I went with a more passive solution. I have a fairly regular schedule, for full disclosure. I just bought a few wifi sensors and placed upstairs and downstairs and monitor it. I then set a schedule on my thermostat to reasonable values and have my remote sensors set to +/- 2 degrees with a pop up alert if they don't meet the schedule that I programmed which is worth noticing. No wifi thermostats, just ones that will probably last 15-30 years. The older I get more I grow tired of squeezing out that last 5% of value for 90% more effort and I appreciate the old ways, turning off lights when I leave a room. Unplugging things when I'm not using them. The one automated thing I do appreciate though is my security and camera system, those have actually proven valuable over time and well worth the effort to self install.
DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
21–28 of 28 posts
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#22You don't need the AI generated picture at the top of that article.
It is a nice touch tho
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#23I went with a more passive solution. I have a fairly regular schedule, for full disclosure. I just bought a few wifi sensors and placed upstairs and downstairs and monitor it. I then set a schedule on my thermostat to reasonable values and have my remote sensors set to +/- 2 degrees with a pop up alert if they don't meet the schedule that I programmed which is worth noticing. No wifi thermostats, just ones that will…
Yup. Twiddlybobs look nice and gain WAF, but a thick mesh of sensors and a plan work a lot better. Zigbee TRVs are a good midpoint for balancing monitoring and control.
FWIW I still use Hive for boiler control but HA overrides that locally for fine control.
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#24So at the end of the day -- I understand this is a satisfying project to undertake. Operationally how is it functioning through the winter and how much upkeep is required from you? I've looked at doing something similar for my home system but the LOE + upkeep make me think the reward to work ratio isn't right. That said I also know that I probably can't find anyone to help build the proper system at my house -- so it…
After I finished debugging the prototype, it required literally zero maintenance throughout the winter. Actually we were not living at the house at all, contractors doing remodelling work were living there instead. I installed a LCD screen with basic temperature controls and they had no problem with it whatsoever.
Doing this project from start to finish took me 2 or 3 months on and off, mostly during the weekends.
Doing it right yourself is the exact solution I arrived at myself :) I was shocked to discover how low the average technical level of local contractors is. I was super lucky to find a highly professional guy to overhaul the pipework, but anything more complicated I had to study on my own. Luckily, there is a ton of youtube videos, so the only thing you actually need is time.
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#25So at the end of the day -- I understand this is a satisfying project to undertake. Operationally how is it functioning through the winter and how much upkeep is required from you? I've looked at doing something similar for my home system but the LOE + upkeep make me think the reward to work ratio isn't right. That said I also know that I probably can't find anyone to help build the proper system at my house -- so it…
Also do you have any concerns about software maintainability say 10-20-30 years from now? Can someone else pick up this system and run it if you sell your house?
Maintainability is a concern that I haven’t figured out yet :) Right now my plan is to replace my DIY thermostat with off the shelf device suitable for my boiler when we sell the house. All the advanced features will be lost, but this still is the average expected level of automation in the area :)
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#26Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#27I had no idea people can get degrees with just PID controller. On top of that, people actually just eyeballing the coefficient in practice lol.
https://web.archive.org/web/20240415040111/https://s3.filebi...
Re: DIY Wi-Fi thermostat from scratch with ESPHome and Home Assistant
#28So at the end of the day -- I understand this is a satisfying project to undertake. Operationally how is it functioning through the winter and how much upkeep is required from you? I've looked at doing something similar for my home system but the LOE + upkeep make me think the reward to work ratio isn't right. That said I also know that I probably can't find anyone to help build the proper system at my house -- so it…
After I finished debugging the prototype, it required literally zero maintenance throughout the winter. Actually we were not living at the house at all, contractors doing remodelling work were living there instead. I installed a LCD screen with basic temperature controls and they had no problem with it whatsoever. Doing this project from start to finish took me 2 or 3 months on and off, mostly during the weekends. Do…
Well done on the maintenance part! I think you are really helping me out a lot as I may not be up to the same level of effort for redoing our heating system.
It seems like this kind of think should be very doable in the industry but capability seems to be the big challenge.