planning mistakes become really expensive later. All amounts are guideline values for a single-family home with about 140 m² of living space. For a comprehensive market overview, see the prefab prices 2026.

What you actually have to reckon with for a smart home in a new build in 2026

The range results from two decisions: the system (wireless solution, bus system or mixed form) and the number of controlled trades. Anyone who only couples lighting and heating stays in the lower range; anyone who integrates shading, heat pump, PV connection, access and security lands in the upper third. As a rough orientation, in 2026 a smart home makes up around one to two percent of the pure construction costs – for a house with around 400,000 euros of construction costs, that is therefore a mid four-figure to low five-figure sum. For how this item fits into the overall budget, the guide to the house-building process shows. In advance, you can use our calculator to calculate the prefab costs and estimate your budget realistically.

The cost blocks by trade: electrics, network, shading, heating and security

The electrics block forms the linchpin: with a bus system, the wiring effort in the distribution board grows noticeably, but in return every channel becomes freely programmable. With the network, it pays off to provide more LAN sockets and access point positions than seem necessary today – pulling individual cables later often costs more than the socket itself. The heat pump connection is especially relevant in 2026, because coupling it with PV and a dynamic electricity tariff can lower the operating costs; for how this works in detail, read the guide to smart homes in prefab houses.

Three build stages at a glance: basic, comfort and premium

Stage 1 — Basic package for €6,000–12,000

• Wireless-based system (e.g. Zigbee/Matter) with a central gateway – low initial investment.
• Lighting in the main areas switchable and dimmable, scenes for living and absence.
• Single-room temperature control with smart thermostats for the heat pump.
• Roller shutters in the living room and bedrooms motorised and controllable via app.
• Networked smoke alarms and one or two smart door sensors.
• IMPORTANT even at basic level: lay empty conduits for a later bus retrofit in the shell.

Stage 2 — Comfort package for €14,000–24,000

• Bus system (KNX or a manufacturer-bound bus solution) as stable base cabling.
• All roller shutters or venetian blinds automated with weather and sun-position logic.
• Structured network cabling with a managed switch and several access points.
• Access via fingerprint or app at the front door, video door station.
• Connection of heat pump and PV system to the energy management.
• Presence detectors for automatic lighting, presence simulation for absences.

Stage 3 — Premium package for €26,000–40,000

• End-to-end KNX across all trades, freely programmable and manufacturer-independent.
• Multiroom audio, large wall switches and touch visualisation in the core rooms.
• Camera surveillance, alarm centre with monitoring connection, RC2 access solution.
• Full energy management: heat pump, PV, storage, wallbox and dynamic electricity tariff.
• Redundant bus server with remote maintenance and regular data backup.
• Reserve actuators and free channels for later extensions without rewiring.

These planning mistakes with a smart home in a new build cost the most

The most important advice is: make the system decision before the electrician starts the rough installation. Anyone who only decides on a bus system after plastering can hardly pull the star-shaped cabling required for it and is forced to fall back on wireless – or pay for subsequent slots. Also plan generously: a distribution field that looks half empty today is the cheapest future provision there is.

Empty conduits and pre-cabling: the invisible foundation

Even those who deliberately choose a wireless system should lay empty conduits. They keep the option open of switching to a bus system later without having to open walls. A proven approach: at every important switching point, a deep flush-mounted box is set, in which both a wireless module and – if needed – a bus cable can fit. This preserves retrofittability without you paying for the entire bus system today.

• Lay star-shaped empty conduits from the meter cabinet/distribution board into every room.
• Provide at least one, better two, LAN sockets per living room.
• Pre-cable access point positions on the ceiling of the hallway and upper floor.
• Lay reserve conduits to the garage, wallbox, terrace, front door and attic.
• Install deep flush-mounted boxes (min. 60 mm) at all switching points.
• Document the run plan and attach it to the building log – it eases every retrofit.

The sequence in the construction phase: when which decision is due

• 1. Planning phase — define the system decision (wireless, bus, mixed form) and the scope of trades.
• 2. Electrical planning — coordinate the distribution board size, empty-conduit and network plan with the electrician.
• 3. Shell — lay empty conduits, bus cables and network cabling before plastering.
• 4. Electrical rough installation — populate the distribution board, set sockets, connect access point lines.
• 5. Interior fit-out — mount actuators, switches, thermostats, roller-shutter motors and sensors.
• 6. Commissioning — programming, scenes, energy management and handover with documentation.

Keep retrofittability in view at all times: anyone who only finances the basic stage today but designs the runs and the distribution board for the comfort stage can upgrade step by step later without having to intervene in the shell again. Which technical requirements follow from the Buildings Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz) is explained by the GEG guide 2026. Funding options for energy management and system technology can be found in the funding overview.

Expandability: save today, expand later

With the system, bet on openness: a bus system such as KNX or a cross-manufacturer standard such as Matter allows you to combine components from different brands and to swap individual modules without rewiring the whole house. Closed cloud solutions look cheap at first but tie you to one provider – if its service disappears, the system stands still. Compare the systems in detail in the system comparison KNX versus wireless. And before you decide on a provider, get a practical impression of the operation in the show home. In the upper segment with end-to-end networking, it is additionally worth looking at the guide to the smart-home villa.