Feature Request | Thermostat Controller

[user5092]

I love the functionality of the Thermostat Controller app, but I've run into an issue. I'm using it to control an inverter heat pump and some of the functions don't work great for that.

The inverter heat pump unit is designed to intelligently adjust the heating and cooling output based on the room temperature and setpoint. That's where much of the efficiency comes from. Unfortunately, the unit's thermostat doesn't automatically change between heating/cooling modes. I like in Oklahoma and we often have days that require heating in the early morning and cooling in the evening. So, I was hoping to use the Thermostat Scheduler app in conjunction with the Controller app to automatically switch between modes and set the setpoints automatically. But, the Thermostat Controller app has the "control offset" which causes the unit to turn off completely instead of ramp down and stay on at a low level when it satisfies the setpoint.

In case I'm not explaining this well, here's basically what I'm hoping to accomplish:

Settings:
Cool Setpoint: 74
Heat Setpoint: 69

Functionality:
When room temp rises above 74 degrees, the unit is set to cool mode and the cool setpoint is set to 74. When the room temp falls below 69 degrees, the unit is set to heat mode and the heat setpoint is set to 69. That's it. No adjusting the setpoint unless the temperature crosses the opposite setpoint.

So, basically I think I'm asking for the ability to disable the "control offset" so that the Thermostat Controller app doesn't adjust the set points and doesn't "idle" the unit.

Thanks for considering this!

[bravenel]

You didn't explain why you are using Thermostat Controller for this. Do you have multiple temperature sensors involved? Is there a conventional thermostat involved? The main principle of Thermostat Controller is to take over a conventional thermostat and force it to behave in certain ways, pre-empting its own sensor driven logic. What you're describing sounds like Auto mode for a conventional thermostat. Does the thermostat involved not support auto mode?

[user5092]

That's correct the thermostat involved does not support an auto mode. So, I'm wanting to use Thermostat Scheduler with Thermostat Controller to have a heat and a cool setpoint for each scheduled time and the app would manage which mode and setpoint to set based on current temperature.

[bravenel]

Are there multiple sensors involved? If not, just use a rule to control thermostat mode directly on the thermostat, thus giving yourself auto functionality. You'd only need Thermostat Controller if you're trying to average multiple sensors, and it's a rather rare situation where that makes sense.

[user5092]

I would like to use multiple sensors, but it's not essential.

I also really like the interface of the Thermostat Scheduler. Is there a way to make a rule that will do all of this based off of the schedules in the Thermostat Scheduler app?

[user5092]

I think I was able to make a rule that will do what I'm hoping. Please let me know if you know of a better way to do this. Thanks for your help!