I am looking for some options to either use my existing Ecobee thermostat or what new hardware to look for.
We currently use an Ecobee with remote sensors, heat pump, and humidifier. It works fine and I don't really have anything serious to complain about, but I am thinking about adding an additional accessory, a ventilator. Ecobee only has the ability to control 1, either a humidifier, de-humidifier, or ventilator.
Is there any way that the Ecobee can be used with both a humidifier and ventilator?
If not, what other thermostats would you recommend? My first preference would be to use a standalone thermostat that Hubitat can integrate with.
I use an Ecobee as well, but do not have my humidifier or ventilator connected to it. I think you've got some good options, but most will require some sort of 3rd party app or rule to control your accessory devices.
For example, the user app Ecobee Suite has several helper add-ons for things like vent fans, humidifier setpoints, etc. I can't say that I've used any of these, but i suspect they could be used with virtual switches or sensors to help coordinate the control of additional HVAC equipment with the Ecobee's operation.
I currently use Rule Machine to control my duct mounted whole-home humidifier. Right now I have it plugged into a smart plug to turn it on when humidity is low and the Ecobee is not in cooling mode. I'm planning to eventually remove the smart plug and use a ZEN17 relay in line with the duct pressure switch to start/stop the humidifier.
When I install the ZEN17, I'm also planning to add control of my ventilator unit. I don't run it often, but I'll consider automating it at that time. Right now I just run it manually from the wall controls.
Dehumidification isn't something we typically need where I live. Usually if the humidity is high, it's hot enough to run the air conditioner to reduce the humidity as well as the actual temperature.
EDIT: it may also be possible to enable the Ecobee to think it has control over all type accessory devices even though they're not physically connected to the thermostat. Still looking into this
Humidifier should be pretty easy. Simply use a relay (or power plug if it's plugged into the wall and not the board on the furnace) and use the ecobee's humidity attribute to turn the unit on/off.
I didn't see any simple way to "trick" my Ecobee into believing it has control over more than one accessory device, so it looks like that option is out.
Another though I had I briefly looked at is modifying a virtual thermostat app to control humidity rather than heating or cooling. This is probably trivial for someone with the skills to code an app, but that's not me. The one I looked at had over 1000 lines of code spread out across 2 apps and a driver....
If I were in your position, I'd connect the ventilator directly to the Ecobee. It has a bunch of built-in functions like economizing and venting-for-humidity-control that would be hard to duplicate using rules or other devices.
That would leave control of your humidifier up in the air, so to speak. Basic control (ON-OFF based on indoor humidity level) is pretty straightforward and can probably be handled in the Basic Rules app. Mine is done in Rule Machine and is a bit more complicated. I use a weather integration to look at the 3-day forecast and adjust my humidity levels based on the lowest temperature in the forecast. This helps be avoid condensation on my windows during the winter. This may or may nor be helpful in your area.
Dehumidifier control, if needed, could be similar.
I might try again to "hack" that virtual thermostat app/driver. It won't be complete, but maybe I can learn a bit by digging in under the hood. I wouldn't recommend you wait for me to make any progress....
I should have done a little more research. I have Ecobee Suite installed which may be my ticket. It has a humidity control and also vent and circulator options. I will need to do some playing here to see what I can do.
I looked those over last night. It looks like they dynamically update some of the setpoints within the Ecobee settings, but they don't directly control any external devices. The accessory device still needs to be connected to the Ecobee. But check it out for yourself...maybe you'll see something I missed. You could also reach out to the developer and see if he is interested in writing another "helper" for the suite.
So I quickly gave up on modifying a virtual thermostat into a humidistat, BUT I am working on adding humidity control to @nclark 's Advanced vThermostat app/driver. So far I have the child app code updated to allow the selection of humidity sensor(s), and to push the sensor values into the virtual device. I've alse been able to select outlets to control humidifiers and dehumidifiers, but haven't gotten around to controlling them yet. That will be next.
