Home Automation / HVAC

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unfrostedpoptart_IHB

New member
Hi all.



I wanted to start a discussion of issues related to home automation and heating and cooling. My house, built in 2000, in Northpark, has separate zones for AC/Heat for upstairs and downstairs. Unfortunately, we've been fighting constantly with thermostats and vents and window shades to try and keep the place at some sort of comfortable temperature. A big part is that the house points the wrong way: the big windows for the master suite, kitchen, and family room face south-west. I tried putting in roller sunshades outside the house, but they didn't hold up.



I've thought of putting in a bunch of electric dampers in the vents with local thermostats and some kind of controller. Anyone have a system like this? I also put in a bunch of X10 switches and controller for lighting (used to control sprinklers, too), but it's never been very reliable because of the size of the house. I've thought of moving to Insteon of Z-Wave, but they're much more expensive than X10 and have a much smaller selection of modules. Most of my in-wall modules are the special ones that can control CFLs, which I use for most of the house general lighting.



It would be great to just use Wi-Fi to control all the HVAC and lighting. Any (reasonably affordable) ideas on this? Anyone have a nice system in their house they'd be willing to show off?



Thanks,



David
 
[quote author="unfrostedpoptart" date=1228202080]Hi all.



I wanted to start a discussion of issues related to home automation and heating and cooling. My house, built in 2000, in Northpark, has separate zones for AC/Heat for upstairs and downstairs. Unfortunately, we've been fighting constantly with thermostats and vents and window shades to try and keep the place at some sort of comfortable temperature. A big part is that the house points the wrong way: the big windows for the master suite, kitchen, and family room face south-west. I tried putting in roller sunshades outside the house, but they didn't hold up.



I've thought of putting in a bunch of electric dampers in the vents with local thermostats and some kind of controller. Anyone have a system like this? I also put in a bunch of X10 switches and controller for lighting (used to control sprinklers, too), but it's never been very reliable because of the size of the house. I've thought of moving to Insteon of Z-Wave, but they're much more expensive than X10 and have a much smaller selection of modules. Most of my in-wall modules are the special ones that can control CFLs, which I use for most of the house general lighting.



It would be great to just use Wi-Fi to control all the HVAC and lighting. Any (reasonably affordable) ideas on this? Anyone have a nice system in their house they'd be willing to show off?



Thanks,



David</blockquote>


An once of prevention is worth 10 pounds of cure. Start with blocking the solar heat gain entering in from your south-west facing windows rather than dealing with the greenhouse effect heat trapped inside your home.



Grow fast columnar trees at the edge of your property to shade the windows as well as as installing tasteful Spanish Colonial style exterior awnings for all upper level windows and trellis arbor at the lower level with climbing vines such as Wisteria or trumpet vine for additional shading for your ground floor windows. You are so lucky that you actually have enough distance between you your neighbor in clearing the shadow of your neighbors house.
 
[quote author="Astute Observer" date=1228258162]You may want to talk to the www.smarthomes.com people off the Barranca/Jamboree right across from the District. They have the show room there, and some of the rep is actually pretty knowledgeable.



I agree with bk that you should try to limit the amount of heat getting inside you house. For the winter, I think it is a blessing that you can get some heat from the sun during the day time.



One of my neighbor use alum. foil to cover all his sun-facing window. I don't know if you want to do that to your house. A much more tasteful alternative is one of those films that you can get from hardware store that applies to the window. There are so many alternatives that it is hard to make any suggestions.</blockquote>


Thanks for the reply. I know Smarthome very well! I do agree, though, that passive shade is the best, first step (and will actually let me see the TV in the family room during the day!). I've attached a picture of the back of the house. You can see the remains of a couple of broken sun shades that I haven't pulled down yet. The right side first floor is the family room. The master bath is above it. We finally gave in and put some nice blinds up in the bath. We didn't want to hide the leaded glass windows, but it's like a blast furnace in there without them. The left side is the kitchen with the master bedroom above.



There used to be bushes all along the back where it's just dirt now. The landscaper used the wrong kind of plant that couldn't take the intense sun and the all eventually died. I thought of putting in some kind of tall, narrow plants to shade the first floor windows. However, I can't see having anything there tall enough to help with the master bath windows, and that leaves the master bedroom windows, anyway.



I think the aluminum foil is a bit over the top and would certainly get us nasty letters from our HOA in no time!
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Definitely not low end, but if you were going all out with HELOC'ed money, you'd want to go with AMX for <a href="http://amx.com/assets/literature/ChiarelloHome.pdf">complete home automation.</a>
 
Okay, I know rollar sades didn't work for you, but try the newer type of awnings. They look good and block the sun. You can adjust them to let the winter sun in and keep the summer sun out. By that picture your house is crying out for them.
 
[quote author="PadreBrian" date=1228465664]Okay, I know rollar sades didn't work for you, but try the newer type of awnings. They look good and block the sun. You can adjust them to let the winter sun in and keep the summer sun out. By that picture your house is crying out for them.</blockquote>


Are you saying the rear elevation of Richmond American's Huntington Plan 3 is ugly? I have to agree with you and this is the 4th most expensive house in all of Northpark with Taylor Woodrow's Cambria at the top 3.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1228800413][quote author="PadreBrian" date=1228465664]Okay, I know rollar sades didn't work for you, but try the newer type of awnings. They look good and block the sun. You can adjust them to let the winter sun in and keep the summer sun out. By that picture your house is crying out for them.</blockquote>


Are you saying the rear elevation of Richmond American's Huntington Plan 3 is ugly? I have to agree with you and this is the 4th most expensive house in all of Northpark with Taylor Woodrow's Cambria at the top 3.</blockquote>


Yeah - I think the front/side/courtyard of the plan 3 is the nicest of all the houses, but the back is just a big, flat, ugly thing.
 
[quote author="unfrostedpoptart" date=1228294506][quote author="Astute Observer" date=1228258162]You may want to talk to the www.smarthomes.com people off the Barranca/Jamboree right across from the District. They have the show room there, and some of the rep is actually pretty knowledgeable.



I agree with bk that you should try to limit the amount of heat getting inside you house. For the winter, I think it is a blessing that you can get some heat from the sun during the day time.



One of my neighbor use alum. foil to cover all his sun-facing window. I don't know if you want to do that to your house. A much more tasteful alternative is one of those films that you can get from hardware store that applies to the window. There are so many alternatives that it is hard to make any suggestions.</blockquote>


Thanks for the reply. I know Smarthome very well! I do agree, though, that passive shade is the best, first step (and will actually let me see the TV in the family room during the day!). I've attached a picture of the back of the house. You can see the remains of a couple of broken sun shades that I haven't pulled down yet. The right side first floor is the family room. The master bath is above it. We finally gave in and put some nice blinds up in the bath. We didn't want to hide the leaded glass windows, but it's like a blast furnace in there without them. The left side is the kitchen with the master bedroom above.



There used to be bushes all along the back where it's just dirt now. The landscaper used the wrong kind of plant that couldn't take the intense sun and the all eventually died. I thought of putting in some kind of tall, narrow plants to shade the first floor windows. However, I can't see having anything there tall enough to help with the master bath windows, and that leaves the master bedroom windows, anyway.



I think the aluminum foil is a bit over the top and would certainly get us nasty letters from our HOA in no time!





<img src="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/?ACT=25&fid=7&aid=193_5D0zCj1ddSbxDrkALhuk&board_id=1" alt="" /></blockquote>
What a difference when a nicer landscape can do for the same plan.



<img src="http://media.cdn-redfin.com/photo/46/bigphoto/808/S528808_8_8.jpg" alt="" />
 
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