Three years ago, I got quoted $847 to install a Nest thermostat.
The installer spent 23 minutes in my home. When I asked what took so long, he pointed at the wiring and said "Your system needed compatibility adjustments." I nodded like I understood.
Later that night, I Googled it. The "compatibility adjustments" were connecting four wires to clearly-labeled terminals. A YouTube video showed the exact process. It took 11 minutes.
That $847 quote broke down to roughly $4,635 per hour of actual work.
I'm not suggesting installers should work for minimum wage. Good professionals deserve good money. But here's what made me angry: I had no way to know if that price was fair. No baseline. No comparison. No framework for understanding what I was actually buying.
The smart home industry has a transparency problem.
The $10.8 Billion Problem Nobody's Talking About
That thermostat incident started me down a rabbit hole. I began researching what other people were paying for similar services.
What I found shocked me.
Here's the data:
62% of homeowners who get smart home installation quotes describe the experience as "confusing" or "overwhelming" (Parks Associates, 2024)
The average homeowner gets 2.3 quotes before giving up entirely due to inconsistency and confusion
Quote variations of 300-400% for identical work are common (e.g., $400 vs $1,600 for the same doorbell installation)
78% report not understanding why prices varied so dramatically
41% of people interested in smart home technology never move forward due to price uncertainty
Let me put that last number in perspective.
The U.S. smart home installation market is worth approximately $26.4 billion annually (2024 figures). If 41% of potential customers are walking away specifically because of pricing confusion, that represents roughly $10.8 billion in lost projects every year.
Think about what that means:
Homeowners living without technology that would save them money and increase their home value
Skilled installers losing business not because they're bad at their job, but because customers can't tell good pricing from bad
An entire industry hamstrung by an information problem
The Night I Decided to Fix It
Here's what you need to know about me: I'm not a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with venture capital and a team of engineers.
I'm a husband and father with a full-time job that pays the bills. I built Trunetto entirely during the hours between when my kids go to bed and when I need to sleep (which, let's be honest, is not enough sleep).
Why? Because that $847 thermostat quote represented something bigger than a bad estimate. It represented a fundamental information asymmetry that hurts both homeowners and honest installers.
I started talking to people. Not just homeowners, but installers too.
Here's what I learned:
Homeowners wanted transparency, baseline pricing, and a way to understand what they're actually buying
Good installers wanted a way to stand out from price-gougers and demonstrate their value
Both groups were frustrated by the same broken system
That's when I started building tools. Not as a business plan. Not as a startup pitch. But as a dad who works full-time and codes at night because I saw a problem worth solving.
The result? Seven professional-grade tools that give homeowners the pricing intelligence that should have been available all along.
All completely free.
The 7 Tools That Changed Everything
Tool #1: Smart Home Designer (Visual Room-by-Room Planner)
What it does: Interactive drag-and-drop interface that lets you design your entire smart home system room by room, with real-time cost calculations.
Real Example: Sarah's Austin Home
Project: Whole-home smart home setup across 2,400 sq ft
What the Designer showed:
Living Room: $1,200 (lighting control, voice assistant hub, entertainment system)
Kitchen: $850 (smart appliances integration, lighting)
Master Bedroom: $650 (climate control, automated blinds)
Two kids' rooms: $400 each (basic automation)
Security system (whole-home): $2,200
Total estimate: $6,100
First quote she received: $11,500
Armed with Designer data, she negotiated down to: $6,800
Savings: $4,700 (41% reduction)
The surprise insight: Most people don't need everything at once. The Designer helps you phase projects based on budget and priority. Sarah realized she could start with just security and living room ($3,400), then add the rest over 6 months.
Tool #2: Smart Home Cost Calculator
What it does: Input your specific devices and get instant price ranges based on real Austin market data from 2,700+ verified installations.
Real Example: Mike's Video Doorbell Project
Device: Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
What the calculator showed:
Equipment cost: $250 (retail)
Installation (basic existing wiring): $120-180
Installation (no existing wiring): $250-350
Installation (complex old system): $400-500
Fair total range: $370-$750
First quote Mike received: $1,450
When he questioned it: Installer claimed his home needed "extensive electrical work"
Second opinion result: Existing wiring was perfect, needed basic hookup only
Actual cost: $395
Potential overcharge avoided: $1,055
Why it matters: The calculator breaks down equipment vs. labor costs separately. This is crucial because many installers mark up equipment 40-60% beyond retail, which is reasonable for the service... until you see quotes with 200% markups.
Tool #3: Device Compatibility Checker
What it does: Input your existing devices and instantly see what works together, what needs a hub, and what won't integrate.
This might be the most valuable tool I built, and here's why:
Real Example: Jennifer's Integration Nightmare
What she already owned:
Google Nest Hub
4 Philips Hue lights
Ring doorbell
August smart lock
What installer #1 told her: "Nothing you have will work together. You need to replace everything with a Control4 system. $8,400."
