Constantinos Stavrou began his career firmly on the practical side of the electrical industry. Working hands-on as an electrician, he progressed into a lead engineering role for an electrical construction company, with most of his early experience centred on conventional electrical installations.
Today, he is product owner at Roomio, a Cyprus-based technology company focused on hotel room automation and guest room management systems. His route into building automation, however, began with a large holiday villa project in Protaras, Cyprus.
From conventional electrics to KNX
Stavrou was working as lead engineer and remained closely involved with the installation when he encountered KNX for the first time.
“What caught my attention was how different the approach was,” he recalls. “I could see the advantages in the wiring, the implementation and, ultimately, in what we were able to deliver to the client.”
More importantly, the project opened up a side of the electrical industry he had not previously explored.
“I realised that electrical installations did not have to be limited to the traditional way of doing things. There was another layer to the industry that combined electrical engineering, automation and technology, and I wanted to understand it.
“That project was really the moment when KNX went from being something I had encountered on a job to something I wanted to pursue professionally.”
From training course to real project
That interest soon became a much more immediate challenge.
Less than a month after completing his KNX Basic Course, Stavrou took responsibility for his first KNX installation: a modern family home incorporating DALI lighting, automatic shading and domestic hot water control.
Looking back, he says the project might not sound extraordinary. At the time, with almost no real-world KNX experience behind him, it felt very different.
“Suddenly, it was no longer an exercise from a training course. It was a real house, a real customer and I was responsible for delivering a working system.”
The step from training to taking responsibility for a live project brought understandable doubts.
“I remember looking at some of the requirements and thinking, ‘DALI? What exactly have I got myself into?’” he laughs.
“There were definitely times when I wondered whether I was ready or good enough to do it. But that uncertainty was also part of what pushed me. I had to learn, solve problems and trust what I had learned.”
The project went well and, most importantly for Stavrou at that stage in his career, he delivered a working system.
“If I could go back today with the experience I have now, of course I would do many things differently,” he says. “But I think that is a good thing. It shows how much you learn with every project.”
One button, one mood
The moment that stayed with Stavrou came not during programming or commissioning, but at the final handover.
Sitting with the homeowner, he began fine-tuning scenes and making adjustments around the way the customer wanted to live in the house.
“For me there might have been a lot happening technically in the background, but for the customer it was beautifully simple: one button, one mood.”
That contrast between technical complexity behind the scenes and simplicity for the person using the system changed the way Stavrou thought about his work.
“Seeing their reaction and satisfaction made everything click for me,” he says. “I realised that the technology itself was only part of the story. What really mattered was using that technology to create something intuitive for the person living there.
“That was when I knew I was on the right path.”
From integration to product development
After completing that first project, Stavrou actively sought opportunities that would allow him to work more extensively with KNX. He eventually joined a system integration company, where he began developing his knowledge and experience of building automation in greater depth.
Every project became an opportunity to learn.
“I worked hard. Probably harder than I needed to sometimes, but I was never really trying to prove my capabilities to anyone else. I was trying to prove them to myself. Every project was an opportunity to learn something new and understand the technology at a deeper level.”
That progression ultimately brought him to Roomio, where his role has taken him from integrating KNX technology into projects to helping develop the products themselves.
As product owner at a KNX Member company, Stavrou is now involved in identifying requirements and helping shape how new KNX devices should operate before those ideas are implemented through hardware and firmware.
“For someone who started on the installation side, that feels quite special,” he says. “I have gone from installing electrical systems, to programming KNX systems, to now being involved in creating the KNX products that other professionals can install and integrate.
“For me, that is a dream that has evolved along with my career.”
Experience starts somewhere
Nearly a decade after his first KNX installation, Stavrou remembers clearly how daunting the technology initially appeared.
It is an experience he believes many electricians coming from conventional electrical work will recognise.
“I know exactly how it feels when you first look at KNX. It can seem complicated and unfamiliar, especially when you come from a conventional electrical background. I had exactly the same feeling.
“But you don't need to understand everything on day one. Take the training, experiment, make mistakes, ask questions and give yourself the opportunity to learn.”
With building automation playing an increasingly important role across commercial buildings and family homes, Stavrou believes those skills will become increasingly valuable to electrical professionals.
For him, taking that first step ultimately changed the direction of his career.
“So don't let the fact that something is unfamiliar convince you that it isn't for you,” he says. “None of us started with experience.
“You get the experience by starting.”
