EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Tools
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-19-13, 06:33 PM   #1
hamsterpower
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 142
Thanks: 0
Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts
Default Heatmeter on Kickstarter

This looks like an interesting project. Kind of looks like a ScanGuage for the home heating system.
Heatmeter on kickstarter

Though really I think it is just a timer that watches the flame.

hamsterpower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-13, 07:14 AM   #2
MN Renovator
Less usage=Cheaper bills
 
MN Renovator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 939
Thanks: 41
Thanked 116 Times in 90 Posts
Default

My thermostat along with some others display energy use of how long the car for heat is for the furnace and air conditioner. It is close enough to the gas runtime for most furnaces. Mine I have to calculate the number of cycles and remove 2 minutes from each cycle because that is how long it takes for my furnace to actually kick the burners on. When I have done load testing on the two coldest nights of this year I just listened for it to kick on and counted the cycles to get the actual natural gas on-time.

For my 2100 sq ft house my load was 24563BTU/hr for the first 9 hours of January 21st(no sun) average temperature -7 degrees with a 78 degree difference between the outside and inside. Once I have finished my energy retrofit(non-invasive, not pulling down walls) I will be able to see the improvements in comparison to this number.

The issue with the heatmeter device is that it doesn't monitor the level of gas for 2-stage furnaces, there are 2-stage thermostats that count the call for heat time for each stage so you don't need something like this.
MN Renovator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-13, 08:26 AM   #3
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

Creator YSHAPE Inc. about 18 hours ago

@Florin - the HeatMeter only measures on and off times from the boiler or furnace; we've added a section to the FAQ on what inputs we need from the homeowner (to clarify again what we have in the description).

Seems kinda basic.. Seems like you might want a smart controller instead of a monitor..?
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-13, 02:33 AM   #4
ecomodded
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Vancouver Island,Canada.
Posts: 1,037
Thanks: 116
Thanked 100 Times in 87 Posts
Default

Its much like like a whole house meter in that it can save you money when see its costing you more per hour then the warmth is worth, to you, in your poverty or Scottish ancestry which ever is more prevalent.

When ever i see a Professor indorsing a students Project I always imagine they are Partners in The company.
HE was my Best Student, I new Big things were going to happen for him blah-blah-blah.
I am either cynic or perceptive, perhaps both is more accurate. Yikes a perceptive cynic, I will try to be nice..
ecomodded is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-13, 05:24 AM   #5
hamsterpower
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 142
Thanks: 0
Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts
Default

When I first posted this I thought it had some way to measure the fuel. I was dissapointed to see it only watches the flame and estimates fuel burn. I have been looking for a way to measure the fuel I use to heat my house.
hamsterpower is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-13, 07:23 AM   #6
Xringer
Lex Parsimoniae
 
Xringer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Woburn, MA
Posts: 4,918
Thanks: 114
Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts
Default

If you use a timer or have a run-time clock on your oil burner,
using the GPH spec on the nozzle is going to be pretty close to actual use.
__________________
My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits
EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..
Xringer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-13, 09:13 AM   #7
Piwoslaw
Super Moderator
 
Piwoslaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 960
Thanks: 188
Thanked 110 Times in 86 Posts
Default

I remember a discussion about using an Arduino with an optical sensor to observe a water meter. The sensor sent a ping each time the dial completed a revolution, so you just had to record the time between pings. So how about installing this on a gas/oil meter? If the utility won't allow it on the meter going to the house, then buy an old meter and have it installed next to the furnace/boiler. This will give you good resolution even with a modulated burner (like mine, which can be anywhere between14 and 6 kW).

__________________
Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.
Piwoslaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:10 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design