I’ve got a bit of a broad question. It’s something I’ve been struggling with ever since we installed our airconditioning unit, and was wondering how others have tackled this.
Our situation:
We’ve got a sunroom/conservatory which is fully insulated (triple glazed windows with a solar coating), has floor heating, a motorized roof shade and curtains against bright sun and heat. We’ve installed an airconditioning unit because, despite all the insulating measures, it can get quite hot (no surprise there, this is mainly because of all the glass of course).
And, of course, all is completely smart and automated within our Home Assistant configuration. If the temperature rises above a certain threshold, the airconditioning starts cooling. If the ideal temperature is reached, it stops cooling. If it’s sunny outside and either the luminosity in that area is high enough and/or the outside temperature is over a certain threshold, the solar roof extends and the curtains close to ward off the heat.
The smart/controllable products in the sunroom:
- Curtains
Not black-out curtains, but a bit see-through. Tahoma/Somfy, RTS protocol - no input if they’re open or closed - Shades on the roof
Made smart through a module on the switch, so no input if they’re open or closed - Airconditioning unit
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries SRK20-50ZS-W Single-Split (R32) wall module, fully controllable. Has a temperature sensor, but often measures too high due the warmth of the unit itself and the sun shining directly on the (black-colored) unit - Floor heating
Magnum flooring (Tuya). Can’t cool, can only heat, and the only way to ‘activate’ or stop it, is to change the target temperature. Has a temperature sensor, almost as accurate as the Shelly one - Shelly temperature sensor
Most accurate sensor in there
The issue:
However, I can’t get the temperature reading correct. Since it’s a sunroom, the temperature really isn’t as constant as in the rest of our house (that is to say, in plain-old brick-walled rooms with regular windows). It doesn’t help that the walls are painted black, haha. How the temperature feels is radically different depending on the day and factors, so one day 22 degrees feels cosy, but on another it feels cold. I think this has mainly to do with a few factors: if the airconditioning is running (and thus, blowing cold wind, how fast and in your direction or not), the temperature inside, the temperature outside, if the sun is shining directly on the sunroom or if it’s in the shade, if the curtains + shades are closed or not.
But, I’m finding it difficult to determine a good feel temperature sensor that also feels correct. I’ve made a rather simple one that’s included in my template.yaml file, but it doesn’t work better than the actual temperature of the sunroom itself.
- sensor:
- name: "Gevoelstemperatuur Serre"
unique_id: gevoelstemperatuur_serre
unit_of_measurement: "°C"
icon: mdi:thermometer
device_class: temperature
state: >
{% set T_raw = states('sensor.serre_temperature')|float(0) %}
{% set T = T_raw if T_raw != 0 else states('sensor.gemiddelde_serretemperatuur')|float(0) %}
{% set RH = states('sensor.thermostaat_serre_humidity')|float(50) %}
{% set airco_state = states('climate.airco_serre') %}
{% if airco_state == 'off' %}
{% set v = 0.05 %}
{% else %}
{% set fan_mode = state_attr('climate.airco_serre', 'fan_mode') or 'auto' %}
{% set v = {
'1 Lowest': 0.2,
'2 Low': 0.3,
'3 High': 0.4,
'4 Highest': 0.5
}.get(fan_mode, 0.3) %}
{% endif %}
{% set e = (RH / 100) * 6.105 * (2.71828 ** (17.27 * T / (237.7 + T))) %}
{{ (T + 0.33 * e - 0.70 * v - 4.00) | round(1) }}
Because I don’t have a (temperature) sensor that equals to the actual feel temperature, sometimes the airconditioning starts up and makes the sunroom quite cold and not comfortable to sit in, whereas other times it doesn’t start up (because the threshold isn’t reached) and it’s a bit too warm/sweaty in the room.
The question:
I realize this is a bit nitpicky / splitting hairs because basing the climate on the actual (Shelly) temperature works 80% of the time, but still, perfecting the automation would be amazing.
So I was wondering: has anyone thought of a better way to regulate the temperature in these kind of rooms?