Do I need to go back to a dumb thermostat?

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1

Hello.

Background: I installed ecobee4 prior to HE. Worked like a charm with the sensors, et al. However, my one HVAC was leaving hot/cold spots/rooms. Not much different than a 7-day programmable tstat (with the nice exception of knowing if someone was home, and adjust the temps from the Away setting).

I then migrated a disparate collection of connected devices to HE. But those darn hot/cold spots. I was determined to solve that. So, next up, I purchased and installed Keen vents near the end of this summer, so I wasn't able to really tweak how the whole system was working (HE, Keen, ecobee).

Process:
I then set up each vent as a device. I also have a temp/humidity sensor in each room, which were tied in as a device as well. Then each room has a Virtual Thermostat which works in conjunction with the sensor. Finally, each room has a Thermostat Scheduler.

Result:
(Assume heating) So, for each room, if the setpoint (configured in the Thermostat Scheduler app) is higher than the actual room temp, the ecobee is summoned to turn on, the vents open and heat fills the room until the setpoint is reached. If another room needs the heat, this room's vent will close while the ecobee is on, heating the other room(s).

Issue:
So, while it's been chilly outside (40s-60s here in Michigan), I've had the ecobee set only in the Away mode at 62º. This seems to have been comfortable, and has eliminated the hot/cold spots in the house (actually, they are there, but by design...bedrooms cold during the day, and the living room cold in the middle of the night).

However, now that it's getting into the 20ºs-30ºs, something is not right. The setpoint for, say the family room is 68º but it never reaches that. It's just cold. The furnace isn't continuously running, which is good.

So, I decided to set the ecobee4 to 70º thinking that the ecobee is still controlling the running of the furnace based on it's or it's one sensor, and the result was that the family room was well above the setpoint. No virtual tstats are set above 69º. As I'm typing this out, the furnace is running as one bedroom's Temp is below it's setpoint, so it makes sense that the furnace is on -- and only this one room's vents are open. Now the furnace has shut off, but that one bedroom is still below the setpoint, and I go look at my ecobee, and it's now at 70º -- so it sure seems that the ecobee still thinks it's the boss. [edited this paragraph for clarity.]

I guess I need to set the ecobee to basically be a dumb tstat -- just let the HE send commands when to turn the heat on/off. Is this the correct assumption? Do I need a connected, but dumb tstat? Or can I set ecobee4 to just run when it receives commands from HE (based on the various apps, devices, and modes that I've set up. If I can keep the ecobee, any suggestion on the settings it will need?

Thanks much.

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I would do that. Make rules to run the heating.

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If you have a room that is always cold, while the other rooms are fine, there is usually a good reason... And compensating for it by raising the overall temperature and redirecting the airflow can lead to very large heating bills.

Lack of, or damaged, insulation in walls or ceilings is usually the prime suspect.
Check for:

  • missing insulation in the attic area above the affected room
  • missing insulation in the exterior walls (interior walls, where there is insufficient insulation, will feel noticeably colder than areas that have sufficient insulation)
  • damaged mortal in exterior brickwork that may be allowing cold to enter/heat to escape
  • damaged areas at the exterior and interior wall sills that can be allowing cold air to infiltrate under the rooms floor
  • signs of damage to the roof that can allow water to infiltrate into exterior walls (water damage can cause insulation in the exterior wall to sag and allow heat to escape)
  • signs of damage to the roof that can allow wildlife infiltration (wildlife will gather the insulation to use as nesting material)

If you can't find anything obvious, you can usually rent a thermal imaging camera from your local big box store. The thermal camera will show clearly where the source of the cold is in the room. You can then determine how to solve the problem...

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I don't have any Rule Machine rules set up, because I believe that the Keenect app is controlling that (i.e. providing the rules). I guess I'm wondering if the ecobee4 is also being "smart" and using its "brain" to control the heating cycles (which it was designed to do).

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Thanks for the reply.
I don't think I stated my issue well enough for you. When I say cold, it's never hitting the setpoint set in the Thermostat app because, I believe, that ecobee4 isn't set that high, no naturally, it would never get to the setpoint. But the room isn't "freezing" or anything, it's just that the thermostat isn't turned up high enough.

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Ok, so it's not KeenectLite that's controlling the tstat, but I think that the Thermostat Scheduler should be controlling the ecobee4.

But regardless, if it's RM Rules or Thermostat Scheduler, I guess I'm stuck at how to configure the ecobee so that it listens to HE

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