What the Compatibility Checker revealed:
✓ All her devices already work with Google Home
✓ No hub needed beyond what she had
✓ She just needed someone to set up the integrations
Actual cost for proper setup: $200
Money saved from being told to replace working equipment: $8,200
The Compatibility Checker has data on 40+ major smart home brands and over 200 individual devices. It shows you:
What hub (if any) you need
Which voice assistants support your devices
Whether you need a bridge or gateway
Which devices can control which other devices
Automation possibilities between your specific devices
Tool #4: Energy Savings Calculator
What it does: Calculate actual monthly and yearly savings from smart thermostats, lighting, and other efficiency devices, using real Austin Energy rates and real Energy Star data.
Real Example: The Martinez Family's ROI Analysis
Home specs: 2,100 sq ft, built 1987, original HVAC
Considering: Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Equipment + installation: $420
Austin Energy average rate: $0.1189/kWh
Current monthly cooling cost: ~$180 (summer average)
What the calculator predicted:
Annual savings: $312-468 (based on Energy Star certification data)
Payback period: 10.7-16.2 months
5-year net savings: $1,140-1,920
Actual results after 1 year:
Summer bills dropped from $180 to $124 average
Annual savings: $428
Payback period: 11.8 months (within predicted range)
The hidden value: This tool kills misleading sales pitches. I've heard installers promise $1,200/year savings on installations that Energy Star data suggests will deliver $200-300. When homeowners show up with calculator data, the conversation changes fast.
Tool #5: Project Scope Builder
What it does: Select preset packages (Starter Security, Whole Home, Energy Efficiency, etc.) or build custom scopes with automatic compatibility checking and instant estimates.
Real Example: Robert's Security Package
Selected package: "Essential Security" preset
What it included:
Video doorbell (Ring or equivalent)
4 window/door sensors
1 motion detector
Hub/base station
Professional monitoring (optional add-on)
Estimated cost from builder: $1,200-1,600
Quote from ADT: $89 upfront, but $55/month for 36-month contract = $2,069 total
Quote from local installer: $1,450 with no monthly fees
What Robert did: Bought his own equipment ($340), hired installer for setup only ($280), chose Ring's monitoring ($10/month)
36-month total: $980
Savings vs ADT: $1,089
The Project Scope Builder does something clever: it automatically checks compatibility between every device in your package. Add a Z-Wave lock to a Zigbee hub? It'll warn you. Choose devices that need different voice assistants? It'll flag it.
This prevents the "Oh, by the way..." upsells that happen mid-installation.
Tool #6: Smart Device Comparison
What it does: Side-by-side comparison of 63 devices across categories: thermostats, locks, cameras, doorbells, lighting, etc.
Here's the full database by category:
Category Devices Data Points Each Smart Thermostats 8 Price, compatibility, energy savings, features, installation complexity Smart Locks 7 Price, compatible hubs, power source, security rating Video Doorbells 6 Price, video quality, storage, subscription cost Security Cameras 9 Indoor/outdoor, resolution, recording, AI features Lighting Systems 12 Price per bulb, hub needed, color range, voice control Voice Assistants 5 Compatible devices, smart home protocols, privacy Hubs & Controllers 8 Supported protocols, device limits, automation Smart Sensors 8 Types detected, battery life, range, integrations
Real Example: Lisa's Thermostat Decision
Comparing: Ecobee vs Nest vs Honeywell
What mattered to Lisa:
Works with Alexa (she already had Echo devices)
Room sensors for temperature balancing
Under $250
Comparison results:
Nest Learning Thermostat: $249, no remote sensors, Google-focused
Ecobee SmartThermostat: $249, includes 1 sensor, Alexa built-in ✓
Honeywell T9: $199, sensor sold separately ($40), Alexa compatible
Lisa's choice: Ecobee (best value for her needs)
Her installer's recommendation: Nest ("It's what I install most")
Cost difference: $0 in equipment, but Nest wouldn't have met her room-sensing needs, requiring a workaround later
The comparison tool ranks devices by:
Value: Features per dollar
Compatibility: Works with most ecosystems
Reliability: Based on manufacturer reputation and reviews
Ease of installation: DIY-friendly vs. pro-required
Tool #7: Rebate Calculator
What it does: Automatically finds available rebates from Austin Energy, Texas Gas Service, and state/federal efficiency programs.
This is the tool people don't know they need until they use it.
Real Example: The Chen Family's Forgotten $1,400
Project: Full smart home energy upgrade
Smart thermostat: $400
LED smart lighting throughout: $850
Smart power monitoring: $200
Total project cost: $1,450
What the Rebate Calculator found:
Austin Energy smart thermostat rebate: $85
LED bulb rebates ($2-5 per bulb): $120
Texas state energy efficiency credit: 30% of qualified costs = $435
Total rebates/credits: $640
Net cost after rebates: $810
Effective savings: 44% of project cost
The kicker: Most rebates require application BEFORE installation. If you don't know they exist, you can't get them. The calculator flags time-sensitive rebates and walks you through the application process.
