Grant "Smart" controller or Homely?
My Grant Aerona 17R32 installed in Feb '24 has the basic Grant/Chofu control unit. The flow regulator on the return to the HP was omitted at installation (subject of a previous post from me) and in discussions with my installer to correct this he has suggested fitting the new Grant Smart control unit as a further improvement. From my research the benefits I can see over the basic Grant/Chofu controller are:
1. Fancy graphics. Nice but not essential.
2. Scheduling of UFH and DHW. Currently I can only schedule DHW via the separate Grant timer and am currently running on Octopus Cosy with TOU optimisation limited to what I can do with the Heatmiser room stats. (When I get the missing flow regulator fitted and hopefully reduce the current level of short cycling, my aim is a more continuously running open system with the room stats as maximum limiters but still optimising around the Cosy TOU for the DHW).
3. COP and SCOP data. Clearly a "must have" and not available from the Grant/Chofu basic controller.
4. Control and performance data via the Econet24 app. Remote control via the app. (not so important for me) but more importantly I believe data history and trend graphs are available, but without creating an account there doesn't seem to be much detail available on that.
Can anyone please share any experience of using Econet24 and what is available in terms of HP data and COP performance trends?
My installer is a Grant G1 registered engineer and has fitted Smart controllers on their new 290 range of HPs but has not done a Smart controller retrofit yet and is struggling to get info. from Grant on the wiring changes. Grant state they can be connected but in the guidance for a retrofit in their installation manual is vague to say the least!
Does anyone have any experience of having a Grant Smart controller retrofitted please?
The Grant wiring center drawings for the Chofu and Smart controllers are quite different and I am wondering if mine will need changing? With the retrofit looking a bit more complex and probably costing a fair bit more than the "around 300 quid" my installer had suggested, I am wondering if I would be better off having Homely fitted instead?
I understand I will get TOU scheduling with Homely plus management around solar gain which is would be very interesting as we have a good amount of south facing glazing and benefit from 3-5 degrees of gain on any reasonably sunny day. What I am unclear on is what data and COP trends are available via Homely. Could any Homely users advise please? (Did I read a previous post saying data is only available at Homely Installer access level?)
Overall does anyone have any advice please on going for Homely over the fairly limited (but probably acceptable) gains from the Grant Smart controller - but at probably a fair bit more than the cost of the Homely unit?
The Homely app itself is really just for setting and programming for, as you say, the Dashboard is the webpage to log into for a lot of the data. I am attaching a couple of screen shots to give an indication of what is available there. Elements may be switched on or off to display just what you wish to see and the COP is available at any time for the last few weeks but not long term data as best I can see. Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
@ Toodles,
Thank you for sharing your data screenshot, really helpful for me.
Am I correct in thinking the green "set temperature" line is the temperature that Homely is deciding is applicable at any point in time?
Also the grey "HP Actual Heating" legend appears to be masking over the "Estimated power input" line which is not so helpful.
I don't see COP as an option in all of those data legends. Is it possible to see that graphed over time like the other data sets, or only available as a value on the summary page that you shared?
Are you able to comment on how well Homely adapts to any solar gain in your environment?
@steam-powered The various parameters are all available separately or can be overlaid, as it happens, I usually reduce the items at any one time for clarity. As to the temperature, the straight lines that steps up and down indicate the settings I have set at those hours (and even now, this is still a work in progress as nighttime setbacks have little or no effect as you can see). Maybe this is a measure of our insulation I am not sure! I have my doubts though as heating is still applied occasionally during these times; I am discussing this aspect with Homely at present. I have found that any temperature setting tends to be regarded as the minimum level and that normally, the average will be a little higher. COP only appears in the summary but, you can select from the calendar which days you wish to include in the computation; 24 hours seems to be the smallest interval available though. Regards, Toodles.
Toodles, he heats his home with cold draughts and cooks his food with magnets.
- 26 Forums
- 2,153 Topics
- 47.3 K Posts
- 40 Online
- 5,673 Members
Podcast Picks
Latest Posts
-
RE: Midea ASHP – how to set weather compensation
HA does work for some, but I found it over-complicated,...
By cathodeRay , 4 minutes ago
-
RE: Failing heat pump system - seeking thoughts on a rebuild
I couldn't agree more. This is a case where you buy as...
By JamesPa , 3 hours ago
-
RE: Electricity price predictions
Community energy installations are a great idea, but th...
By Scalextrix , 17 hours ago
-
Inventor (Midea) Heat Pump short cycling advice
Hello, I have a Inventor (Midea) 8kW with a 800meters Φ...
By immunity , 17 hours ago
-
RE: Can you help with our research: solar panels, EV chargers, home batteries, heat pumps?
I have signed up as well. @belsnugg could you outline ...
By JamesPa , 1 day ago
-
RE: New Vaillant aroTherm Plus in black - When will it come to the UK?
Ooh, heat pumps in neon blue wrap 🤣 🤣 &...
By Old_Scientist , 1 day ago
-
@profzarkov Good to know in case it ever happens to me...
By bontwoody , 2 days ago
-
RE: Are Octopuses Slowing Consumer Adoption of Heat Pumps?
I mean, is this surprising? The local installers in my ...
By Alex , 2 days ago
-
@old_scientist sorry, I should have made it clear that ...
By GrahamF , 2 days ago
-
RE: Mitsubishi Ecodan 11kw Defrosting Issue.
@thundermink can you provide photos to illustrate your ...
By Morgan , 2 days ago
-
RE: Boiling Mad: Exposing Radiatorgate
Hi @Rob, I’d be more than happy to contribute. I have ...
By DREI , 2 days ago
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
@andris a great year - very happy with our system
By Profzarkov , 2 days ago
-
RE: A Customer's Lessons Learnt from a Heat Pump Installation in a Large House
After our rather lengthy meander off piste, I thought I...
By GrahamF , 2 days ago
-
RE: Ecodan software update. Real or scam?
@vinz86 Contact Mitsubishi and an engineer attends and ...
By ASHP-BOBBA , 3 days ago
-
@drei When I was in local government we were of cours...
By JamesPa , 3 days ago
-
RE: Heat Pump SCOPs – The Truth Might Not Be What You Think
Sufficient system volume is also essential for ensuring...
By Old_Scientist , 3 days ago
-
RE: Flexi-Orb Heat Pump Scheme: A Game-Changer for the UK's Heat Pump Industry
As someone who has suffered from a Heat Pump installati...
By DREI , 4 days ago
-
RE: What crazy nonsense are inverter limits and why are they imposed?
I’ve also got a dual fuel Rangemaster. We originally ha...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 4 days ago