Heat pumps
A heat pump in HoumeOS: modes, per-room schedule and COP on one screen
The heating is planned on the server, not in the brand app.
What works in heating and climate today, what a schedule looks like, and what depends on the device documentation.
In short
HoumeOS drives a heat pump with a model that is ready today: on and off, a heating, cooling or domestic hot water mode, a target temperature and a shown COP. Rooms have their own schedules, which the server executes. The missing link is the driver that talks to a real device over Modbus or BACnet — that is still to come.
What we do with the heat pump today
The command of the device is described clearly: on and off, a heating, cooling or domestic hot water mode, and a target temperature. The screen also shows the COP, so you see the price of the heat and not only the degrees. The boiler is a separate device with its own target and solar priority, while the climate members of a room take their own target temperature.
- Heating / cooling / domestic hot water modes with one command
- A target temperature for the device and for every room
- A shown COP and the energy flowing behind it
A schedule that runs on the server
The per-room time schedules are ready: steps of the type "hour → temperature" that live on the server and are executed by its rule engine, not by the tablet. That is why the schedule holds when nobody looks at the screen, and when the internet is down. Temperatures by hour and by day appear in the history, and every executed or skipped rule stays in the journal with its reason.
Shading is part of the climate
Heating does not fight the sun alone. The blind model is positional: fully open, fully closed, stop and automatic shading, with commands that pass security rights. The auto-shades are decided on the server by sun and wind — in summer they shade before a room warms up, in winter they let the sun help the heat pump.
What is still to come: the device driver
Today the device is held by the model and by the simulation. A real heat pump needs a driver that speaks to it over Modbus or BACnet: which points can be read, how a mode is set, how the target temperature is read back, and what a failure means. That is work per site and per manufacturer documentation, and the concrete models are confirmed during a survey.
Saving you can actually see
The local logic is the one that saves: a schedule instead of constant heating, domestic hot water in the hours when the sun provides, and shading before the room asks for cooling. Costs by day and night tariff are computed on the server, and the history keeps detail for 7, 31 and 13 months, so you can compare two months instead of trusting a feeling.
What works today and what is coming
We do not present upcoming work as available. This list matches the roadmap.
Works today
- A heat pump model and commands: mode, target temperature, COP
- Time schedules per room, executed by the server
- Automatic shading by sun and wind, decided on the server
- History with temperatures by hour and day, and costs by tariff
Coming soon
- A driver that reads and writes a real heat pump over Modbus or BACnet
- A clear state when the device fails, instead of the last seen value
Later
- Optimisation by prices and a production forecast
- Ready profiles by brand — confirmed during a site survey
Frequently asked questions
Does HoumeOS control my heat pump today?
The software model is ready: modes, target temperatures, COP and schedules that the server executes. The connection to your specific device, however, goes through a Modbus or BACnet driver that is still to come. We do not present an upcoming integration as available — it is built from the device documentation and after a survey of the site.
How is the COP kept in the system?
The COP is part of the device model and is shown on the screen together with the mode and the target temperature. That way you see the price of the heat, not only the degrees. When a real device starts speaking, the same point will come from its registers, and the history will keep the changes by hour and day.
Can heating be controlled room by room?
Yes. Every room has its own target temperature, its member devices and time steps of the type "hour → temperature". The schedule is built on the screen and executed on the server, together with the rights and the confirmations for critical actions. A room can also run its bound actions directly.
What happens when the internet goes down?
Nothing you would notice as comfort. The server is in your network, the schedules and rules run on it, and the kiosk talks to the server rather than to a cloud service. That is also why we do not recommend the cloud bridges of manufacturers as the path for a heat pump.
Which documentation do you need?
The description of the device from the manufacturer: points to read and write, how a mode and a target temperature are set, what the scales and units are, and whether the device talks to you over Modbus TCP, RS485 or BACnet. With that documentation and a survey of the installation, the concrete models are confirmed before we promise anything.
We show the system on a live screen
The demo starts from your question: which devices, which protocols, which scenarios.