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Merkurmaniac
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Joined: November 19 2007
Location: United States
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Posts: 2
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| Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:06 | IP Logged
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Hello all,
I am just beginning to get into HA. I have installed a touchscreen running XP and the eHomeCreations software. I am looking at buying powerhome to run on it. As of yet, I do not have any X-10 or insteon devices. I am starting with a totally clean slate. The two main things that I would like to do accomplish are controling vampire loads and creating a setback for my thermostat.
First, I want to control one outlet to kill vampire loads on the entertainment center equipment (while away from home or at night). I could stop the HDTV tuner, DVD player, VCR, EZStream, stereo reciever, and TV. I would need to keep the Tivo and Sat Dish rec powered continuously. I figure that these devices have a decent load 24/7 that I would like to stop. I' have a second plug nearby that I would use for the persistant loads, the TV and Tivo.
I am doing this from an environmental and cost standpoint. Therefore, I wouldn't have a lot of money to play with before I would be "in the hole." Is it worth it to buy an insteon outlet and controller to do just one outlet. (I realize I would get the bug and perhaps begin to control more stuff, but this would be an experiment.)
The second thing I would like to do is place a relay in line on the wire from my thermostat to the a/c unit. I could interupt this relay to "defeat" the signal telling the a/c to turn on. I believe its 24V A/c. I want to do this, as my wife wouldn't be to keen on me changing the thermostat to a different style. THis would allow me to keep the same one. THe plan here would be to use eHome/powerhome to control a "timer" that would stall the signal for the compressor while she is out of the house for a few hours. It might permit it to return to normal 20 mintues before her return.
The question is: what is the best way to accomplish these two goals ? I a hardwired solution like a relay board that runs from USB (e.g. fusioncontrol)a good way to do it. I'd rather not use insteon for one and a special board for the other as this doubles the learning curve for me. Reliability would be key. Running a low voltage wire down the wall to the vampire outlet would be a possibility as well if that opens up new options. BTW, I am a guy who prefers hardwired to wireless also.
TIA,
Richard
Edited by Merkurmaniac - November 19 2007 at 11:51
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bhlonewolf
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Joined: March 29 2007
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| Posted: November 19 2007 at 13:18 | IP Logged
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As for the outlet/vampire power issue: You could start with Insteon outletlincs, but since you're experimenting, you might prefer trying ApplianceLincs first. The outletlincs of course reduce the clutter, but the appliancelincs give you a bit more flexibility to try things out, move them around, etc. You might be able to get one of the starter kits, plus a PLC to interface with the computer.
To be honest, and just my personal opinion, I'd be concerned about the thermostat idea. Not sure about the climate you live in, but in general for both heat/ac, it may cost less to keep things at more or less the same temp. Most programmable thermostats gradually ramp a few degrees up or down during away times, and this does save over the long haul. But just turning it off completely (again, without knowing your climate) may end up being a pain and not end up saving you much if anything.
I'm in a similar situation where time away from the house is intermittent and not programmable. I'll ultimately use a Keypadlinc button to signal away (or tie it in w/ the alarm) so that while no one is home, it will ramp the temp appropriately. Just need some Insteon thermostats :)
But, you could use a low-voltage insteon relay to do what you'd like -- then set up appropriate triggers in PH.
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Merkurmaniac
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Joined: November 19 2007
Location: United States
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Posts: 2
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| Posted: November 20 2007 at 08:30 | IP Logged
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For the thermostat, I might build in a variable recovery time based on outdoor temp. I live in Houston, so cooling is the real issue, heat, not so much. I have a 5 ton a/c that cools the house well enough. I have added a lot of insulation too. My plan would be to only allow the temp to rise a few degrees. If the wife and kids are gone for 2 hours, it may sit off for 1 hour and need to come back on an hour before. Still, if the system sits idle, I will have saved some compressor run times before it comes back on. Now I know that there is no free lunch here, but the way I look at it, there are two heat gains, the solar radiation on my roof (constant) and the convective gain thru air leaks, and thru walls etc... The second is driven by temperature differentials, and the higher the diff, the more the heat transfer. I absorb slightly less heat into a 82°F house from a 95° surroundings than I would absorb into a 78°F house from the same 95° outside air.
If I have lots of CFL's in my house, in fact nearly all of them are, how much trouble will I have with the single insteon outlet ?
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Topic: Relay to control setback on thermostat
