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    #61
    Originally posted by macromark View Post
    What would be the benefit of doing this?
    That owners of HS could easily use a virtualised XPe OS with Homeseer installed and fine tuned to run HS. It could be something that you sell as a hometroller package without the hardware. Its an idea!

    Comment


      #62
      Originally posted by Rick Tinker View Post
      There are other lights in the house where the kids would notoriously leave them on, so these have HomeSeer monitor them and turn them off. In case they are still being used, it first dims them to 50% or so, and then 8-10 seconds later it turns them off.
      In bathrooms I similarly have a "motion off" event that triggers 10 delayed device actions that execute at 6 seconds apart each set to dim the light at 10% less than the previous action. The "motion on" event deletes all delayed device actions on that same light and then dims it up to 100%. Hawking door sensors, on "open" automatically trigger the "motion on" event. Since the light switch itself is associated with HS, I also have an event triggered by "light off" to delete all delayed device actions for that light. This keeps the lights from turning back on and continuing their 1 minute dim cycle when a "motion off" is received after someone has left the room but manually turned off the light.

      The effect is: automatic lights on as soon as the door to the room is opened (or if already open then as soon as motion is detected) and a 1 minute dim out of the light after no motion is detected. During the dim out additional movement cancels the dimout and returns the light to 100% and no automatic activity occurs if someone turns the light off manually.

      Additionally, thanks to the weatherplug plug-in, a few HSM100's installed outside, and Hawking sensors on all of the windows, my "welcome home" event only heats or cools the house to get the temp into my designated comfort zone when the windows are all closed. (My house is small enough that i don't have zones). If the windows are all closed and the script determines that AC is needed to bring the temp to within my comfort zone but the temp outside is cooler than inside, it turns on the AC but speaks a suggestion to open windows instead...and if any windows are subsequently opened the AC is automatically turned off. Same thing goes for needed heat in a cold house on a warm day... though that particular scenario rarely happens. Of course, an "occupied off" flag turns all heating/cooling off.

      P.S. HSM100's outdoors happen to work for me because of the climate i live in. They probably wouldn't work for most. Any plans from HS to make a weather proof version?

      Comment


        #63
        Utility monitoring for electric, gas, water?

        Originally posted by TeleFragger View Post
        well I will be rubbashing through these ideas.... gotta register with unemployment first now...

        haveing wife and kids and was the only source of income in the house.... it is gonna get tight... and cold in this house!!!!!!
        TeleFragger,

        Well buddy, I'm in the drink with you. Got the axe last month, and that's in what was thought to be a recession-proof job (intelligence). Looks like a long road ahead.

        In keeping with the green subject, I've been using HS on HT to monitor and turn things off when not in use for a while now. I have a complex network of sensors that double check each other before they make a decision. (e.g. Occupancy does not necessarily equal motion detected!!!)

        Since I have shloads of time on my hands, I'm putting it to use on refining my automation setup. I am using HSTouch to provide instant monitoring of things, including my utilities (on or off, not so much usage). I can monitor and alarm on network, phone, and TV thanks to FIOS, but I need to be able monitor electric, gas, and water. I know about TED and RFXCOM sensors for electric, but is there anything out there that HS can use to monitor actual gas and water presence/usage? I can do some complex events to deduce it (e.g. if the hot water is hot then we must have gas - I'm already using an Oregon temp sensor to monitor water temp), but this method is not accurate (hot water could be shut off or dead, but gas is still on). Same with water - I can monitor water temp in the cold pipe (cold = water present), but again that is simply a deduction vs. detection. Thoughts?

        Of course now that I can't buy anything, this is strictly an educational exercise :-(

        BTW - I'm all wireless now. Got lots of X10 gear to sell if anyone wants it - guess now is a good time to dump it!

        Comment


          #64
          I am monitoring my gas usage indirectly by tracking when my furnace gas burner is ON/OFF. I use an X10 powerflash module connected to the "Humidifier" terminals of the furnace controller board. I have been doing this for several years. I also have a gas fireplace that is controlled by an x10 universal module controlled by Homeseer based on the room temperature.

          Below is a graph of my gas (propane) usage this season. I have similar graphs for the past 3 years.

          Steve Q
          Attached Files
          HomeSeer Version: HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.368, Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 - Home, Number of Devices: 373, Number of Events: 666, Enabled Plug-Ins
          2.0.83.0: BLRF, 2.0.10.0: BLUSBUIRT, 3.0.0.75: HSTouch Server, 3.0.0.58: mcsXap, 3.0.0.11: NetCAM, 3.0.0.36: X10, 3.0.1.25: Z-Wave,Alexa,HomeKit

          Comment


            #65
            Steve,

            If you were responding to me, I am not concerned at the moment with usage. If you were responding to the "green" topic, good on ya bro!

