This is now a very long thread. Not sure I've got the will to read it all as I guess some is overtaken with updates and changes.

I've been offered an opportunity to have a Homely installed free via the Energy Sure Project.

Sounds good but I'm less keen on having to move to Tomato as part of the deal. Having just moved to IOG which seems to be working very well - offering me additional day slots at 7p the early results look like I might get an ave near 10p since changing.

A move will also lose my octopus outgoing 15p

I'm checking my kit suits but seems LG is now supported

ASHP: LG Therma v 16kw. Using weather compensation with reasonable outcome.

Batteries: 3 x 8.2kw Gen1 GivEnergy

Inverter: 5kw Gen1 Hybrid GivEnergy

Pv solar: 6kw + further 2kw older system with Solaredge inverter

EV & zappi

Any special comments or suggestions on making a decision?

@tim441 not sure Homely is compatible with all LG heat pumps,  how old is it and has yours got a modbus connection

Model HM161MU33 installed 2020

Controller software 3.05.5a

Not sure what's available via modbus. Will try and find out - thanks for input!

I’m intrigued by theHomely Smart Heat Pump Controller for its potential to make my Daikin ASHP more efficient.

Has anybody had any experience using the Homely? I’d be interested in hearing your experiences.

On a side note, I’ve tried contacting my Heat Pump installer about the Homely, but they’ve ignored my emails - presumably because they don’t install the kit.

I’ve also tried contacting Homely to recommend an installer, but again, no responses after multiple emails. Not promising!

Posted by: @weoleyric

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I’ve also tried contacting Homely to recommend an installer, but again, no responses after multiple emails. Not promising!

Not the first time I've heard this... it sounds like their customer support is deteriorating, especially when it comes to new, prospective clients. 

@toodles is the guy to ask about Homely.

Your other alternative is Havenwise, and @hcas is your contact there.

@editor I have been with Havenwise for about three weeks. Absolutely exceptional service from their team in getting me set up and running. The system seems to be learning about the house requirements and the energy usage has dropped, but of course, the weather is improving slowly.

@weoleyric 

I emailed Homely a few days ago asking for recommended installers and had an immediate (and presumably) automated reply advising that they do not currently recommend installers, but suggesting I ask my installer to sign up with them. Their strategy may be to grow their installer base rather than the end user level directly.

I have read elsewhere of people doing a DIY Homely installation by registering as an installer, with the advantage of having access to the Homely system monitoring package. I am tempted to try that, but my Grant system has three servo valves for DHW, UFH and first floor rads each wired through the Grant "wiring centre" and I need some guidance on how to rewire these to allow Homely to control them directly from the heat pump side (as I understand it). Advice from anyone with that knowledge would be very welcome. 

Thanks for the feedback, @Mars, @Broadsman and @steam-powered.

Sad to hear that I'm not the only one who is struggling to get a response from Homely.

I reached out to Havenwise over the weekend, and immediately had a response from @hcas to say I'm on the waiting list for their Daikin setup. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long.

Our homely is working well. Any technical queries they do take a few days to reply, if at all. That said it does work reasonably effectively. I just assumed the funding streams are a bit challenging for this type of company. Passiv are another one that appear to be operating at significant losses but are being propped up from investment from other sources.

I couldn't be without the installer dashboard though which homely do allow you to access, albeit through the back door so to speak. Havenwise looks to be a very similar installer orientated setup in this regard so if I were looking at it I'd be asking how you access this, unless you aren't interested in any granular data. It's not as if any installer is going to be proactively monitoring your graphs and as an end user I want to see exactly how much my ashp is cycling, COP etc. 

It does seem a bit of a minefield- homely not without its faults albeit generally positive feedback about how it operates and running costs. Havenwise I couldn't find much. Passiv and Planet again it's really difficult to find any end user experiences/feedback.

Posted by: @steam-powered

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@weoleyric 

I have read elsewhere of people doing a DIY Homely installation by registering as an installer, with the advantage of having access to the Homely system monitoring package. I am tempted to try that, but my Grant system has three servo valves for DHW, UFH and first floor rads each wired through the Grant "wiring centre" and I need some guidance on how to rewire these to allow Homely to control them directly from the heat pump side (as I understand it).

Your understanding of having to wire those valves back to the heat pump is correct. I DIY’d my install, which took some planning, but the effort was well worth it. I only have two valves though, one for DHW and one for heating, but the Homely schematics look like a 2-zone heating system would be very similar. If you can get the requisite cabling for the valves and modbus from the heat pump  back to the wiring centre, you can make the new connections inside the wiring centre to keep everything neat (I used Wago blocks), then it’s a case of changing parameters to tell the heat pump that it needs to control the valves directly. 

A guy called Jonny Miles on the unofficial Grant support Facebook group was really helpful when I was planning my install. You can search for the group on Facebook, and if you search my name on that group you’ll find the thread where I got help with planning my install.

Hope that helps.

@grahaml 

Thanks for sharing your experience of connecting Homely to your Grant ASHP, and I read your helpful Facebook thread. Am I correct in thinking you changed from NC to NO valves per the advice from Jonny Miles?

My system has three NC 2 port valves (DHW, UFH, Rads). The Homely wiring guide for a Grant connection (attached) shows 2 x 2 port and 1 x 3 port valves.

Do you know how I would connect my 3 x 2 port NC valves? 

Posted by: @steam-powered

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My system has three NC 2 port valves (DHW, UFH, Rads). The Homely wiring guide for a Grant connection (attached) shows 2 x 2 port and 1 x 3 port valves.

Do you know how I would connect my 3 x 2 port NC valves?

I kept the original NC valves. The system had recently been installed on an ECO4 grant, so I didn’t want to do anything that couldn’t be easily reversed if needed.

On my install, my DHW 2-port valve is wired where the “3-port diverter valve” is shown on the Homely schematic, and my single heating 2-port valve is wired per “2 port valve Zone 1” on the schematic. So, I assume, you would need to do the same, but also wire the zone 2 valve per the Homely schematic. I used a single run of 5- or 6-core flex for my valves, can’t remember which, but you’d need more cores (or cables) than that.

I also took Cat 5 from the heat pump back to where my wiring centre and Homely are installed, using one pair for modbus to the Homely and one pair for the tank temperature sensor. You don’t need to use the “official” Grant sensor btw, you can get a 5-pack of the correct type from Amazon for less than Grant charge for a single sensor (or I can post you one as I now have 4 spare!)