In this portion of RoseWater Energy’s The Role of the Integrator podcast, Joe Piccirilli emphasizes the importance of conducting a thorough interview with the client to understand and address all their power needs. He suggests that asking the right questions and documenting the power plan for a project is crucial for success. By having a clear record of the power requirements, it becomes easier to collaborate with electrical designers and ensure that the project aligns with the client’s expectations.

Piccirilli shares an example of a recent project where the builder recognized the need to ensure the automation systems work seamlessly and engaged in discussions about the power plan. He stresses that client interviews and detailed power planning will likely become more common in the industry, highlighting the evolving importance of this process in home automation and electrical design.

Transcript

Joe Piccirilli:
So all of those questions should be asked and it really is an interview technique. And one of the things we do, I mean, it doesn’t have to be this document, but I prefer you write it all down so everybody has a record of what the power plan for the project looks like. That way when you go to the electrical designer because he or she will be involved in the prints. This is what we want in the electrical design. This is what we are looking for.

I was involved in a project this past week where it’s a new build and they’re going, and the clients, they are really automating the daylights out of this house. And all of a sudden somebody, the builder, I think, goes, “Oh my God, how do we make sure that all of this works?” And he was at least aware enough to question. And then we got into this long discussion about, “Okay, here’s the power plan. Here’s what a power plan looks like. I need to meet with the client representative or the client, I don’t care, and we’ll design the power plan. That’s how this is going to work. But I can’t do this in a vacuum. I need to interview the client.” And I think that will become more commonplace.