Home Automation - Temperature control--why?

Author

Temperature control--why?

Mr. Gibbage

2006-03-12, 3:21 am

I see that many of the home automation discussions center around
temperatire control. I have used programmable thermostats for quite a
while, and find that they pretty much meet all my needs...unless I am
overlooking something. If you have incorporated your themostats into
your home automation system, how do you use it? And what is it that
you do with your system that you wouldn't normally be able to do with
a typical programmable thermostat?

Skip

Shaun Eli

2006-03-12, 1:21 pm

This may not exactly answer your question, but:

Before I had central A/C installed I plugged my window and wall air
conditioners into X-10 appliance modules. I have a phone controller.
So rather than have the air conditioners on a timer, I could simply
call and turn them on before leaving work, ensuring my house was at the
right temperature when I got home. If I'd simply put them on timers
they'd often be on when I didn't need them to be, since I didn't always
come home at the same time. And sometimes I didn't need to turn them
on at all.

Comedian Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Minds (sm)
now with comedy video on the website

Don

2006-03-15, 12:21 am

I have mine all connected to the security and home automation computer.
Whenever I head out the door and trip the security system, the combination
sets the thermostats to different settings. If I am just away, it turns
things a couple of degrees in some areas of the home. It may go up during
the summer or down in winter. For longer terms, I just put in vacation mode
and the amount of change is much greater. It also turns the water heater
off. There are also different lighting sequences that are enabled based on
the security system level settings. For vacations, it even turns off the
water supply to the house so it can't leak.

Security settings also adjust the frequency of the system taking video
captures as well as the number saved.

Lots of things can be controlled using a combiniation of security system,
HVAC, Lighting, Cameras.

--

Don

www.k9soa.net

Home of JEANNIE
The House That Listens
As appeared on HGTV
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"Shaun Eli" <missingchild@BrainChampagne.com> wrote in message
news:1142182540.422268.140390@j52g2000cwj.googlegroups.com...
> This may not exactly answer your question, but:
>
> Before I had central A/C installed I plugged my window and wall air
> conditioners into X-10 appliance modules. I have a phone controller.
> So rather than have the air conditioners on a timer, I could simply
> call and turn them on before leaving work, ensuring my house was at the
> right temperature when I got home. If I'd simply put them on timers
> they'd often be on when I didn't need them to be, since I didn't always
> come home at the same time. And sometimes I didn't need to turn them
> on at all.
>
> Comedian Shaun Eli
> www.BrainChampagne.com
> Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for Smart Minds (sm)
> now with comedy video on the website
>

Don

2006-03-15, 1:21 am

Forgot to mention, that I have a 6 zone heating system so to change every
one would be a chore. This way they are are set just where I want them.
Also it gives me the ability to make changes over the internet from anywhere
in the world.

That way I can turn the Hot Tub off when going out for an extended time and
be able to just connect and turn it back on again so it is ready for me when
I walk back in the door.

Same with the temps.

--

Don

www.k9soa.net

Home of JEANNIE
The House That Listens
As appeared on HGTV
and in Home Automation, Kentucky Living magazines

Have some fun and come visit and turn my lights on and off.

Over 10,000 visitors since January 2005
Over 25,000 since May 2003

"Don" <kyham@k9soa.net> wrote in message
news:7d9ba$44179488$438d086a$6622@ALLTEL.NET...
>I have mine all connected to the security and home automation computer.
>Whenever I head out the door and trip the security system, the combination
>sets the thermostats to different settings. If I am just away, it turns
>things a couple of degrees in some areas of the home. It may go up during
>the summer or down in winter. For longer terms, I just put in vacation
>mode and the amount of change is much greater. It also turns the water
>heater off. There are also different lighting sequences that are enabled
>based on the security system level settings. For vacations, it even turns
>off the water supply to the house so it can't leak.
>
> Security settings also adjust the frequency of the system taking video
> captures as well as the number saved.
>
> Lots of things can be controlled using a combiniation of security system,
> HVAC, Lighting, Cameras.
>
>
> --
>
> Don
>
> www.k9soa.net
>
> Home of JEANNIE
> The House That Listens
> As appeared on HGTV
> and in Home Automation, Kentucky Living magazines
>
> Have some fun and come visit and turn my lights on and off.
>
> Over 10,000 visitors since January 2005
> Over 25,000 since May 2003
>
>
> "Shaun Eli" <missingchild@BrainChampagne.com> wrote in message
> news:1142182540.422268.140390@j52g2000cwj.googlegroups.com...
>
>

IVB

2006-03-15, 5:21 am

I have an Aprilaire thermostat and 3 remote sensors [kids room, HT room,
breakfast nook].

Out of the box, my thermostat and 3 remote sensors only allow me to either
pick one remote sensor to be the master, or average them all.

I can use CQC [www.charmedquark.com] to pick which one I want to be in
control and when. It can be event based or time-based. I.E., at night, i
want the kids room to control the temperature, so they don't wake up crying
cuz it's too hot. During the day, the base station should be in control.
Unless my wife decides to watch TV, in which case she should be able to tap
a single button, and set the HT room as the master.

That type of logic is not even remotely possible with thermostats.

"Mr. Gibbage" <MrGibbage@some_domain_but_i_am_not_telling.com> wrote in
message news:9dg712d583lkf0jf82cf6dv64gldi9s39d@4ax.com...
>I see that many of the home automation discussions center around
> temperatire control. I have used programmable thermostats for quite a
> while, and find that they pretty much meet all my needs...unless I am
> overlooking something. If you have incorporated your themostats into
> your home automation system, how do you use it? And what is it that
> you do with your system that you wouldn't normally be able to do with
> a typical programmable thermostat?
>
> Skip

Randy R

2006-03-23, 12:21 am

"Don" <kyham@k9soa.net> wrote in message
news:7d9ba$44179488$438d086a$6622@ALLTEL.NET...
>I have mine all connected to the security and home automation computer.
>Whenever I head out the door and trip the security system, the combination
>sets the thermostats to different settings. If I am just away, it turns
>things a couple of degrees in some areas of the home. It may go up during
>the summer or down in winter. For longer terms, I just put in vacation
>mode and the amount of change is much greater. It also turns the water
>heater off. There are also different lighting sequences that are enabled
>based on the security system level settings. For vacations, it even turns
>off the water supply to the house so it can't leak.

How do you control the water heater remotely? It would be nice to be able to
turn up the water heater before we use the jacuzzi tub. (Last time we tried
to use it, we ran out of hot water before it was half full.)

Randy R

Michael Chare

2006-03-24, 2:21 pm

"Mr. Gibbage" <MrGibbage@some_domain_but_i_am_not_telling.com> wrote in message
news:9dg712d583lkf0jf82cf6dv64gldi9s39d@4ax.com...
> I see that many of the home automation discussions center around
> temperatire control. I have used programmable thermostats for quite a
> while, and find that they pretty much meet all my needs...unless I am
> overlooking something. If you have incorporated your themostats into
> your home automation system, how do you use it? And what is it that
> you do with your system that you wouldn't normally be able to do with
> a typical programmable thermostat?

a) Start central heating before I return from vacation

b) Make it easier to set teperature house will be kept at whilst on vacation

c) Make a log of the events that have happened.

--

Michael Chare

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