Re: zoned or not zoned?? thermostatic control of multiple spaces

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 10:20:05 -0500, "Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote in message  <J92dnRXm97C7_RjYnZ2dnUVZ_segnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

>> I can't even get my wife to agree how to set the thermostat....
>
>Heh, this is where programmable theromstats are handy.  I've specifically
>added some set-back events timed to execute about a half-hour after the wife
>is known to fiddle with the thermostat.  Works wonders.  She'd come home and
>crank down the AC, in a half-hour the event would reset it to a more
>reasonable setting.  Saved considerably in the marital bliss department.
>
>If/when thermostats and the like get real bidirectional feedback it'd be
>great.  It'd be great to have a CPU balance between outside ambient
>temperature, day/night sun conditions, occupancy and preset programming
>definitions.  As in, detect that someone's fiddled with the thermostat, let
>them "get away with it" for a short while and resume settings as desired
>while being intelligent about it.  Until then, ah well.

Thermostats that can do what you want have been available for at least a dozen
years. My experience is with Aprilaire 8870 and its precursors ( formerly
Enerzone /Statnet).  They use RS-485 and a simple ASCII command set that can
be sent from the command line, a terminal program, a VB program and is
natively supported in Homerseer, CQC, CyberHouse, Premise Systems (now
Motorola and defunct -- a free and presumably legal download described here:
www.premisesystems.info).


The Aprilaire/Enerzone/Statnet command set can be used to query or set
multiple single or multi-stage heat + cool thermostats, temperature or
humidity sensors, dampers or other devices on the RS-485 line. There's enough
capacity for expansion left in the command set and bandwidth that it would be
a good candidate for a homebrew RS-485 control system with other functionality
in my opinion.

... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org