What thermostat are you using?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by TurdFerguson

its just a pain to be flipping vents trying to find that balance - ive done it over and over again. The challenge is that i need the front AND the back to be comfortable (master + kids). What we really need are smart flaps within the duct system that are tied to remote temp sensors. A good network of those sensors could really help construct a heat loss model for someones house, directing heat/cold where its needed and makes a difference. The right smart tstat system, leveraging this model, could then actually achieve total home comfort instead of peaks and valleys of comfort.

or we all just wear suites that regulate the personal environment for us.

There are some smart vents.

https://keenhome.io/
https://www.ecoventsystems.com/smart

The second one is interesting because it senses pressure in the system.

I have a Nest. If I were to do it again I would probably pick the Lyric or the Ecobee. Nest has some nice features but some times it tries to be a little to clever and wears its little battery down so much that it has less features than Otto-Matic's slidy leaver thermostat.

[CrunchBite]

Have you guys with the Nest and other smart thermostats actually seen the reduction in heating costs they claim?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Well crap. Stoopid ancient furnace doesn't have the required C wire. Completely forgot current thermostat has batteries in it. Now I have to decide if it's worth trying to add one or just returning for a regular thermostat.

Stoopid old house with stoopid old stuff........

Are you able to fish a new wire from the furnace to the thermostat? Or perhaps relocate the thermostat to a wall that allows you to fish a new one?

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Well crap. Stoopid ancient furnace doesn't have the required C wire. Completely forgot current thermostat has batteries in it. Now I have to decide if it's worth trying to add one or just returning for a regular thermostat.

Stoopid old house with stoopid old stuff........

The ecobee comes with a solution for this, its called the Power Extender Kit.

https://www.ecobee.com/2015/10/featu...ender-kit-pek/

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by CrunchBite

Have you guys with the Nest and other smart thermostats actually seen the reduction in heating costs they claim?

No. Mine was installed partway through a prorated month. Then basement development happened. I don't know what the baseline is. I believe these smart thermostats are supposed to save you a few bucks a month. Honestly speaking though, I think the fact you can tweak the thermostat in bed with your phone is worth the admission price into wifi enabled thermostats. Many of the other features are just convenience things you can probably program into many regular thermostats. Nest sends me emails stating my baseline temperature is below most other regular nest users though. But I don't know if that actually saves me money vs a regular thermostat. It's just a habit thing.

Friends and family often comment, "You pay what for utilities?" I don't know if that's Nest, new home efficiency vs older home or both.

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Well crap. Stoopid ancient furnace doesn't have the required C wire. Completely forgot current thermostat has batteries in it. Now I have to decide if it's worth trying to add one or just returning for a regular thermostat.

Stoopid old house with stoopid old stuff........

Are you sure?
The C wire isn't connected to our furnace, but it is wrapped around the wire bundle that holds all the other wires. Then I looked behind our old thermostat and I can see the other end of the wire tucked away.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Flames89

Are you sure?
The C wire isn't connected to our furnace, but it is wrapped around the wire bundle that holds all the other wires. Then I looked behind our old thermostat and I can see the other end of the wire tucked away.

Are you sure someone didn't just include an extra wire for AC or something in the future that you were able to take use of? My home is a new build and I don't have a C wire. Most articles I read say ironically, "Common wires/C wires" aren't common at all.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Are you able to fish a new wire from the furnace to the thermostat? Or perhaps relocate the thermostat to a wall that allows you to fish a new one?

Might be able to. Thermostat is more a less located directly above the furnace room. I'm not overly familiar with furnace electronics so not sure if I have a transformer on it that can deliver 24 volts.

Man, last weekend it was the doorbell (had to upgrade transformer on it to get the new one working) and this weekend it may be a furnace transformer. Learning lots!

[Fobby]

When I installed the ecobee at my house, the c wire isn't connected to the furnace. But the bundle of furnace wire has 8 cores. So I picked one, and wired it to the furnace. I used 2 more to wire my humidifier.

As for the price. Wait til black friday. So far ecobee has been consistent with black friday sale for the last couple of years where it included 2 extra sensors with the purchase of the base unit.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Man, last weekend it was the doorbell (had to upgrade transformer on it to get the new one working) and this weekend it may be a furnace transformer. Learning lots!

You could say that your weekend projects are... more than meets the eye.

I'll show myself out.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Hey oh!

[You Need a Thneed]

My Honeywell is capable of running everything on just two wires - that's all my house had.

There's a controller down in the furnace room where it gets split up into however many wires are required.

It works great, because I didn't have a fan switch either, like newer houses have, but I can control that from my thermostat (and app) as well.

[Scoopdogg]

Installed the EcoBee3 a few months back and had to use their extender kit as my old thermostat didn't have the C wire to power it. My house is 4 years old so I thought I wouldn't have to deal with the extender kit.

The install was actually quite simple with easy to follow instructions that came with the EcoBee.

Since the install I've had instances where I would lose connection and it wouldn't work. I would have to flip the breaker a few times to get it back up and running. I haven't (knock on wood) had any issues since I upgraded my internet to Shaw 150, not sure if the stronger wifi signal is helping or what, but its been working great lately.

I love the fact that I can mess with my wife and crank the AC or turn the heat off via their app while she's home. It's the small things in life that give me pleasure!!

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Are you sure someone didn't just include an extra wire for AC or something in the future that you were able to take use of? My home is a new build and I don't have a C wire. Most articles I read say ironically, "Common wires/C wires" aren't common at all.

You are probably right, though I would imagine an AC unit would require more than just one wire.

[BigNumbers]

I use the cobee 3 with the remote motion and temperature monitors. Amazing. Much better comfort and controls the humidistat. All of which the Nest can't do. And it's a Canadian company - really suggest going Ecobee!

[Fobby]

As I mentioned. Black friday came early. 299 for the bundle.

[BigNumbers]

[GoinAllTheWay]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

And it's a Canadian company - really suggest going Ecobee!

Good stuff, didn't know that. Always like to look for a Canadian solution first. I just picked up a dumb ol programmable thermostat for now. I'll get something fancy when we move into a house where it controls more than just the furnace.

I REALLY dig the idea of those self operating vents, that's slick. Combine that with a system that can monitor temperature in various rooms and you should have a pretty comfy house.

[DoubleF]

If I could do it all over again, I think I'd opt to give the Ecobee a try. Not that the Nest hasn't been excellent for me, but it seems the Ecobee is capable of doing much more than the Nest and looks a bit sexier. I may consider upgrading to the Ecobee when I install AC next year and give my parents my old Nest.

The Ecovent thing that Barnes posted is really interesting. But based on some articles saying it's $100 per vent and $200 for the hub... I'll wait till the prices come down.

[Street Pharmacist]

So I got an Ecobee3 for Christmas! I'm excited because I have Samsung Smartthings and an Amazon Echo so I can control a bunch of lights and my thermostat now by voice.


I don't know a c wire from an r wire. Can I change the thermostat or do I need a professional? Is it at all difficult?