So in the Northeast we are in the middle of a warm spell and I want to suspend the thermostat scheduler until it gets colder again in a couple of weeks. Is there a way to suspend the rules without delete all the rules I created?
I live in the middle of Canada and it can get extremely cold. I have rule machine adjust the setpoints in thermostat schedulers based on the outdoor temperature. You could also create a rule to set your furnace/ac into whatever state you desire. I don't think you can pause thermostat scheduler from an RM rule, but RM can set your furnace/ac into any mode you desire with any setpoints you desire, based on outdoor temperature.
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Thanks, I need to think through this a bit more.
There is a hold on/off command for thermostat scheduler in Rule Machine.
I use hold for my Workday heating schedule but you can also disable the scheduler with a virtual switch, which I use for Summer/Winter seasons.
Cool (forgive the pun). Do I want the hold on or off? Thanks so much.
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Hold 'on' is paused
Logically thinking, Hold should be hold a certain temperature setting. That is the way commercial thermostats work. It is a way to disable the scheduling until:
A. A set time for the hold to expire arrives.
B. Someone turns the hold off.
If this is the case, you would be manually setting a temperature for the thermostat and then telling it to hold that setting. If it is a heat setting, you can set the temperature to something below which you don't want the temperature to go below. If cooling, setpoint for a temperature you don't want to exceed. We do this at the Legion building and at the Church of which we are members. In the case of the Church's fellowship hall, it is not an automatic release. If someone sets a hold, that person needs to release the hold so the scheduler can work again.
With Hubitat, you have much more flexibility. You can create rules as suggested already. You have a lot more control. All that being said, why do you want to disable your scheduler? If you have your thermostat set, it won't run if it is warm/cool enough already.
I have several schedulers, some set with modes and some set with times. My workday schedules are disabled if my day off virtual switch is on and I use hold to pause the mode set schedules so they don't interfere on a workday.
I'm sure there's a better way to do it, this is just how my old mind works
Why - reasonable question. Ultimately, I am trying to figure out the best effiency between my gas furnace and my minisplits. New England weather is quite variably. The controllers are all zwave and I have been using them with homeseer where I had a bunch of rules set up. I could click a button to turn a rule on or off. Practically my minisplits run all the time unless I set the heat/cool mode to off. I know they do not use a lot of electricity when they are on and idle, but they do use some. Turning them off reduces that. Psychologically, I come from a manual control of the thermostat generation and the idea of the heat on when it is in the high 50s out, freaks the dad in me out a bit. I am trying Grizzle's suggestion for rules.
Thanks for the explanation, I appreciate it. If I just had a furnace and fuel was cheap, then it would be a bit easier, but I really trying to save this winter and achieve the best efficiency while still being comfortable.
In your case, the virtual switch to disable the scheduler sounds to me like your best option. Thanks for the explanation of your situation.
You can get a physical device that would trigger the rule. One of the Zigbee buttons would work. Set the button to toggle the virtual switch on or off. Then set the rule to suspend or resume your schedule. This one has a low price:
amazon.com/THIRDREALITY-Compatible-SmartThings-Assistant-Included/dp/B09ZQGZX3G/ I've had Third Reality devices for motion detection. I also have one of the switches (goes over a standard light switch) and several leak/drip detectors. They work well. I also have the Iris V2 buttons, but those are nearly impossible to find
Is a fan running on your mini-split systems when they are idle, or is it just the power use of the thermostat? If it is just the thermostat, you would be going through a lot of trouble to save an insignificant amount. What is the power use according to your owner's manual when the unit is idle? If you have a clamp-on ammeter, clamp it on one of the leads for the power and see how much power it uses when it is idle. Then you can use that information to decide if going through the trouble of making rules is worth it.
Thanks I use aeotec (spelling?) remotes; they are old but work great. I do like thirdreality products. I can always use voice commands to turn the heat off. Yes the fans run continuously if the minisplit is on, and the power use is minimal; but being retired I have time and I like experimenting so trying various things is not an issue. I tend to focus heating/cooling the room I am in. Mid afternoon for example, if it is very sunny out, I turn down the heat, but if it is damp, I turn it up. It is partially psychological. I do not feel as cold on a sunny day, even though the room temp might be the same as a dismal day.
Thanks. I did not know that the fan runs continuously. It seems like there should be an option to turn the fan off on the unit. either by the remote or by some setting. I don't have one so I can't experiment. I hope you find a workable solution.
Based on Grizle's suggestion of virtual button. I created a virtual thermostat and substitute it for the real ones when I want my system off. That way, I just need to substitute the real thermostat back in without needing to rewrite scheduler rules. So far so good.
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