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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 2174
Topic starter 27/10/2024 1:14 pm  
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Being somewhat of a nerd when it comes to renewable energy, I was very keen to ensure that our newly installed heat pump not only kept us warm but also ran as efficiently and effortlessly as possible.

For these reasons, when we had our Daikin EDLA08 8kW monobloc air source heat pump installed, I was eager to have a smart controller. I believed it would further enhance the efficiency of the heat pump, without the fuss or faff.

At the time of installation, the Homely team informed me they were working on the integration for my pump, but that it would take a few months before a suitable controller became available.

In November 2023, our installer arrived with a package consisting of the Homely controller, a ‘node’ (a small rectangular case containing a temperature probe, battery, and other sensing electronics) that communicates with the controller via Zigbee, various connectors, two 13-amp plug-type PSUs for powering the system, a terminating resistor for the network connection, and a D.Comm unit for communicating between Homely and Daikin.

The installation was straightforward for the installer, involving two connections (P1 and P2) into the back of the Daikin MMI controller panel and some wiring into the D.Comm unit. The terminating resistor was fitted, and configuring the myriad of dip switches on the D.Comm completed the setup.

Homely required the Daikin MMI controls to be reset to a default state before powering up Homely and allowing it to ‘do its thing.’ During this time, the unit communicates with the heat pump and sets a range of parameters as a starting point. This setup takes about 20 minutes, after which Homely begins monitoring the system and communicating with the node, which is recommended to be placed in a living or relaxing area.

The Homely smart controller then tweaks the heat pump system’s parameters to optimise performance and continues to ‘learn’ the system for a week or more. It improves factors like flow and return temperatures, the time it takes for the room to warm or cool, and it even accounts for weather forecasts, air temperature changes, and solar gain.

Of course, there’s an app (available for iOS and Android via WiFi and internet), allowing users to set up their heating and hot water schedules for individual days. The app also accommodates Time of Use (TOU) tariffs, letting Homely calculate the best times to run the pump to take advantage of lower electricity rates. You can configure preferences for temperature stability, allowing Homely to adjust the system to maximise efficiency and minimise overall energy bills. It’s like micro-managing your heat pump’s operation without having to do so manually.

My Homely smart controller has been in use for a year now and has worked extremely well. There were a few minor teething problems in the early days (I believe mine was the first Daikin pump of this type with a secondary pump fitted with a Homely controller), but the Homely Technical Support team were friendly, helpful, and quick to resolve all the issues I raised.

The performance of the heat pump has been excellent, providing all the warmth we need, with Homely at the helm, ensuring this comfort is delivered economically.

Our registered installer has access to EverGreen Energy’s Connect app, which allows them to monitor the system’s performance parameters. Unfortunately, this app isn’t available to end users unless they are registered installers with EverGreen Energy, who produce the Homely Smart Controller. I’m hopeful this will change, allowing more savvy users to access and monitor their system’s performance.

Overall, I’m confident leaving Homely to do its job, but I can’t help checking the app’s controls occasionally—just like I enjoy keeping an eye on my solar PV production! 


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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Homely
 Potatoman
(@potatoman)
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Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 57
27/10/2024 6:08 pm  

Hi Toodles, only had my Homely a few days, could you tell me how to alter the user parameters in the Homely, eg if you want to change electticity tariff etc


This post was modified 12 months ago by Mars

   
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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
Illustrious Member Contributor
Joined: 3 years ago
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Topic starter 27/10/2024 7:39 pm  

@potatoman Open app, select ‘more’ at bottom right, select Update Account Details,  and enter your email and password and press enter, you can then choose between Account Security, Update your Tariff, Change your Homely Mode, select and continue. Regards, Toodles.


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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 Potatoman
(@potatoman)
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27/10/2024 7:51 pm  

@toodles Thats great ,thanks


This post was modified 12 months ago by Mars

   
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 Clive
(@Clive)
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27/10/2024 11:19 pm  

Shame that Homely isn't available for Nibe.



   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
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Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 3593
27/10/2024 11:50 pm  

@clive, I’m surprised too, but they are trying to roll it out on more and more brands, so it may just be a matter of time. Homely will be on our podcast this Friday, so I’ll ask about NIBE plans.


This post was modified 12 months ago by Mars

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 Mike H
(@mike-h)
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28/10/2024 1:40 pm  

Posted by: @editor
↑

Homely will be on our podcast this Friday, so I’ll ask about NIBE plans.

One thing that I would like to know is whether Homely can control the way that LWT changes when the heat pump starts up. Does it just tell the ASHP that the target LWT is 'X' and leave the ASHP to achieve that value? Or does it control the compressor speed (directly or indirectly) so that the target LWT is achieved in the most efficient way. For example, I have noticed that on some days, when the instantaneous COP settles to around 4.5 once in a steady state, the start up period can vary considerably. On some days, the COP will drop down below 2.0 before recovering and on other days it won't go below 4.0. I have found that running it in quiet mode for the first 20 minutes and then switching to normal mode makes the start up period much more efficient. I am considering having Homely installed, but would like it to make my start ups more efficient. This is because I use setbacks during the day and at night.
Having experimented with different target LWTs, I believe that it would be possible to automate more efficient start ups using modbus. I suspect that Homely could do this much better than I could, but I am not sure if they do it routinely or would agree to do it if not. Perhaps you could ask them?


This post was modified 12 months ago by Majordennisbloodnok

   
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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
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Topic starter 28/10/2024 3:14 pm  

@mike-h Don’t know if this is of any help to you mike-h, I have a Daikin 8kW controlled by Homely and I am attaching a graph from a start-up and run just after 02:00 this morning (28th Oct.) It is fairly mild so not representative of a mid-winter night but may give you an idea of start-up behaviour.

I find that, upon a start-up, the compressor runs on very low current for several or more minutes and gradually ramps up so that the pump might be drawing 0.9 - 1.5 kW after approx. 10 minutes then gradually drops back to perhaps 0.5 - 0.6 kW.

All this may not be of much help - but I live in hope and look forward to the Q&A! Regards, Toodes.

IMG 0930

 


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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 IanMK13
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Posts: 194
28/10/2024 5:30 pm  

@editor   Considering the performance of Vaillant units on HeatPumpMonitor.org, I'd have thought Homely should be looking to support those, too.


This post was modified 12 months ago by IanMK13

   
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Majordennisbloodnok
 Majordennisbloodnok
(@majordennisbloodnok)
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28/10/2024 5:57 pm  

@ianmk13, Vaillant and Mitsubishi are two obvious examples of manufacturers who provide add-on modules for people wanting RS485/modbus connectivity. Since Homely is designed around a local wired connection - I believe RS485 - that would mean an extra complication during the installation. Purely a guess on my part but it wouldn't surprise me if Homely were concentrating on other manufacturers that are easier to service and leaving Vaillant and Mitsi for the moment. I could be wrong, of course, but I wouldn't blame them....


This post was modified 12 months ago by Majordennisbloodnok

105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat"


   
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Toodles
 Toodles
(@toodles)
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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 2174
Topic starter 28/10/2024 6:06 pm  

@majordennisbloodnok Another question for the Q&A session perhaps @editor ? Toodles.


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
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Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 3593
28/10/2024 9:24 pm  

I need to take notes... loads of questions materialising here. 😀 


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