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Thread: Bog standard heating automation.

  1. #1
    Automated Home Jr Member Stubbs's Avatar
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    Default Bog standard heating automation.

    OK, lets kick off this forum with an easy question :lol:

    I'd be interested to hear how other people have automated their standard central heating.

    I have a normal controller that has 2 time periods for both hot water & heating. Ideally I'd like to employ some intelligence so the house knows when it needs to turn on the heating so that's the right temperature when I arrive home, while leaving the hot water under the control of the main unit (though that's not a must)

    How have you wired your relays in around your normal controller?

    Anyone got any good websites to look at?

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Automated Home Jr Member
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    Hi

    My Phase 1 is the 2nd Article in the list above. This gave allowed me (via Comfort) to turn the Heating/Water on independantly of the main controller via the PC, IR or X10

    I've just finished the second step. Which is the creation of a faceplate with indicators and some switches that also attaches to comfort. Although initially I have just one in the Hall, it could be easily replicated elsewhere aswell.


    (Left Hand is Hot Water, Right Hand is Heating. For each Left LED = On/Off, Right LED = 1Hr Boost. Lower Green/Red LEDs are Alarm On/Off)

    The next step is to completely replace the programmer with Comfort doing the timings (with Changes/Reporting via a Web-Interface on HomeSeer). This is work-in-progress.

    The final step is as you suggest, dynamic adjstment of the On/Off times to allow for outside air temps etc. This is a little way off yet though I think. I'm monitoring internal temp at the moment to get a feel for how quickly the heating responds - and how well it holds the thermostat set temperature. When I get an outside temp sensor - I'll be able to get a feel for how that affects it. I doubt I'll get more advanced though than a simple "extra hour if its < 5 degrees" or similair.

    Deano

  4. #4
    Automated Home Jr Member Stubbs's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    Quote Originally Posted by Deano
    The final step is as you suggest, dynamic adjstment of the On/Off times to allow for outside air temps etc. This is a little way off yet though I think. I'm monitoring internal temp at the moment to get a feel for how quickly the heating responds - and how well it holds the thermostat set temperature. When I get an outside temp sensor - I'll be able to get a feel for how that affects it. I doubt I'll get more advanced though than a simple "extra hour if its < 5 degrees" or similair.
    By all accounts this is easier than one might think, and involves some "simple" maths. I say "simple" as it sounds bloody complicated to me, but the guy explaining it sounded confident

  5. #5

    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    Deano - very nice!

    It looks like you got a little inspiration from our house

    Get the screw covers back on that Clipsal faceplate!!



    M.

  6. #6
    Automated Home Jr Member
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    LOL - Might have done Mark

    Screw Covers go on when I'm sure I've finished "developing" it

    Deano

  7. #7
    Automated Home Sr Member jon00's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    Dean,

    There is nothing better than a glue gun or araldite for home automation projects

  8. #8
    Automated Home Jr Member
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    8) Glue gun my new favourite tool

    Until you realise you've just glued a dud DS1820 into a PIR and have to hack it out :roll:

    Deano

  9. #9
    Automated Home Lurker
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    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    If you are not confident with d-i-y systems you could consider Honeywell's Hometronic system. Not cheap, but it can give you full control over your heating (and light, appliances, ventilation, sunscreens, alarm etc.).
    It is based on "lifestyles" like home, sleep, away, holiday, eco.
    For each lifestyle you can define actionrules that control the heating and other things.
    Change of lifestyle can be done on predefined times and/or by the user.
    E.g when you go to work you choose the lifestyle "away" and the systems puts the heating in eco mode, switches the alarm on and takes care that at sunset the light is switched on.
    The "systems" consists of a small control panel (or a tv-module) and a choise of modular equipment of which the system module is the central part. It can be extended by an alarm-, comfort-, telemetry- or gateway-module, connected via a CAN backbone.
    Your house can be divided into 10 heating zone's with wired or wireless sensors and radiator valve controllers and/or underfloor heating valve controllers. It has possibilities to also use the well known on/off thermostats or the more versatile "OpenTherm" thermostat for controlling the boiler and the domestic hot water.
    In theory Hometronic is a multifunctional house control system.

    BUT: be aware of the disadvantages:
    -not cheap
    -not on the "free market", should be bought at (and installed by) a Hometronic dealer
    -is not an open system
    -still bugs in the software

    (And the last two items are also a reason for this posting; any other users here?).

    When searching for Hometronic be aware of two different versions:
    In UK/the Netherlands the central modules based systems is in use.
    In the German market (Germany/Swiss/Austria) another (simpler) non-modular RF-based version is used.
    A starting point could be www.hometronic.com.
    or more detailed specifications are to find on http://europe.hbc.honeywell.com/products/ and click left to product catalog/home comfort products, home automation, Hometronic systems, central system modules.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Bog standard heating automation.

    Jos - do you have that system fitted in your own home?

    M.

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