I suspect this is a very basic question but I am new to HA and home automation in general and would really appreciate this community’s recommendations.
Do you have suggestions on brands of thermostat with easy to program HA integrations? My programming needs would be simple - varying the temperature in daily and weekly time periods. I have no experience with programming YAML configurations and have only created simple automations for devices with existing HA integrations.
First, I would like to replace a Trane heat pump’s programmable, non-wifi thermostat. It does not control multiple zones - just one sensor in the thermostat itself.
Next, I would like to replace the original, programmable (horrendous) non-wifi Schluter radiant heated floor thermostat.
I use a (now defunct) Google Nest Gen3. Took some API giggery pokery to get it working. But it’s been working flawlessly in HA for a year without missing a beat. You can find how-to guides on YouTube
Unfortunately most off-the-shelf thermostats are going to use the manufacturer’s cloud, and not allow local control by HA.
On the positive side, the big names all have integrations for HA which let you control the thermostat from the UI and within automations - albeit via the manufacturer’s cloud.
Before I even knew HA existed, I had bought some Honeywell WiFi thermostats. They actually work quite well, and the integration has been fairly stable and reliable. And of course if it ever fails, I can revert to using the Honeywell app or web site. Or, I can actually (gasp!) walk over to the thermostat to adjust it manually.
These thermostats have a built-in schedule which can be created and edited via the web site or app, and it’ll run just fine even without HA or an internet connection. They also have logic which cycles the heating or cooling to keep the room at a set temperature, instead of waiting until the room temperature goes out of a set range, like a “dumb” thermostat (or a HA automation) would.
I assume many modern “smart” thermostats can do these things, so I’m not pushing any one brand. Just look for these features, a stable brand name and a reliable HA integration, and you should be good.
Hi Tom (1), it all depends if you want to buy ready-made, whether cloud dependency is a thing, and a few criteria more.
I went the DIY route and installed zigbee TRV’s (Sonoff) and now I’m looking at EMS-ESP to replace a dumb thermostat.
Since my HA is very reliable, I don’t mind that I’m fully dependent on it for controlling stuff like lights and heating.
On top of that, I’m using Zigbee2MQTT in a separate container which gives me an alternative should HA fail.
Of course, Z2M is another point of failure but there are ways to get it running fairly quick. That’s the beauty of running virtual and having extra HW to spin up virtual machines.
Thank you, everyone, for your informative responses. I understand the situation and limitations much better now and will think on this some more before deciding which route would be best for our needs.
I’m curious about the HA generic thermostat. Does that just do an on/off at given temperature set points, or does it contain “smarts” which adjust the cycle times based on the type of HVAC system, outside temperature and/or historical rate of change for the temperature in the room?
As much as I distrust cloud-based services, I have to admit that one benefit of my off-the-shelf thermostats is their ability to calculate the appropriate cycle times to keep the room temperature steady, maximize energy efficiency and minimize wear and tear on the HVAC equipment. And of course the the logic for cycling the system and running schedules is local in the thermostat, so everything keeps working even without connectivity to HA or the cloud.
I use a very basic Z-Wave thermostat and LOVE it. The simplicity is awesome
It is not smart. But, a local only HA connected thermostat. It is only as ‘smart’ as I am I guess. Not yet sure if that is good or bad.
The problem is they don’t make it anymore. I got mine from eBay a couple years ago. I see them on eBay right now for $30 and up.
GoControl GC-TBZ48.
We always have it on heat/cool. So, a low and high setting which we always keep three degrees apart. Right now it is set to 69 and 72. Heat will come on until it gets up to 69 or cool will come on until it gets down to 72.
I have an automation that move those settings down at night and up in the morning.
It works with C wire or AA batteries.
I do not use HA to turn it off/on or anything like that. Just adjust the set points. If HA goes down, we have to walk to the wall to make changes. But, it all still works.
