Home HVAC question

tonyride

tonyride

Don't piss off the red guy
Don't know if this already exists so maybe there are HVAC professionals out there who can answer this question. So in cars now with automatic climate control you just set the temperature(s) you want in your car and it will either run the heater or the A/C depending on the temperature. Often times in the Spring or Fall during the course of the day the car will automatically turn on the heater or the A/C as needed. For example I like the temperature in my car to be 72°F. So in the morning when I go to work the car will automatically turn on the heater to bring the temp up to 72. Then when I go out at lunch time the car will turn on the A/C to cool the interior temp down to 72, etc. Cars have been doing this for well over 10 years. So my question is why can't home HVAC systems do the same? Set a comfortable temp and then have the thermostat turn on/off during the course of the day as needed, especially during this time of year where there's a drastic temperature difference in a 24-hour period? Or is there a system out there that can do this? Just wondering... and venting.
 
I'm no pro, i've wondered why this isn't more prevalent myself. Some quick googling shows a solution does exist. What you seek is an automatic changeover thermostat.
 
ChrisRU said:
I'm no pro, i've wondered why this isn't more prevalent myself. Some quick googling shows a solution does exist. What you seek is an automatic changeover thermostat.
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Thanks. I'll do a search. I had the entire home HVAC system replaced a couple of years ago and I was surprised to see that the fancy new touchscreen thermostat that came with the new system still didn't have that automatic feature. It has every other feature. I can set what temperature I want at what time of day, what day of the week, etc. It'll even remind me to replace the filter. Last night was a perfect example. It was nice during the day and we had the temperature set at 72° so we had to have the A/C turned on to get it down to that temperature. But at night the temperature dropped to below 60°. So naturally you'd think that smart thermostat would turn off the A/C and turn on the furnace to warm up the house. It did turn the A/C off but I had to go to the thermostat and manually turn the heater on even though the temperature was still set at 72°. OK, I'll stop venting now. Time to do some searching.
 
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What about Nest? I think Carrier has a new one out too. Wifi, control from anywhere type thingy. Probably $$$$ though.
 
it depends on the age of your system, thermostats and controllers, I'm not an installer, but recently replaced my two units with new furnaces and heat pumps for both heating and cooling. I don't think its as simple as replacing the thermostats. I currently have the iComfort wall tablets which allow both, I know previously I could only use one or the other, even with an upgraded stat. The heat pump works great and is even more efficient than my furnace despite using electric only. As long as it doesn't drop below 45, the furnace will only use the blower.
 
I have a couple of venstar thermostats in automagic mode as you describe. also internet connected.
outside temp gauge, and humidistat. not much in the brains department (ie, i don't think it uses outside
temp and the house's K value (i think it is K) to anticipate the inside demand - but it does auto switch.

maybe model t5900 and t5800
 
So I did a bit of research and found what you some of you mentioned. I replaced our furnace and central air about 3 or 4 years ago so it's still relatively new. Home Depot has a automatic changeover units from about $80 to $300. Someone mentioned Nest and that reminded me that my brother has that in his house but I need it keep it simple enough for my tech challenged wife to operate.
 
it may be easier if it is app driven -
the honeywell has auto, and can be put in a "basic" mode - where the screen is not cluttered at all.
basically set your high and low, and daily program.

i have no experience with nest.
 
Looks like there are plenty of choices and options out there now. So my next question is what took them so damn long? I'm recalling way back now to my second car in the late '80s. I recall now in my 1987 Celica GT-S the thermostat for the climate control had actual numbers instead of just a RED bar to the left for warm air and BLUE bar to the right for cool air. At first I didn't realize what the numbers represent until later when I actually got around to reading the owner's manual that the numbers represent the temperature you can set it to and the system will turn on the heater or A/C as needed. I thought it was the coolest thing. Also the sliding action of the thermostat felt a lot different (was smoother takes less effort) than the traditional lever or knob where it was mechanically linked to various vents and ducts and pulleys to regulate what type of air to let into the cabin and you can actually feel and hear things open and close in the dash. So unless there are other challenges and/or variables associated with keeping an entire house a certain temperature compared to the cabin of a car that I'm not aware of (not being an HVAC professional), I don't know why the auto changeover thermostat for the home wasn't made available much sooner.... even the non-WiFi enabled versions. Anyway, I'll be paying Home Depot a visit soon. Last night I had to go downstairs to turn on the heat again. I can't have my beauty sleep broken.
 
Any electronic thermostat with an "Auto" SYSTEM position (not FAN) will do it. I think mine is about 15 years old. Nothing high tech required....
 
Wobbegong said:
Any electronic thermostat with an "Auto" SYSTEM position (not FAN) will do it. I think mine is about 15 years old. Nothing high tech required....
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This is correct. If you've got a forced warm air system with A/C , all you need is a thermostat with an Auto mode. A Honeywell Vision Pro fits the bill, and if you add a red link system it can be remotely controlled. If you've got a split system with hydronic/hot water loops or steam heat and a separate A/C system it becomes a bit more problematic.
 
My current thermostat does have an auto setting but that's just for the fan. It's either On, Off, or Auto. It won't automatically switch from heat to cool and vice versa.
 
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