Need help finding an HVAC automation that makes sense to me

Configuration Blueprints
,
1

I’ve been searching the forum, and other resources for what I’m trying to achieve.
Before I dive and try to implement this, I’m trying the hive mind first.

My home has a Furnace/AC HVAC system, controller from a single thermostat.
I installed ZigBee thermostat, It has 3 modes, cool, heat and off.

We have a sweet spot we like at home, both for heating and cooling ~ 73 Fahrenheit (we’re in the US).

What I have in mind is a smart thermostat that takes in the following details:

  • weather forecast: high temperature for the day.

  • weather forecast: low temperature for the day.

  • outside sensor: current temperaure

  • outside cooling/heating: determine if temperature is on the rise or on decline. Idealy a speed factor of degrees/hour, but an up/down indicator should be good as well.

  • inside sensor: temperature

  • based on inside temperature sensor, determine whether inside is heating or cooling down in the past hour. Preferably a factor of degrees/hour, but direction should suffice.

  • using the above, determine how far from target, inside is is, as well as how far from outside high/low inside is. (target changes based on cooling/heating state)

  • Multiple sets of targets is also somehting I’ve been wanting: normal, sleep/night, away. And of courese the logic of switching between them has to do with both presence, time and other triggers - maybe RFID/NFC tags, maybe others - unsure yet.

I would like to control whether the HVAC thermostat should be set to heating or cooling based on these factors.
My HVAC is always on, I rarely change the temperatures for heat (74) or cool (73)

I’ve seen various solutions over the years, but most cool-heat solutions are based on the inside temperature and no prediction of change is done, thus they are almost always wrong.
I think using the factors above, the thermostat should be smart enough to decide whether heating or cooling is required.

Anyone encounter or using a solution like this?

If not, sounds like some sleeples nights are ahead of me, because after running a smart home over 5 years, I think it’s about time I get this done.

1 Like
2

Nothing? not even comments of “this is a bad idea”, or “you can’t do that” :slight_smile:

Nobody did anything like this?

3

It’s a great worded post, I don’t disagree with you, but I had nothing to add.

I assumed you looked over everything in HACS and the Blueprint Exchange and didn’t find what you wanted.

Looks like a worthy project.

1 Like
4

Hey @Sir_Goodenough, thanks for the kind word.
Wasn’t seeking attention, was just surprised.

I know I’m not the only one thinking of combining these inputs (some posts and blog entries try to address some combination of this), but I was hoping some advice/pointers from the community with some exeprience in dealing with aspects of this implementation.

I’m guessing the post is too long for those who skim the posts, or that most people come here searching.

I hope as I start this project and update on progress there might be more interset.

1 Like
5

Have you started on this?

6

I’ve been looking for something just like this. I actually stumbled on your post searching for a solution.

In the past I used Smart Things with a few Webcore pistons that calculated the average temp over 72 hours and based my sweet spot temp off of that. Then based on whether the average was going up or down set heating or cooling.
I live in Texas and so Spring and Fall are the most important times for the automation.

Once ST and Webcore parted ways, I’ve moved to HA and Hubitat, but haven’t found a great replacement, even using Webcore in Hubitat doesn’t seem to work the same, so I came here looking for a smart thermostat controller similar to what Hubitat has, but that would allow me to integrate current and forecasted outside temps.

If you ever find a solution please let me know because it seems you and I are after the same thing and I agree that it seems like an idea someone would’ve come up with by now.