Considering Evohome

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  • DBMandrake
    Automated Home Legend
    • Sep 2014
    • 2361

    #16
    It's certainly the case that we are more sensitive to changes in temperature than the absolute temperature, at least within a certain range of temperatures and depending on clothing.

    For example a steady 20 degrees can feel just as comfortable as a steady 21, but if the temperature is increasing from 20 to 21 we will feel "hot" while if it is dropping (relatively quickly) from 21 to 20 we will feel "cold" even though we are passing the same half way point in between them. This is because we acclimatise to the conditions through means such as blood vessels near the skin constricting in cold temperatures etc.

    The classic example is in winter where the house might be a comfy 20/21 degrees and to a person that has been indoors all day this feels spot on, but someone who has just come in from the freezing cold will inevitably complain about how its far too hot in the house and want to turn the heating down, open windows etc much to the chagrin and annoyance of those already in the house.

    It takes the body time to acclimatise to a large change in temperature like that and during that period of time you will feel too hot but that will pass once you have adapted, and you just have to trust that your previously determined comfortable temperature will indeed be comfortable today like it was yesterday once your body has adapted.

    The best way to get comfort in a room that a lot of time is spent in like a living room is to find a temperature that is still comfortable after you've sat in it for a long time, and just leave the temperature alone. As long as you have something like the Evohome that is capable of maintaining a very steady oscillation free temperature you will feel comfortable all night long. If you have a system that allows wide swings in temperature as unfortunately a lot of conventional (especially non-TPI) controls do, you will be forever feeling too hot on the upwards swing and too cold on the downwards swing of each temperature cycle, and probably end up manually fiddling with the controls several times a night...
    Last edited by DBMandrake; 9 November 2016, 05:50 PM.

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    • guyank
      Automated Home Sr Member
      • Sep 2015
      • 73

      #17
      Originally posted by DBMandrake View Post
      Nope haven't had that - the knobs are pretty slippery so don't seem to be accidentally turned.

      I dread the day when our little one is old enough to be ramming toy trucks into the side of the radiator valves - I'm not sure how well they'll stand up to that, at least with the screen extended! (And no doubt I'll have to lock the local overrides on them all as well so that only grownups can adjust the temperature )
      We're at this stage and have all the local overrides disabled. They're never touched by our 2 (aged 1 and 3), but I can guarantee that the first time they were and we said not to, they would be used incessantly!

      The HR92s do seem to be pretty resilient. One of the favourite play areas for toy cars has been on the top of the play room radiator (mainly in the summer with the radiator cold) and there have been numerous drops off the end. So far, all is okay!

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      • guyank
        Automated Home Sr Member
        • Sep 2015
        • 73

        #18
        Originally posted by paulockenden View Post

        I know we probably all scoff and laugh at people that don't get it, but it IS a problem. And I echo the comments further up the thread about how she'd cope if I wasn't around for any length of time.
        This is a major concern for me, especially with IFTTT triggering quick actions. Very shortly I'll be away for long periods of time without any contact. British Gas came to do our annual boiler service (safety check) a couple of weeks ago and the technician actually told me that the Evohome system wasn't covered in the breakdown cover. I've been over and over the terms and conditions but can't find anything that would agree with this. Even if it were, I doubt that anyone who came to fix it while I'm not there would have a clue where to start. I think a lesson on how to override the whole system until I return is the only solution.

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        • HenGus
          Automated Home Legend
          • May 2014
          • 1001

          #19
          Originally posted by guyank View Post
          This is a major concern for me, especially with IFTTT triggering quick actions. Very shortly I'll be away for long periods of time without any contact. British Gas came to do our annual boiler service (safety check) a couple of weeks ago and the technician actually told me that the Evohome system wasn't covered in the breakdown cover. I've been over and over the terms and conditions but can't find anything that would agree with this. Even if it were, I doubt that anyone who came to fix it while I'm not there would have a clue where to start. I think a lesson on how to override the whole system until I return is the only solution.
          To get system cover with a local independent gas safe engineer, who also works for D and G, I came to a compromise. The engineer will respond to all faults but if Evohome is found to be at fault, I will cover the cost of replacement Evohome parts. That said, he has never installed Evohome so I am looking for alternative cover. The problem is that Evohome is just too expensive to include under a normal breakdown premium.

