Smart thermostats (heating, electric, energy, compare)

[plwhit]

They have arrived.......

The smart device adjusts the temperature based on the presence of people and their habits.

It can "learn" about a house's cooling and heating patterns to optimise its performance, and adjust itself to the weather conditions.

Mr Faddell said the device could cut 20 to 30% off the average household's energy bill.

They are around $250.00



BBC News - iPod creator switches attention to 'smart' thermostats

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by plwhit

It can "learn" about a house's cooling and heating patterns
to optimise its performance, and adjust itself to the weather conditions.

This is not (always) a good thing.

Anyone who has had (or been) a teenager will know what the reality
of these "use patterns" too often are. You don't want this device learning bad habits.

Anecdote: fellow I knew tied into the alarm system of the house for it's "all closed" signal.
Absent that, the control circuit for the HVAC would remain "open" and that would prevent
the a/c or heat from operating unless all the windows and doors were closed. It worked.

hth

[plwhit]

Originally Posted by MrRational

This is not (always) a good thing.

Anyone who has had (or been) a teenager will know what the reality
of these "use patterns" too often are. You don't want this device learning bad habits.

Yup, I had 4 teenagers who have moved on and out.

Geez, you must have had a real problem with your teenagers not listening to you.

I told my kids xyz and they listened, they grew up knowing the fridge hasn't made any new food from the last time they checked it 5 minutes ago and my teenagers didn't run in and out of the house every 10 minutes like 6 year olds...

LMAO, part of their allowance was tied to the electric bill, I pay more you get less...

[sailordave]

That would last right up until menopause. Then she'll rip it out and replace it with one she can control at all times.

[thecoalman]

In the world of solid fuel heat this is one thing where coal is light years ahead of wood and pellets. It's not exactly the same thing as the one listed in the OP because the thermostat end in the house is standard adjustable thermostat with some presets.

The magic goes on behind the scenes, overshhoots in temperature is common for any solid fuel system especially when you're dealing with on demand heat since it's on 24/7. What will happen is you'll have a call for heat and the stoker ramps up to maximum, when the demand for heat stops you're left with a large amount of heat left in the stoker.

The Coal Trol digital thermostat will adjust the feed and combustion air accordingly. This can maintain a room temperature at +/-1 degree which is pretty damn good even compared to conventional systems.

Coal-Trol Advanced+