# Smarthome HVAC automation in two story residence



## halfhalt (Mar 31, 2021)

This may not be an appropriate post for this forum and if not please excuse and delete. 

I manage a two story vacation rental property with three separate heat pump systems, two downstairs and one upstairs. Each of the three hvac systems has a smart thermostat and all are connected to a smart hub device. There is no insulation between the floors as is standard in the region. The property is rented weekly and the renter currently has complete control of the thermostat settings.

In an effort to control electricity consumption, we would like to tie the three thermostats together logically and program some thermostat setting controls into the smart hub. I realize smart hub programming is not what this forum is about. So my question is more about HVAC design on two story structures.

Are there any hvac design guidelines concerning two story system control? 

For example, it occurs to me that if the upstairs cooling temperature is set to 80 degrees and the downstairs is set to 70 degrees, then the downstairs system will work extra hard to achieve that temp considering upstairs will be a 10 degree differential. If the smart hub could be programmed to keep the upstairs temp setting with a certain range of the downstairs setting that might make both more efficient, thus saving energy. Similar for heating... If downstairs temp is set to 68 and upstairs is set to 58, the heat produced by the downstairs system will move upstairs thus causing the lower system to work harder.

Thanks in advance.


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## beenthere (May 30, 2009)

The same amount of energy will be used either way. No work will be saved.


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## MathiasWilde (Apr 15, 2021)

I had the same problem, man


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## Steven123cool (Mar 2, 2021)

halfhalt said:


> This may not be an appropriate post for this forum and if not please excuse and delete.
> 
> I manage a two story vacation rental property with three separate heat pump systems, two downstairs and one upstairs. Each of the three hvac systems has a smart thermostat and all are connected to a smart hub device. There is no insulation between the floors as is standard in the region. The property is rented weekly and the renter currently has complete control of the thermostat settings.
> 
> ...


Thre are a few questions here. The stats may be able To be set to a certain parameter. Say :minimum temp setting for heat and maximum temp setting for heat. Same for cooling. In would be In installer menu on stat before you connect to the hub. I’m assuming the hub is just to get it online. If so you need admin rights and the app for your phone. I see no other reason to be on a hub. Each floor will decide its personal temperature. It may vary but the laws of thermal dynamics are always working. The upstairs will work hard to keep cool In summer cause heat rises but May Barely run or not at all in the winter. Not much to do about that. As far as controlling the temp yourself over thier desired comfort level: I think that is up for debate, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to preset the stat to say maximum heat temp 75 and maximum cold temp in a/c to say 68. I’m not drawing these numbers from a hat; this is the wide range of comfort levels for people I have worked with. You can also offset the temperature in the setup usually also. People think it’s 80 when it’s 74 with 6 degree offset. I don’t know. Personally I would figure how much it is and add it to the rental fee amongst all three. It comes off as controlling after you rent a place but have seen it a lot. You could move stats to another location and use sensors taking the option of control out of the picture. Up to you but google your stats model and make. Get the manual : educate up on the thermostats you have , get the app to control them , and administration rights,and I bet you find al the answers to your questions. Or hire a hvac professional whom you can trust and is good. Cost you 100 to 200 an hour depending where you live. Good luck


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## Malcolm1 (Apr 18, 2021)

Be careful, man. My friend, too, when faced with this problem, messed up everything. And then I had to buy new parts, which are very expensive. He turned to me and asked for help to find him some details. I didn't know what to do and decided to Google where you can buy old parts, but at the same time to make them work, and a month ago, I came across this AutomationUSA. And after some time, I got him the necessary parts, they were old, but they worked as they should. So, here's what I want to tell you, be careful, better find a specialist who will help you.


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## Sm_raudales (Jan 18, 2021)

A zoned system is a single HVAC system serving two or more zones, rather than two separate HVAC systems. Its components are:

1 to 20+ motor-driven dampers to control airflow to each zone: Depending on the ductwork design, the system might require a damper for each major branch off the trunk or smaller branch. One of the advantages of installing a zoned system when the house is built is that it can be designed with fewer dampers than a retrofit often requires.

Dampers can either be controlled to open fully or close, or a modulating controller can be installed at additional cost to open dampers partway to meet the heating and air conditioning demand of each zone.

There are several ways to monitor and control zone temperatures.
A multizone thermostat and sensors in each zone can also monitor and control the temperature in each zone. The sensors relay information to the thermostat, and the thermostat controls whether each zone gets heat or air conditioning.
Damper control panel: This panel receives information about the desired temperature in each zone. It then controls the dampers to produce airflow that satisfies the heating and cooling in each zone.
Wiring/wireless: Dampers are usually wired back to the control panel. Sensors and thermostats can be wired or wireless.


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## IrenefWZMitchell (May 17, 2021)

It will use the same amount of energy as if the house is not automated. A lot of people think that it will consume more but this is not true. In fact, it is even saving a little bit of energy and the bills will be lower. For example, you will be able to manage all your home devices from one place, including the lights. Whenever you will enter the room it will set on automatically, and whenever you will exit the room it will set off. Sometimes we can forget to set the light off and it can work for some additional hours when it is not automated.
*___*
Sell Your Allen Bradley Surplus | Automation Stop


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## ricarhimel (Jun 30, 2021)

Basically, the guys above saying that it will use exactly the same amount of energy are right. However, I do not really think it will save energy and that the bills would not be that costly. Yeah, basically you are saving, as you are not paying more than you did before, however bills cannot lower, that is just impossible, this kind of system does not do this kind of thing. If you really want to lower the bills, you will have to look for another electricity plan, or something like that, just like the dual fuel tariffs, which are the cheapest. If you really want to get this plan, you can read some more things about it on Simply Switch, as they have explained everything about it in a particular article.


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## ismaelyork (Sep 15, 2021)

It will use the same amount of electricity. But there are automatizations of the house that can save you paying money on bills. For example, I bought last winter a thermostat from Vivint smart home. I live alone, so no one ever touches it, and I can choose the temperature I want. During winter, I always put twenty grades of Celsius in my house, and it is enough to feel comfortable and save money on heating the house. I have considerably lowered my spending on heating my house, so I think it is a good investment in the house's automation.


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## MathiasWilde (Apr 15, 2021)

I know there is no difference in energy consumption, and the same amount of electricity will be used. Furthermore, I have noticed that using smart devices consumes less energy than regular devices. For example, smart light bulbs consume less energy and last for a longer period. I am also using the smart plugs from https://www.amazon.com/smart-plug-wifi-plugs-alexa/dp/B09KTYH3MJ, which also helps consume less energy while using them. It helps disconnect the plugs automatically, so it doesn't consume any energy while you are not using it.


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## rodriguezandre (22 d ago)

I think it would be best to call for your maintenance.


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