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          • chrisgare
            Automated Home Guru
            • Dec 2013
            • 182

            #20
            Same issue here with my better half not understanding Evohome even though I installed it at least four years ago. And, just to prove the point, she asked me this morning if the radiator was on in the toilet!

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            • DBMandrake
              Automated Home Legend
              • Sep 2014
              • 2361

              #21
              Originally posted by chrisgare View Post
              Same issue here with my better half not understanding Evohome even though I installed it at least four years ago. And, just to prove the point, she asked me this morning if the radiator was on in the toilet!
              You could have that exact same conversation about a conventional on/off thermostat set to 20... Is it on or is it not ?

              This is just (very common) basic lack of understanding of how a thermostat works, nothing specific to Evohome.

              Asking if it is on or not is the wrong question to ask. Asking what temperature it's set to is the right question.

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              • g6ejd
                Automated Home Guru
                • Oct 2016
                • 153

                #22
                Originally posted by chrisgare View Post
                Same issue here with my better half not understanding Evohome even though I installed it at least four years ago. And, just to prove the point, she asked me this morning if the radiator was on in the toilet!
                That's one I'd like to see on the display perhaps with a simple asterisk is whether a zone was currently demanding heat, then you could give her an authoritative answer if your toilet was a zone

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                • bruce_miranda
                  Automated Home Legend
                  • Jul 2014
                  • 2307

                  #23
                  Just for this situation, my Custom Quick Action is set to all zones at 35C. This opens all the TRVs and kicks the boiler into full. My plumber uses that as his test button!

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                  • paulockenden
                    Automated Home Legend
                    • Apr 2015
                    • 1719

                    #24
                    Originally posted by g6ejd View Post
                    That's one I'd like to see on the display perhaps with a simple asterisk is whether a zone was currently demanding heat
                    I used to think this, but the problem is Evohome heat demand isn't binary. Heat demand is variable. And it isn't even at zone level - it's possible to have a zone where one rad calls for heat and another doesn't. It's fascinating watching this in Domoticz.

                    P.

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                    • DBMandrake
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Sep 2014
                      • 2361

                      #25
                      Originally posted by paulockenden View Post
                      I used to think this, but the problem is Evohome heat demand isn't binary. Heat demand is variable. And it isn't even at zone level - it's possible to have a zone where one rad calls for heat and another doesn't. It's fascinating watching this in Domoticz.
                      Are those two radiators in single room mode or are they configured as a multiple room zone out of interest ?

                      Heat demand isn't binary indeed, but you could easily have a small icon like a yellow sun that disappears completely when there is truly zero demand from that zone, and shows a 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or full sun (like a pie graph) to show small through to large demands. There is room for just such an icon in the set point bar of each zone in the main zone display on the evotouch.

                      If you have multiple HR92's in a zone then the demand displayed should be either the demand of the individual HR92's summed and then normalised, or perhaps just the highest demand of the zone should be displayed.

                      The demand indicator icon doesn't need to be super accurate except in its ability to correctly indicate a zero demand versus a small maintenance heat demand.

                      It would be so so easy for Honeywell to do this, it frustrates me that they have yet to implement such an indicator when people are constantly clamouring for a way to figure out what zone is responsible for an errant boiler firing...or even just to reassure yourself that a zone has actually stopped demanding heat when you think it should have stopped.
                      Last edited by DBMandrake; 10 November 2016, 03:10 PM.

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                      • Mavis
                        Automated Home Ninja
                        • Oct 2014
                        • 322

                        #26
                        Originally posted by HenGus View Post
                        It's probably an age and use thing. My wife and I are in our mid 60s, and as far as Evohome is concerned my wife doesn't need to fiddle with it: that's my job! From time-to-time, we have a little session of refresher training!!
                        Agree. Hubby is a lot older than me (70) and although I do regular refresher training, he still won't operate it. I can come home from work and find him wrapped up in a blanket on the settee complaining he is cold. I pass down my smartphones to him - he's just got my old iphone 5 but it is a waste of time - he can't even answer it without swearing at it.

                        All of my tech also has manual operation - LWRF lights - (lamps connected up to a mood switch), outdoor lighting has a special manual switch, Sonos system has the old controller, my new Appkettle had to pass the manual test.

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