            If the former, the "problem" with this type of "deduction" logic vs. detection is this - what is the state of your gas/propane utility when the heater is off - do you have gas/propane in the lines or not? See my point? You can tell if it's there if it's on (deduction), but not if it's not there (detection). Same with electric and water. I want to know the actual status of the utility, not appliances using it. So far as I can tell, I need either a TED or an RFXCOM sensor to determine whether my electricity has been shut off or gone out, but I haven't seen any similar way to check gas or water. This is important to me because all of our utilities are underground, and there is a ton of digging going on with one utility upgrading their lines after another - constantly. I want to know the instant a utility goes down.

            Comment


              #66
              Originally posted by ekuykendall View Post
              ...I haven't seen any similar way to check gas or water. This is important to me because all of our utilities are underground, and there is a ton of digging going on with one utility upgrading their lines after another - constantly. I want to know the instant a utility goes down.
              I'm a bit confused (note: this does not take much), so you just want to know whether the service is actually on/off?

              I really don't know how the plumbing systems in the US work at all, however all the water that enters my house is on one single 15mm copper pipe...it then gets split various ways to other taps/central heating. You can get a flow switch (example http://docs-europe.electrocomponents...6b802b8128.pdf) and if you place it before the first outlet then you can know by a simple on/off whether there is fluid...then by whatever means (the one above is just a simple switch - you could then get it into HS using a powerflash) get it into HS. I have contemplated buying one or a flowmeter to see myself aswell.

              For electricity you can get a relay with a 120v coil (rather than the usual 120v contacts), wire the coil to the mains supply, if the supply fails your relay switches over and then you can use that along similar lines with a powerflash/similar.

              You can buy gas flow meters, but i'm not really familar with them and its illegal/foolish for me at least to mess with any gas supply so I can't really say what to do about that.

              Comment


                #67
                MrHappy,

                Yes, the FloSwitch is exactly what I'm talking about, and yes, out water distro works the same. I'll look into that and see what we have similar here in the US. I would not use a Powerflash, but likely the Ocelot/SECU that is sitting mostly unused at the moment (got a few mag contacts on it for freezer doors).

                For electric, what you describe is essentially the RFXCOM sensor, so I think that is the answer for that unless my electric co. ever goes to a wireless meter reader, then I'll be in business!

                I hear ya on the gas - was just wondering if anyone had attempted this yet (I would use a pro to install - I don't touch gas!).

                Thanks.

                Comment


                  #68
                  "so you just want to know whether the service is actually on/off?"

                  Water: a standard pressure switch can be attached to a pipe somewhere near where the supply line enters the house. It the water main breaks the pressure will drop.

                  Electricity: If you have a UPS on your computer, have your computer send you an email when it kicks in.

                  Gas: If you still have a pilot light somewhere, stick a temperature sensor somewhere near it. If the temperature drops, the pilot has gone out.

                  Steve Q
                  HomeSeer Version: HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.368, Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 - Home, Number of Devices: 373, Number of Events: 666, Enabled Plug-Ins
                  2.0.83.0: BLRF, 2.0.10.0: BLUSBUIRT, 3.0.0.75: HSTouch Server, 3.0.0.58: mcsXap, 3.0.0.11: NetCAM, 3.0.0.36: X10, 3.0.1.25: Z-Wave,Alexa,HomeKit

                  Comment


                    #69
                    Steve,

                    As I stated in my original post, I already am monitoring internal branches of the utilities. I need to monitor the SOURCE of the utilities (where it comes into the house). Your last two suggestions do not tell you if the SERVICE is out, only if the BRANCH you are monitoring is live. Monitoring utility or service at a user point of use (pilot, tap, socket, UPS) cannot tell you if that SERVICE is out. A great example of what I mean is when my pilot went out for my gas fireplace. I thought the gas went out, so I called the gas company. They checked the mains - all was well. The diaphragm inside the gas regulator on the outside fireplace service line was bad, keeping gas from flowing to the fireplace, while it was fine everywhere else. Had I used that as my monitor point, it would have triggered a false alarm.

                    Now, to be true to your point, I do a lot of complex monitoring as I stated in an earlier post. For example, IF the fireplace pilot is out, AND the water heater pilot is out, AND the water temp has dropped below ambient temp, THEN we have a likely, but not positive, gas service outage (or it could mean I have multiple problems - typical for my house!). This is a great way to use HS, to do all of that complex analysis and deduce a conclusion from it, and I do a lot of that.

                    The water flow/pressure sensor is one way to go for water. I can mount one ahead of my water meter (assuming I can get the water main turned off outside). TED or RFXCOM will work for electric, though expensive - still looking for options there.

                    Sorry people, I didn't mean to hijack this thread and turn it into a critical infrastructure protection theme. Carry on with the "green" solutions theme. Thanks for the feedback. I'll keep searching for sensors.

