I recently embarked on a project to enhance my home’s heating automation system, aiming to improve energy efficiency and comfort. My setup involves a Zigbee thermostat and radiator valves (TRVs), which occasionally fail to respond to commands from my Home Assistant (HA) system. This issue led me to explore creating a robust automation script to ensure my heating operates efficiently without wasteful energy consumption.
The Goal:
When my thermostat switches from idle to heating mode, the TRVs should adjust their temperature settings from 5°C to 30°C. Conversely, when the thermostat transitions back to idle, the TRVs should revert to 5°C. While this functionality works in theory, occasional delays or failures in the TRVs receiving the temperature change commands can result in the heater running unnecessarily, which is both wasteful and costly.
The Solution I Envisioned:
I wanted the HA system to verify that the TRVs have successfully received and applied the temperature change. If not, the system should retry the command up to three times before taking corrective action—turning off the heating and alerting me via a mobile notification. This approach ensures that the heating system operates efficiently and avoids prolonged, unintended operation.
The Script and Its Challenges:
A community member provided a script designed to achieve this functionality. The script includes checks every five minutes to ensure the TRVs have updated to 30°C. If they haven’t, the script retries the command, up to three attempts. If all attempts fail, the thermostat is switched off, and a notification is sent to my phone.
However, I encountered several issues with the script:
- It doesn’t retry setting the temperature but instead sends a notification after five minutes and doesn’t switch the thermostat off.
- Sometimes, the script doesn’t execute at all, leaving the heater running while the TRVs remain at 5°C, with no notifications sent.
Seeking Assistance:
Given my limited scripting expertise, I’m hoping the community can help refine this script. Whether it’s correcting the retry mechanism, ensuring the thermostat is switched off after failed attempts, or troubleshooting why the script doesn’t execute consistently, your insights would be invaluable.
Why This Matters:
Energy efficiency is a priority for me, both environmentally and financially. Ensuring my heating system operates only when necessary not only reduces my carbon footprint but also lowers my energy bills. A reliable automation script is key to achieving this balance.
Conclusion:
I’m eager to hear from those with experience in HA scripting, especially with Zigbee devices. Your advice could help me fine-tune this system, making my home both smarter and more efficient. Let’s work together to create a heating automation that’s as reliable as it is effective!