Thermostat Scheduler - Use Feels-Like Temperature

[dean]

I have observed (suffered from) that the use of only temperature to set a thermostat is frequently inadequate. It can be 80 degree F and feel perfectly fine... or it can be 80 degree F and feel horrible because the humidity is also high. As you may know there are multiple methods for calculating a more realistic "feels like" temperature. These include the National Weather Service (NWS) Heat Index, the Steadman Apparent Temperature, and others. I would like to be able to use a feels-like temperature (rather than the actual temperature) against the set points to determine when heating and cooling should be applied.

The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a "heat Index" Heat Index that uses both temperature and humidity to determine the Heat Index, the resulting value is more akin to what humans are feeling, and may want to use to activate heating or cooling.

It would be so great if you could modify the Thermostat Scheduling app to provide the option to calculate and use a feels-like value rather than just the temperature. In addition to the Temperature data source, you would need to have the User also provide the Humidity data source, and then calculate the feels-like, and use that feels-like value (rather than the temperature) for determining when the heating/cooling should be activated.

[bravenel]

@dean

I would like to be able to use a feels-like temperature (rather than the actual temperature) against the set points to determine when heating and cooling should be applied.

Assuming that you can come up with the feels-like temperature somehow, this could be done using Thermostat Controller, with it being between Thermostat Scheduler and the real thermostat. Thermostat Controller allows the use of other temperature "sensors" to determine when to call for heating or cooling. In this case, the "sensor" would be the feels-like temperature, expressed through a virtual temperature sensor with a computed value. How you get that computed value is a separate matter.

Thermostat Controller introduces a virtual thermostat into the mix. It acts like a conventional thermostat with setpoints and temperature inputs, and calls for heating or cooling as you'd imagine it would. Behind the scenes, it takes control of your real thermostat, forcing it to do its bidding as to when to heat or cool. The real thermostat becomes a dumb device no longer making decisions. The Thermostat Controller thermostat can be put into Thermostat Scheduler, just like you have your real one now, replacing the real one. So you'd still be able to schedule it as you do now, but the temps would come from the feels-like derived value, not the real thermostat's temperature (although that can be an input to the calculation of feels-like temp).

[dean]

@bravenel

Assuming that you can come up with the feels-like temperature somehow, this could be done using Thermostat Controller,

I kind of thought that Thermostat Controller would be able. But I have no idea how to "come up" with the number within Hubitat. Mathematically, it is not too difficult. I think you could put the entire NWS Heat Index chart into an array and not have to do any math. Could this be a virtual driver? And even if it could, I don't have the programming skills to do it.

Anyway, my thinking was this...

• Inclusion of a feels-like is included in pretty much every weather application. They are in common usage.

• Having a fixed thermostat/temperature set point really doesn't make sense, as the set point needs to be changed based on the humidity.

• The purpose of Home Automation is to make your life easier and more enjoyable. So I was hoping that you (Hubitat) would incorporate this functionality into the Thermostat Scheduling app so that all could benefit from this feature.

[marktheknife]

Take a look at this thread:

Using indoor dew-point and node-red to control temperature/relative humidity

This might interest those living in areas with high humidity and high heat (sticky weather), like me. The background to this post is that I have been controlling my thermostat using a NR flow that uses the average temperature in my house, shifting the set-point down by 3 degrees when the average exceeds the set-point; when the average is lower than the set-point by 1 degree, the central AC is turned off by raising the set-point to be 5 degrees above ambient. Different set-points were used for H…

Ashok uses node red but that’s not the only option.

[bravenel]

@dean

The purpose of Home Automation is to make your life easier and more enjoyable. So I was hoping that you (Hubitat) would incorporate this functionality into the Thermostat Scheduling app so that all could benefit from this feature

Sure, but there's no 'standard' way to do this. We can't predict what devices a user might have, or want to incorporate into such a calculation. Perhaps a community developed app may be done, but given that you are the very first person to ever request this or even raise it as a subject (that I'm aware of), it's hardly going to make a priority list for us to work on.