                    Comment


                      #70
                      If you are interested in a wireless current sensor, you could use the one described in this thread:

                      http://board.homeseer.com/showpost.p...7&postcount=42

                      You could attach this to the main feed into you house.

                      Steve Q
                      HomeSeer Version: HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.368, Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 - Home, Number of Devices: 373, Number of Events: 666, Enabled Plug-Ins
                      2.0.83.0: BLRF, 2.0.10.0: BLUSBUIRT, 3.0.0.75: HSTouch Server, 3.0.0.58: mcsXap, 3.0.0.11: NetCAM, 3.0.0.36: X10, 3.0.1.25: Z-Wave,Alexa,HomeKit

                      Comment


                        #71
                        Home energy Monitoring

                        Home energy monitoring is going to be a huge business for users and installers. Whats out there now that HS people can use to monitor gas, electric and water? I have read so many different posts about various solutions, is there a company out there like Blutech that is trying one that we can link with?
                        HS3 , Zwave, HometrollerS6, ELK M1G Ultra; mcs sprinklers; WGL800; BLRF; BLNetCallerID; BLSpeech

                        Comment


                          #72
                          My green ideas:

                          LED lighting everywhere because -- CF bulbs are hazardous waste and they contain Mercury. This is a pain imn the rear as you HAVE TO dispose of CF bulbs through a legitimate Hazardous Waste facility. For me, I can go to the Household Hazardous Waste facility located at rainbow Disposal in Huntington Beach, CA. It's free and you don't even get out of your car. Here is a Wiki on CF explaining mercury http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact...nmental_issues

                          HomeSeer Virtual environment support -- http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=135484

                          Controlled recepticles to shut off unused equipment -- when leaving home or alarm is activated, Home Seer should shut of a designated group of recepticles in the house that have electronic devices attached to eliminate the power that is consumed when a device has power but the power switch is off.

                          Comment


                            #73
                            Originally posted by BoBeeve View Post
                            My green ideas:

                            ......Controlled recepticles to shut off unused equipment -- when leaving home or alarm is activated, Home Seer should shut of a designated group of recepticles in the house that have electronic devices attached to eliminate the power that is consumed when a device has power but the power switch is off.

                            well after my fresh install of hs... i see how nice and easy it is to use z-wave...

                            so im going to get my 2 outlets installed and look at getting more..

                            you are right but instead of it shutting off power for consumption.. it can also be benefitial for the WAF to know that the alarm was set and the appliances are off.. cant tell you how many times i have turned around due to that same reason...
                            HW - i5 4570T @2.9ghz runs @11w | 8gb ram | 128gb ssd OS - Win10 x64

                            HS - HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.435

                            Plugins - BLRF 2.0.94.0 | Concord 4 3.1.13.10 | HSBuddy 3.9.605.5 | HSTouch Server 3.0.0.68 | RFXCOM 30.0.0.36 | X10 3.0.0.36 | Z-Wave 3.0.1.190

                            Hardware - EdgePort/4 DB9 Serial | RFXCOM 433MHz USB Transceiver | Superbus 2000 for Concord 4 | TI103 X-10 Interface | WGL Designs W800 RF | Z-Net Z-Wave Interface

                            Comment


                              #74
                              Originally posted by Bobbee View Post
                              My green ideas:

                              LED lighting everywhere because -- CF bulbs are hazardous waste and they contain Mercury. This is a pain imn the rear as you HAVE TO dispose of CF bulbs through a legitimate Hazardous Waste facility. For me, I can go to the Household Hazardous Waste facility located at rainbow Disposal in Huntington Beach, CA. It's free and you don't even get out of your car. Here is a Wiki on CF explaining mercury http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact...nmental_issues

                              HomeSeer Virtual environment support -- http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=135484

                              Controlled recepticles to shut off unused equipment -- when leaving home or alarm is activated, Home Seer should shut of a designated group of recepticles in the house that have electronic devices attached to eliminate the power that is consumed when a device has power but the power switch is off.
                              sigpic
                              A founder member of "The HA Pioneer Group" otherwise known as the "Old farts club!"

                              Comment


                                #75
                                Gogs, could you translate this into "American" for us? What is GLS and LP?

                                Surely you are not challenging the fact that CFLs use less energy than conventional bulbs? And that LEDs use less than CFLs?

                                Steve Q
                                HomeSeer Version: HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.368, Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 - Home, Number of Devices: 373, Number of Events: 666, Enabled Plug-Ins
                                2.0.83.0: BLRF, 2.0.10.0: BLUSBUIRT, 3.0.0.75: HSTouch Server, 3.0.0.58: mcsXap, 3.0.0.11: NetCAM, 3.0.0.36: X10, 3.0.1.25: Z-Wave,Alexa,HomeKit

                                Comment

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