One of the main goals of this project is to have a very cost effective solution that everyone can use effectively. Thermocloud hardware is very economical and uses readily available components that can be used to quickly assemble a working unit very quickly and without much knowledge or expertise. For those of you who are hesitant or unwilling to do so, please contact us and we can help to arrange one for you to get started.
The hardware comprises a readily available Raspberry Pi and a zone hardware module. This module is essentially a readily available optocoupled relay interface board wired to the Pi and a terminal block. The wiring schematics are also quite straight-forward and available here. The simplicity of the hardware design should make it quite easy and very cost effective to put togather a working zone module very quickly.
In addition to this, you will need a dedicated Thermocloud client device. An old Android device should be readily available in most households and we designed this project to use such older devices as they can offer an elegant user interface and we strongly believe that we should repurpose these older devices instead of dumping them in our landfills. Please refer here for complete instructions on all Thermocloud hardware components.
No. This thermostat uses wiring similar to conventional thermostats. Thermocloud also offers an optional feature - the equlizer baffle that requires additional additional wiring if you choose to use it. Please refer here for the wiring details.
Thermocloud can operate any standard HVAC system - for your very old legacy system to the newest ones in the market. If there is a system that can be operated by a conventional thermostat, it can be operated by Thermocloud.
A single Thermocloud client can manage very large number of zones - you won't need another one. The software has been designed to have no real limit and the only restriction would be the processing power of the thermostat device. Since most thermostat operations are infrequent, such restriction would have minimal impact.
The zone module should be mounted anywhere in the zone where sensors can reliably detect temperature and humidity. If you are replacing your conventional thermosat, that location can also serve as a good location for mounting the zone module.
The thermostat Android device ideally does not need mounting. However, as a best practice, it must be permanently connected to a power adapter.
Thermocloud messages are short and not very frequent and therefore, you should barely experience any load on your local wifi network.
No. You are free to use this patented technology as described in the legal notices and disclaimers and license. The goal is to promote openness and innovation that will enable everyone to help conserve energy and empower everyone to do their part in making our world a better place.
The goal was always to make it freely available to everyone and patenting it made it pragmatic to ensure that the critical aspects of the project could gain timely protection and remained viable for release as open source project.
Absolutely. We hope you can also help us improve Thermocloud so that we can help everyone around the globe to conserve energy.
Please signup as a contributor and then you will be able to help us improve Thermocloud.
Thermocloud client can run on any Android phone or tablet device with version 6.0.1 or above. The device must have a normally functional WiFi connectivity to your home WiFi Router. You should not take the device out of your home as the device needs to be able to periodically communciate with the Thermocloud hardware modules.
Thermocloud client software is a normal Android application that can be installed using these instructions.
Thermocloud client comes loaded with a default configuration and therefore there is very little that needs to be done to get going. The system guides you on how to perform the initial configuration and get going. Once the system is ready, no configuration is necessary unless you want to customize the system to meet your special requirements.
Thermocloud provides a very elegant schedule management with novel cost saving features. You can use these as described here.
Only one Thermocloud client can control one or more HVAC systems.
No. After the system is initially configured and working normally, the Thermocloud client will control HVAC systems as long as the device is powered and running. The Thermocloud application can be started or stopped at any time. Any problems with the system while the Thermocloud application is not active will be reported as normal Android notifications.
The main screen of the Thermocloud client application shows current status of each zones. Any problems with the system while the Thermocloud application is not active will be reported as normal Android notifications.
Cost savings depend heavily on many factors such as your house, the temperature and humidity and your comfort factor. Tests have shown cost savings exceeding 20% in standalone configurations.
A home user joins to an existing cloud of Thermocloud servers. This is done as described here.
There is a configuration for joining a default cloud of Thermocloud servers. However, if a custom cloud needed esp. for research purposes, please contact us and we can help you setup a custom cloud.
The Thermocloud client is designed such that it does not send any personally identifiable information such as your name, physical house address etc to the cloud. Each client sends queries and feedback with its operating conditions and an anonymized numerical identifier.
Collaboration using the cloud of Thermocloud servers is optional and not needed to control your HVAC systems using the Thermocloud client.
However, it is highly recommended you use the cloud as it offers much deeper savings and helps your Thermocloud to make smarter decisions.
Any basic internet connectivity will suffice. Thermocloud messages are small and in-frequent and therefore, you should not really see any significant network usage as a result of your participation in this cloud.
Cost savings depend heavily on many local factors such as your house, the temperature and humidity and your comfort factor as well as cloud factors such as learning strategy and knowledge. Tests have shown cost savings exceeding 45% with cloud.
