Comments on: HVAC Control and Power Monitoring Project http://blog.iobridge.com/2009/07/hvac-control-and-power-monitoring-project/ News and Projects from the ioBridge Community Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:51:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: iobridge http://blog.iobridge.com/2009/07/hvac-control-and-power-monitoring-project/#comment-59 iobridge Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:03:42 +0000 http://www.iobridge.net/projects/?p=257#comment-59 You can now have logic online or offline. http://www.iobridge.net/wiki/onboard-actions New Firmware C4.1 You can now have logic online or offline.

http://www.iobridge.net/wiki/onboard-actions

New Firmware C4.1

]]> By: iobridge http://blog.iobridge.com/2009/07/hvac-control-and-power-monitoring-project/#comment-58 iobridge Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:19:08 +0000 http://www.iobridge.net/projects/?p=257#comment-58 Offline logic is coming in the next firmware release. We will announce more soon...Your fan control sounds very interesting. Offline logic is coming in the next firmware release. We will announce more soon…Your fan control sounds very interesting.

]]> By: Jason Garland http://blog.iobridge.com/2009/07/hvac-control-and-power-monitoring-project/#comment-57 Jason Garland Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:40:29 +0000 http://www.iobridge.net/projects/?p=257#comment-57 So last night I connected my iobridge to the HVAC computer at home. I just connected the red(hot) wire and the green(fan) wire to the relay module. I can now control the fan from the iobridge. The thermostat still has control to turn the fan on when heating or cooling the house. The reason I did this is because my upstairs bedroom is always too hot since heat rises. :) The thermostat downstairs thinks the temperature is much lower then it is upstairs. I also know that the blower motor in my furnace uses 300 watts of power when running and I pay ~ $0.09 per 1kWh so if I run it 24x7 it would end up being 216kW per month costing me about $19.44 per month to operate. Now I can control the fan via remote processes. Last night I setup a cronjob to schedule when the fan runs. It's scheduled to run at times that I will be in the bedroom. My next task will be to add a temperature sensor to the bedroom so I can only run the fan when I am in the bedroom, and if it is too hot. So last night I connected my iobridge to the HVAC computer at home. I just connected the red(hot) wire and the green(fan) wire to the relay module. I can now control the fan from the iobridge. The thermostat still has control to turn the fan on when heating or cooling the house.

The reason I did this is because my upstairs bedroom is always too hot since heat rises. :) The thermostat downstairs thinks the temperature is much lower then it is upstairs.
I also know that the blower motor in my furnace uses 300 watts of power when running and I pay ~ $0.09 per 1kWh so if I run it 24×7 it would end up being 216kW per month costing me about $19.44 per month to operate.

Now I can control the fan via remote processes. Last night I setup a cronjob to schedule when the fan runs. It’s scheduled to run at times that I will be in the bedroom.

My next task will be to add a temperature sensor to the bedroom so I can only run the fan when I am in the bedroom, and if it is too hot.

]]> By: Jason Garland http://blog.iobridge.com/2009/07/hvac-control-and-power-monitoring-project/#comment-56 Jason Garland Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:19:49 +0000 http://www.iobridge.net/projects/?p=257#comment-56 I have been thinking about how to do something like this for a while. My concern is that the iobridge relies on an internet connection for the logic, and if the internet connection goes down then I will be unable to control the HVAC. This could be a problem if I told it to flip in the heat and then I loose internet, or I flip on the AC and then loose internet. Then the AC or heat would be running all day long until I get home to fix it. I think I'll start off with something simple. Controlling the blower. I would like to be able to override the thermostat to flip the blower on to circulate air to the upstairs whenever the temperature in my upstairs bedroom becomes too hot or too cold, rather then running the AC or Heat anymore, I could simply re-circulate the air a bit. A kill switch for the power to the thermostat seems like a good idea. I have been thinking about how to do something like this for a while. My concern is that the iobridge relies on an internet connection for the logic, and if the internet connection goes down then I will be unable to control the HVAC. This could be a problem if I told it to flip in the heat and then I loose internet, or I flip on the AC and then loose internet. Then the AC or heat would be running all day long until I get home to fix it.

I think I’ll start off with something simple. Controlling the blower. I would like to be able to override the thermostat to flip the blower on to circulate air to the upstairs whenever the temperature in my upstairs bedroom becomes too hot or too cold, rather then running the AC or Heat anymore, I could simply re-circulate the air a bit.

A kill switch for the power to the thermostat seems like a good idea.

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