Re: Fw: Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!

[Kevin Hawkins <yahoogroupskh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

   Slightly OT re Heatmiser but if you're after graphing,  logging and
scripted control of your heating thought I'd mention this. I'm not
trying to xAPtise people honest !

I am using  1-wire sensors and associated relay controls for the
room stats,  heating pumps,  zone valves,  and inputs from utility
meters etc all networked via xAP over Ethernet. Then I use the OpnMax
project which runs on the NetGear NSLU2 Slug as a xAP controller proving
scheduling and a logic engine for heating system control.   Effectively
a controller/logger for £60.  It has the potential for handling a very
sophisticated multi zone, optimised start , compensated / intelligent
overide type system as it's scripted.  Note a potential... I'm not there
yet.  I have toyed with supporting HeatMiser network stats from xAP and
might, if there was sufficient interest to do this ??  I haven't used
them myself because I didn't want the single common demand type output
they provide, (on/off boiler) intending instead to modulate the boiler
down to a balancing flow temperature.

Included in OpnMax running on the NSLU2 are a web interface, FTP, Perl
scripting, PHP, a SQL database for logging a graphing application, and
of course xAP.    Every minute in my case the OpnMax stores readings to
it's DB and you can 'on demand' ask for todays graphs displayed via a
web browser showing the various temperatures and utility usage/costs
(electricity/gas/water). None of this needs a PC to be switched on.
It's early days , loads of bits to add and refine and I've still got the
room sensors to add to the graphs,  but I've posted a couple of early
example screenshots below  from yesterday if people are interested .

The graphs are helping a lot . I've been able to immediately see the
effects that the heated towel rail loss causes, attached to a secondary
coil on the cylinder and now timed and synchronised with the boiler hot
water heat cycle.  Also the circulating hot water which I now
intelligently switch when people enter bathrooms rather than leave on
24/7.  I'm looking to reduce that heat loss ramp as much as possible.
I'm also trying to reduce the boiler cycling that is going on at the
moment but it seems the cylinder can't dissipate the heat that the
boiler provides even when modulated down to 30% so I'm likley to
reallocate the second heating coil to the boiler rather than the towel
rail.  The system is currently a hot water priority system with
optimised start but I may override that.  On the graphs I can also
nicely see the CH flow temperature settling to balance the heat demand
in the house which is nice.   I need to add a feedback sensor for the
boiler modulation level.

Baths were run at 1220 and 2015 PM, you can see the heat loss in the
tank and also the water flow on the utility graphs. On the utility graph
you can see we went to bed around 1AM Sat night , someone had a pee
around 2.30 and the narrow spikes are usually kettle usage (eg
elevensies) . Big blocks of use from the washer and tumble dryer (Sunday
being the wash day) .  Looks like the floodlights came on at 7.30am -
probably the papers being delivered.  You can log any xAP device to
OpnMax eg X10, C-Bus, PIR's, Caller ID etc and in true xAP spirit it's
open source software, you just need a NSLU2 to run it on.   If there is
interest I'll look at Heatmiser support..

Heating temperatures
*http://tinyurl.com/2tvhrp
**
*Gas/Water/Electric
*http://tinyurl.com/2vlkcd

*(click image to expand if needs be)
*
*
Kevin

Gareth Cook wrote:
>
> Exactly. I want some logging action.
>
> Gareth Cook
> IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
> Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
> email: g@xxxxxxx <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com>
>
> ----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 07/01/2008 11:07 -----
>
> Discussion
> Main Topic
>
> ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
> Today 10:26
>
> .
> Subject:
> .
> RE: [ukha_d] Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!
> .
> Category:
>
> I thought the whole point in using a thermostat, rather than just a
1-wire
> temperature sensor and an appliance module, is that the control is
done by
> the thermostat. The PC is just acting as an interface, monitoring and
> changing setpoints.
>
> Mark
>
> _____
>
> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
> [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>]
On
> Behalf Of
> Gareth Cook
> Sent: 07 January 2008 10:04
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: Fw: [ukha_d] Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!
>
> Im more interested in getting the data into Comfort (and therefore
> Homeseer)
>
> I use HS just for logging - I could never trust a PC to run the home !
>
> G.
>
> Gareth Cook
> IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
> Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
> email: g@xxxxxxx <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com> <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com>
>
> ----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 07/01/2008 09:59 -----
>
> Discussion
> Main Topic
>
> ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
> Today 09:50
>
> .
> Subject:
> .
> RE: [ukha_d] Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!
> .
> Category:
>
> Gareth,
>
> I am looking at the Heatmiser stats and would ideally like to
integrate
> them
> into homeseer.
>
> Homeseer has a thermostat API and there is a document detailing the
> heatmiser protocol, so it would be a matter of writing a driver that
> translates the API calls to serial commands. I'm sure it is possible,
but
> not that easy.
>
> Mark
>
> _____
>
> From: ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
> [mailto:ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com] On
> Behalf
> Of
> Gareth Cook
> Sent: 07 January 2008 08:16
> To: ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
> Subject: Fw: [ukha_d] Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!
>
> Bruce
>
> You reckon with a 485 to 232 dongle we could talk to heatmiser via say
> Comfort or HomeSeer quite easily ??
>
> G.
>
> Gareth Cook
> IT Architect / Project Manager, SWG Sales Europe
> Office: +44 (0)1784 445166 - Mobile: +44 (0)7980 445166
> email: g@xxxxxxx <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com> <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com>
> <mailto:g%40uk.ibm.com>
>
> ----- Forwarded by Gareth Cook/UK/IBM on 07/01/2008 08:14 -----
>
> Discussion
> Main Topic
>
> ukha_d@yahoogroups. <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
com
> Yesterday 10:44
>
> .
> Subject:
> .
> [ukha_d] Re: Heatmiser - advice please?!
> .
> Category:
>
> Hi Noel,
>
> I couldn't find anything better than the heatmisers. I've just bought
> a bucket load more for the rest of the rooms. I just need to find time
> to complete the sw side of things... rather than have to ssh in to
> turn on the heating.
>
> Anyway, does this post/thread help?
> http://groups. <http://groups.
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ukha_d/message/147813
> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ukha_d/message/147813>>
> yahoo.com/group/ukha_d/message/147813>
> yahoo.com/group/ukha_d/message/147813
>
> Note you need a serial->485 dongle (quite cheap) and there are
people
> around here somewhere with UI sw (VB etc.) if you aren't in to C
hacking.
>
> Cheers, Bruce.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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