What These Tools Actually Cost to Use
Zero dollars.
I'm not exaggerating. There's no freemium model, no credit card required, no "basic version." Every tool is fully functional, with complete data access, unlimited uses.
Why free? Because the problem I'm solving—information asymmetry—can't be solved if the information costs money. The people who most need pricing transparency are often the ones who can least afford to pay for it.
Here's my business model: The tools bring homeowners to Trunetto. While they're using the calculators and planners, they see listings for verified local installers. When they're ready to hire someone, they can request quotes through the platform.
Installers pay for very small premium placement compared to any other competitor out there for verified badges. Homeowners pay nothing. The tools stay free forever.
If you like you can also sign up as a user.
The Real-World Results (And Some Failures)
The Stuff That Didn't Work:
Early versions of the Cost Calculator were way off. I was using national averages instead of local market data. A homeowner in Austin got an estimate of $450 for a doorbell installation based on the calculator, then received real quotes between $800-1,200. Turns out Austin's labor rates are significantly higher than national averages.
The fix: I scraped data from 2,700+ local installations and rebuilt the pricing models from scratch using actual Austin market rates. Now the estimates are accurate within 15-20%.
The Designer tool originally included augmented reality features that let you "see" devices in your actual rooms. Sounded cool. Took me 6 weeks to build. Exactly 3 people used it.
The fix: Ripped it all out and focused on the drag-and-drop room planner that people actually wanted.
Lessons Learned (That Might Help You)
If you're thinking about solving a problem in your industry, here's what I learned building these tools:
1. Data is worthless without context
Giving someone installation costs without explaining what affects those costs (home age, wiring type, complexity) is useless. The tools don't just show numbers—they explain WHY those numbers exist.
2. Free tools beat content marketing
I tried blogging. I tried SEO. I tried ads. Nothing brought people to the site like genuinely useful calculators they couldn't find elsewhere. A blog post gets read once. A tool gets bookmarked and shared.
3. Solve for one city first
I almost built a national platform. Thank God I didn't. By focusing on Austin only, I could get hyper-accurate local data, understand actual market conditions, and make tools that truly worked. Now I'm expanding to other cities one at a time.
4. Installers are allies, not enemies
I thought professionals would hate price transparency tools. The opposite happened. Good installers LOVE them because it helps customers understand value rather than just comparing prices. The tools help pros stand out by showing why their approach justifies higher rates.
5. Build for the midnight coding reality
I have maybe 8-12 hours per week to work on this, usually between 10 PM and midnight. If I'd architected tools that needed constant maintenance, I'd have given up. Everything is built to run without me touching it for weeks at a time.
What's Next (2026 Roadmap)
Here's what I'm building next:
Q1 2026: Installer Certification Program
Not just another "verified badge." Actual testing on installation standards, customer service, and transparent pricing. Installers who pass get serious visibility on the platform.
Q2 2026: Smart Home ROI Tracker
Connect to your utility bills and see actual savings vs. projections. Did that smart thermostat really save you money? Let's find out with real data, not estimates.
Q3 2026: Jobs Board for verified installers
Same model, different markets. But not until I perfect the Austin system.
Q4 2026: The Big One - Installation Price Transparency Database
Homeowners report what they actually paid (anonymously). Over time, this creates a crowdsourced database of real-world costs that makes estimates even more accurate. Think Zillow for installation pricing.
Why I'm Telling You All This
If you made it this far, you're probably wondering what I want from you.
Honestly? Three things:
Use the tools. Seriously. If you're in Austin and considering any smart home installation, use these calculators before you get quotes. They'll either confirm you're getting fair prices or save you hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars.
Tell other people. The tools only help if people know they exist. If you know someone getting smart home work done, send them the link.
Tell me what's missing. I built what I wished existed when I got that $847 thermostat quote. But I'm one person. What tools would help you? What data would be useful? What am I missing?
You can find all 7 tools at Trunetto.com/tools.
Everything is free. No signup required for basic features. No credit card. No trial period. Just tools that work.
The Bigger Point
Here's what this is really about:
Every industry has information asymmetry. Customers don't know what things should cost, what they actually need, or how to evaluate quality. Businesses take advantage of that gap—not because they're evil, but because they can.
I couldn't fix every industry. But I could fix this one small corner of the smart home world, at least in Austin, at least for now.
If these tools save you money or help you make better decisions, that's success. If they force installers to justify their pricing and compete on value rather than confusion, that's even better. And if they eventually create enough pressure to make price transparency the norm rather than the exception?
That'd be worth every midnight coding session.
— RB
Built between 10 PM and midnight by a husband, father, and full-time professional who got tired of getting ripped off
Ready to Try the Tools?
Get instant cost estimates, check compatibility, calculate savings, and more.