This section contains a variety of articles related to home automation. Investigations of the Nest smart thermostat, the Emporia Vue 2 energy monitor and my experience purchasing, sizing and implementing dual-fuel house heating with a heat pump and existing furnace.
- Calculating actual variable costs for energyAs a discussion related to the economics and cross-over points for dual-fuel heating (natural gas and heat pump) the topic came up how to calculate costs of each energy source. While at first, it may seem obvious, there are a variety of costs that are variable (ie based on how much you consume) that are… Read more: Calculating actual variable costs for energy
- Implementing Dual-Fuel house heating (Heat pump)
Looking to upgrade my old Air Conditioner, I decided to go for a dual-fuel heating solution. Heat-pump for cooling and moderate heating with my existing natural gas furnace for heating at low temperatures. Does a Heat-pump work in a colder climate like Ottawa, Ontario, Canada? – YES! Even with a non-cold climate heat pump, about… Read more: Implementing Dual-Fuel house heating (Heat pump) - Emporia Vue 2 Energy Monitor
As I was switching my house heating to a dual-fuel system (replacing an old AC with a heat-pump and keeping my existing natural gas furnace), I figured it would be a good idea to add an energy monitor to see how much power I was actually using. After shopping around a bit and confirming a… Read more: Emporia Vue 2 Energy Monitor - A closer look at the Nest thermostat
I have been using a Nest in my home for several years and always wondered why certain seemingly simple features are not available. Recently, I decided to take a look at the API to see if I could make them work myself! Update April 3rd 2023 – Added a bit more information on temperature stability… Read more: A closer look at the Nest thermostat