Re:Building an open source Nest
by parfe on Friday January 17, 2014 @11:17AM
(#7076526)
Not large at all. One thermostat per room. With electric heat you have to put a thermostat in line between the circuit breakers and the heating element (radiant panels in my case). Centralizing the house on a single thermostat, like you would with forced air, would actually be incredibly difficult. It would also lose the benefit of fine control; one of the few positives of electric heat.
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Worth pointing out (and you touch on this above) that this is not a function of electric heat but a function specifically of the type of electric heat (radiant in this case). I have electric heat by way of a ducted electric heat pump which is not zoned and thus centralized. Zoned ducted and non-ducted electric heat pumps both offer localized control over heating.
Re:Building an open source Nest
by URSpider94 on Saturday January 18, 2014 @05:03PM
(#7082432)
for what its worth, people in the trades would not consider a heat pump "electric heat", even though of course the power does come from electricity.
electric heat refers specifically to heat generated by heating an element with current.
Fascinating! (coming back to this late). What would the consider an electric heat pump, or what would they call it?
Re:Building an open source Nest
by jusben1369 on Friday January 17, 2014 @11:34AM
(#7076641)
Got it. Thanks. Sorry for my ignorance.