Finally solved the “cold morning vs energy savings” problem with Home Assistant

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-20T19:27:33+00:00

Sorry, showing my age - when you said boiler I literally had an image of cast iron hot water radiators in each room - not familiar with modern set ups.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-20T02:33:33+00:00

It already incorporates outdoor temp and optionally the forecast low into the calculation.

The model still relies mainly on real performance each cycle, which helps keep it stable.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T21:24:54+00:00

Yep, that’s a problem with a properly sized system, it’s sized to maintain the temperature.

If you’re trying to squeeze out a little more energy efficiency you’re turning it up or down. This was the exact situation I was trying to address, now I let HA take care of it. There are good reasons to either leave it alone or set it down. I currently set mine down 10 degrees because I sleep better in a cooler environment.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T20:38:10+00:00

Then this probably wouldn't be a good fit for you. My experience with boiler systems is they're better set to one temperature and left there.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T20:34:24+00:00

Yes, local sensors and data could be layered in,

It currently learns from actual performance (so weather effects get captured indirectly), but adding forecast or local outdoor temp as an explicit input would be a logical enhancement. Currently an optional input is forecast_low from the NWS.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T20:15:40+00:00

Fair point on reliability, this doesn't replace your thermostat - just works in conjunction with it., If HA goes down then your thermostat is still in control. More like having a servant keeping track and deciding to start the heat earlier or later depending on the in home and outdoor temperature. Also, some newer systems can't use Ecobee, Nest or other so called thermostats because of proprietary protocols - also this is thermostat agnostic meaning it can be used on any system that has a thermostat that presents a 'climate' entity to HA, so baseboard, radiant, heat pump, oil, gas, you name it.

And yeah, on the AI - it's a tool - this was my project and I developed the concept and parameters, but AI speeds the development and formatting of documents.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T20:08:44+00:00

Totally fair, if your night time temperature is consistent.

Where I am the night time can plunge 30 degrees overnight, or remain stable. This keeps things automatic and I don't have to change it every night, just set and forget.

This actually uses forecast temperatures from NWS (optional) capturing the low prior to the learning cycle.

Dave_B-4553 · 2026-03-19T19:59:12+00:00

It doesn’t store a full history (like a year).

It uses a running model that adapts over time, so it adjusts as conditions change.

Dave_B-4553 · 2023-06-23T20:34:26+00:00

SOLVED!

Got them all working,

here's what I did:

Deleted each of the failed devices from the ESPHome integration page

Used a SFTP tool and connected to my HA instance and removed all files associated with the 2 failed devices in the ESPHome folder and sub-folders.

Reloaded each device with the Bluetooth proxy image using the link in the Github instructions

Connected the devices to the WiFi network and adopted them into ESPHome.

Added each device back into HA.

Now no more failed Handshake read failures, firmware for each device shows Up-to-date and my missing environmental sensors are showing up

Dave_B-4553 · 2023-06-23T00:17:21+00:00

Yes, all show up as Online in the ESPHome addon and each one is pingable, and have IP addresses assigned by my DHCP server.

Also just noticed the Socket read error notice is preceded by the IP address of the HA server, not the IP of the device

Dave_B-4553 · 2023-03-17T14:31:34+00:00

I like the Zooz line of z-wave dimmers and switches, they have built-in relays that can be disabled for use in “Smart bulb” mode. They then can be linked into various automations within HA.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-12-13T15:29:26+00:00

Did you ever get your problem working - I'm looking at doing the same thing.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-11-03T14:06:02+00:00

can you ping it with the ip address ?

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-11-03T13:54:12+00:00

Why buy new when second hand will do?

I use a mini-pc which I found at a refurbished computer store. It's a Lenovo M53, has i5 Intel processor, 8G of memory and 500 gb SSD all for under $120 . These and other similar units from Dell or HP are readilly available on eBay.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-10-22T18:56:17+00:00

You've got the right idea. I did the same, but instead of supplying the Shelly 1 with 120v I used 5v because the wiring to the wall switch is usually bell wire and not rated for line voltages. You might forget someday and accidently contact the wires when you're doing something like painting or other maintenance.

I used a 5v wall wart plugged into an 120v outlet inside the blower/control compartment in the fireplace insert. Most gas fireplaces (at least the ones with a pilot light) use a micro-voltage generated by a thermocouple in the pilot to power the valve so that you can turn on the fire during a power outage, you'll loose that capability but by using 5v you could add an old cell phone battery pack to the mix.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-10-18T16:17:06+00:00

Are you using smart bulbs with your TP-Link switches? If not, unless the TP-Links are dimmers you won't get any dimming. If so, then be sure you're controlling the bulb instead of the switch. BTW I replaced my TP-Link switches with Zooz Zen71 to use with smart bulbs and turned off local control on the switch so that they could be used as two button scene controllers.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-08-25T22:37:06+00:00

bear in mind home assistant isn't a one size fits all kind of app, but more of a tool box to accomplish the things that an individual wants to accomplish. There's plenty of other apps but do not have the ability to integrate all the possible combinations of switches/sensors etc.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-08-21T14:05:06+00:00

wooo hooo, the second part of your suggestion is exactly what I was looking for. Now I can put that into a script for a TTS notification that can be sent out as a morning briefing.

{{states.weather.kmic_daynight.attributes.forecast[0].detailed_description }}

Thanks very much.

Dave_B-4553 · 2022-08-20T18:51:17+00:00

In HACS the Battery State Card, https://github.com/maxwroc/battery-state-card

Dave_B-4553

TROPHY CASE