Best Thermostat On Sale?

[davidbrok5]

Just got homeseer, a thermostat is the first thing I want to make smart and use with z-wave. Has anyone seen one on sale? Features I want to be able to change it with my phone, set a schedule.fedloan irs.gov easybib

[mr.Magoo]

It's a bit of a Chevy v.s. Ford question I suppose..., also probably better suited question for the HVAC section.

If you feel adventurous you could skip the physical thermostat all together and use Steves excellent plugin:
https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/th...vstat-stevemsj

I've used it for about a year with no hiccups at all, works well with HS, you can control it from Alexa, etc.


That said, it's only as stable as your HS rig, so if it goes down so does your heating system, so some people prefer a "real" thermostat and whether you prefer Nest or Ecobee is a personal preference, granted neither are "Z-Wave" but I tried that and would honestly not bother given the alternatives I just mentioned.

[drhtmal]

The type of t-stat you purchase will be dependent on how your current HVAC system is controlled. Since your profile says you live in London, I am going to assume you live in England and not Ohio, Arkansas or Kentucky.

Here in the states most residential HVAC control systems run off 24 volts A/C. T-stats like the Nest and Ecobee are designed for those 24 volt systems.

I am not too familiar with what types of HVAC systems are used across the pond. I do know that there are other HVAC control systems used in different parts of the world. I do know that there are HVAC systems that use lines voltage for control. Your system might use 220 volts for control so it would be incompatible with products like the Nest or Ecobee. If you are unfamiliar with these types of high voltage control systems you might consider contacting a qualified HVAC technician since these high voltages systems could hurt or kill you.

[ksum]

While I am not a fan of the use of their cloud service, nor anyone's honestly, my local gas and electric company provided a free Ecobee thermostat as part of a "Peak Rewards" program. I give them the right to control my thermostat during specific, pre announced, anticipated peak load times and I get a monthly discount during the summer. They send an email stating they MAY take the option on a specific date between specific hours. I have the right to opt out of some of these dates. It has worked well and the connection with HomeSeer has not been a problem.

I only have one sensor but the Ecobee unit has the ability to link other sensors in different locations throughout the house. You can then use one of these as the controlling temperature during a given time period. Maybe one in the bedroom for your normal sleeping hours.

My intention is to build Arduino units for various rooms with a few capabilities. One would be to report the temperature to mimic the ability to do room based teammate control, or at least turn on the fan (forced hot air/AC) and/or ceiling fan(s) to circulate air if an area of the house has a noticably temperature difference. Another would be a collection to reed switch(es) or other means of knowing if a window is open. If a window opens for more than a given time period, turn off the heat/AC.

All that to say, I have an Ecobee and like it but would like it better if all automation/remote communication setup connection was local versus via Ecobee's servers. I believe the schedule and Uther settings are stopped locally in the devices and the web is only used to backup the settings and communicate changes. As a standalone unit it is very nice. I especially like how I can have it blank and the display turns on when I get near the unit.

The Nest paradigm uses your phone to determine your presence (away or at home). This does not work for us as my wife often leaves her phone at home, batteries run out so we then appear as away, or we go out of WiFi range when in parts of our yard. Just a few examples of why I refuse to use my phone as a determinant of occupancy/location.

[Dan-O]

We have Radio CT100 thermostats in our house. Here's a Google Search
The thermostat does not think/change settings on its own (it can be controlled locally on its touchscreen) so HS has to send it the commands to change set points and modes. Once the set points are set whether local or through HS, the T-stat does work on its own s far as controlling heating or cooling.
As far as schedules, I have many events to turn the thermostat up and down according to whether it's night, we're not home, ect. The sky's the limit!
Phone control is through HS Mobile. I'm doing everything you're asking for and the hardware is VERY affordable.