Show and tell, eh? OK, here goes.

I've got a Mitsi Ecodan and, as a unit, it works brilliantly; I've no complaints. The app, however, is a totally different story. They call their app Melcloud and strictly speaking that covers both the app you install on the phone, the browser-based web application so you can use it from your PC and all the behind-the-scenes cloud-based stuff that supports it.

• The functionality is dated and limited, and the user interface is clunky.
• There are areas of the heat pump's configuration that, if set at the console unit, are not communicated to Melcloud and therefore are not visible in the app nor even known about or taken into account by the cloud systems or anything that interacts with them (this would include third party tools like Havenwise, incidentally).
• Getting information out based on historical data is limited to a set number of predefined reports, none of which allow you to actually download the displayed or underlying data for your own ad-hoc analysis.
• On a plus side, there is an official integration into Home Assistant and, I believe one for OpenHAB. Given the install base of Ecodans, I'd be surprised if there weren't well supported integrations into other home management systems too. On the down side, the integration - at least as provided - has stopped reporting some pretty fundamental info such as energy in/out. As a result, I simply use Excel and call the underlying Melcloud API directly to get that info for analysis - yes, the data's there, just not well exposed.

My installers originally set the unit up to run under weather compensation, so I've had very little inclination to want to "control" it; it works very well with me just leaving it alone and consistently returns a decent SCOP. As a result, I rarely open the app and only look at the Melcloud bits of Home Assistant to check what the heat pump's doing at any given time. The only time I actually need to use the app is when Octopus advertise a saving session, at which point I use the app to schedule in advance a start and end time for putting the heat pump into holiday mode (turn it off 15 mins before the saving session and back on 15 minutes after the session has ended - the number of 90 minute holidays we've taken is rather stretching the idea of "going on a short break").

In short, the app is at least functional but a big corporation like Mitsubishi should be getting pretty embarrassed at how much they've neglected keeping it up with modern requirements.

Like @majordennisbloodnok I have the Mitsi Ecodan and Melcloud. Melcloud sucks, and the major sums it up very well, particularly in his last paragraph.

Enough said.

I will be pushing the button to activate my Havenwise account as soon as my CH becomes active. Hopefully, that will provide better efficiency of the system itself and the data available.

Posted by: @morgan

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Like @majordennisbloodnok I have the Mitsi Ecodan and Melcloud. Melcloud sucks, and the major sums it up very well, particularly in his last paragraph.

Enough said.

I will be pushing the button to activate my Havenwise account as soon as my CH becomes active. Hopefully, that will provide better efficiency of the system itself and the data available.

I'm using Havenwise with an Ecodan system.  I'm happy with it as a means to run the heating, but the reporting within the Havenwise app is currently very limited.  It provides a rolling 7 day snapshot of estimated cost, along with a basic CoP calculation for the same period, split between DHW and Heating, with a total energy consumption and output.  You can scroll back by week to see the history, but it's limited to the same 7-day rolling blocks.

The cost calculation is based on your energy tariff, so will overstate the estimated spend if energy is being consumed from a battery, rather than the grid, so is essentially a 'maximum' figure.

I find I'm more reliant on MELCloud for anything more configurable in terms of analysis, and I agree with all the criticisms of it in @majordennisbloodnok's post.

I'm a satisfied user of Havenwise, and wouldn't want to put you off using it, but don't get your hopes up with regard to the data you'll get from their app.

@morgan Not sure if you have done so but, if not, have a look at the Mel Pump app for Mitsubishi.

It is chargeable but so much better than Mel-Cloud.

Posted by: @richard24738

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@morgan Not sure if you have done so but, if not, have a look at the Mel Pump app for Mitsubishi.

It is chargeable but so much better than Mel-Cloud.

@richard24738 

thank you, I shall a look. Not heard of it until now.

Posted by: @richard24738

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@morgan Not sure if you have done so but, if not, have a look at the Mel Pump app for Mitsubishi.

It is chargeable but so much better than Mel-Cloud.

You've mentioned that before, @richard24738, and it does look good. However, I do have a security concern about it that would make me rather cautious.

@majordennisbloodnok Thanks. Not sure what your security concern is.

I only use it for reporting and do not use any of the facilities to manage my pump.

I do not want any reliance on the internet to control my pump and only program from the FTC6 controller.

We use the Vaillant app and it does everything we need. Weather compensation and now the parameters can be adjusted on the app too. There are 3 modes, simple WC only the outside temperature controls it, WC which switches off when the room is already warm enough, (useful for solar loading), plus room influenced which is our winter setting it uses internal temp too.

My only niggle is the algorithm on room temperature doesn’t have a large enough room influence and I have to increase the WC parameter in the coldest weather.

@judith Being able to adjust the weather compensation and room influence through the app sounds like a nice feature. We have to go into the installer level menu on the indoor unit to access that stuff. We do have the ability to alter the room influence factor when in there, though. It can be set as high as a 5x multiple of the room temperature deviation (so if the room temp is off by a degree, the flow temp changes by 1-5, depending on the number set). Is there any similar option for Vaillant?

Posted by: @richard24738

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@majordennisbloodnok Thanks. Not sure what your security concern is.

I only use it for reporting and do not use any of the facilities to manage my pump.

I do not want any reliance on the internet to control my pump and only program from the FTC6 controller.

It looks quite interesting and, like you, I'd only want the reporting features from it as I'm already using Havenwise to manage the heat pump.  Not sure if will be compatible alongside Havenwise but will likely research further.  Thanks for the heads up on this, as I'd not heard of it previously.

I am currently refining my own smart controller for my Grant Aerona3 R32 as it has practically prehistoric controls I am now addicted to ESP32 devices! I have made a few variants Power over Ethernet, usb powered, purely modbus read write, modbus with relays, Wi-Fi, wired etc and am currently working on a simple user interface on a waveshare ESP32-S3 7 inch touch screen. This will give a simple control to raise or lower the weather compensation curve via the display below.

this unit will also feed into my Home Assistant set up giving me granular control/monitoring of the unit. The Grant Aerona3 has various terminals on the PCB that require relays to trigger them such as low tariff mode, night mode (great for if your heat pump is oversized as it allows you to limit the compressor),  dual set-point (allows you to have a second heating curve  save you messing around with your main settings if you need a boost in the heating) and DHW manual override (handy if you want to boost you hot water remotely).

I am still testing things and may need a second device to handle relays but it has been a fun journey.