Snowbird Thermostat question
 

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who replied to my Thermostat question. The comments were very helpful, but has now lead me to a different issue....


Whilst we are away for 6 months, our Non smart thermostat is switched off. As we have a separate Honeywell Relative Humidity Controller set at 60 degrees, when the internal humidity exceeds this, then the Controller switches on the thermostat, which then starts the aircon, until the house comes back down to 60 degrees, then the thermostat is then switched off. This works so well with our monthly electricity bills being around $50 whilst we are away.

I thought I could replicate the above with one simple system, ie the Ecobee, but they are saying no, as it only shows the humidity levels, it cannot "act" on them. The issue is our current Carrier Thermostat is showing 10 degrees difference, so we now need to replace it, but it seems not with a smart thermostat.

Just wondered what other snowbird/ownerbirds do when the home is empty??

Many thanks in advance for your help, to us newbies.......

I have ecobee in TV and up north. The thermostat sets the temperature but also gives me a reading of humidity. I can check it and change it on my iPhone. If I want the humidity to go down in the summer I decrease the temperature, the AC comes on and lowers the humidity too. In the winter usually humidity is not a problem but if it was too high I’d increase the heat and the furnace comes on. To increase humidity in the winter I use a separate unit, a humidifier.

Use the keep it simple solution <$100 thermostat and set it at 82 no problems.

First, humidity is not measured in "degrees". It is measured in "percentage", and the maximum humidity percentage is 100%.

Second, humidity can vary somewhat from one part of the house to another. Also, hygrometers (which measure humidity) can vary by several percentage points from one to the next, so don't interpret the readings as exact, but rather as approximate.

My gut feeling is that your air conditioning unit is probably not running enough during the summer months if your electric bill is that low. I suggest that you set the activation point on the AC to kick on at a slightly lower level.

Also, you should know that wide variations in temperature are not good for your furnishings in the house, and you are not controlling the temperature at all which you may want to reconsider. Wide temperature swings can result in considerable expansion and contraction of the furnishings in the house as well as the house walls, ceiling, and floors, etc. This can lead to cracks in the drywall, floor tile, and possibly even the furniture.

BTW, it doesn't cost much to get a smart thermostat that controls for both temperature and humidity.

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We have been using a device called a Temp Stick. It takes hourly readings of both temperature and humidity which can be viewed through an app on our phones. It also allows us to set alert settings. When we aren’t at our Villages home we have it set to send us an text alert if the temperature gets above 82 degrees or the relative humidity get above 62% (we keep the A/C at 81). During both Helene and Milton the humidity got to 63% for a few hours, which happens during an intense tropical storm. The device doesn’t allow us to remotely control our HVAC system, but it makes us aware of a potential problem so we can notify our trusted HVAC contractor before a system problem causes collateral damage. The device costs $139 and doesn’t require a monthly fee. We also use one in our northern home to monitor the house temperature during the winter in case our oil burner fails so the pipes don’t freeze. The device definitely provides us with peace of mind when not at one of our homes.

We have a NEST installed. I set an upper temperature, and if it hits that temp, the AC turns on. I have mine set at 78. It goes on many days in the sumer
You want the AC to kick on occasionally, to move the air and remove humidity.

While I have nothing topical to contribute to this thread, I did want to give you mad kudos for working a word like "Whilst" into your post. :BigApplause:

I'm a Brit, what can I say??????:BigApplause:

Lol, I dunno. Maybe "Go Brexit!" or "Surrender the colonies!" or "Let's tax the tea!" or "Megan Markle should be stripped of her Duchess title?" :ho:

///

Thermostat adjusted by AC company
 

If you are under a year, call and have the AC unit people come check the Ecobee unit. I kept having Humidity warnings and they married and found the thermostat needed an adjustment. Once set, humidity was now correct. I verified it before and after with my humidity gauge, testing right over the thermostat.

I have never heard anyone talk about humidity in degrees. I have a nest and can check on my home remotely but there are other thermostats that have that capability. Love it.

I would only be at peace if I could check my thermometer online, and not expect your non smart unit to do what it's supposed to do when humidity is high. I echo another post that you can set warnings when humidity is higher than you want on a smart thermometer. Then you can adjust the heat or AC as needed online.

Eccobee humidity setting
 

The ecobee does have a humidity setting. It is only accessible with the app and not the unit. It is under system settings on the app

Ecobees are really nice to use.

Not true, its accessible on the app and wall unit.

Just installed the Ecobee Premium with remote sensor. It can be programmed to any humidity level in 2% increments. Also you can set the temperature to over cool in 0.5 degree increments to maintain the desired humidity level/temperature. Lots of great features if you just read the directions!

Ecobee can do it
 

As noted in a previous post, the Ecobee can be set to control the humidity level. There is also a setting called 'AC Overcool Max' that you will want to change. That setting allows the thermostat to cool below the set point in order to reach the humidity level. Note that the 'AC Overcool Max' setting can only be set via the device UI and not the app.
We use our Ecobee to keep the humidity below 60%

I have a humidistat set under 60 for humidity. My A/C only runs to keep the humidity under that number. Have done this for 12 years with no problems. Pay MarCell (Sensored Life) a monthly fee of $11 for these months and will be notified if anything go awry.

I’ve had the Ecobee for 3 years. I set the high humidity limit and the app notifies me when hit. I lower the temperature a few degrees until it gets back within the limit. This isn’t needed very often but has worked well for me.

I use a blink camera from which I can view temperature and also front and back doors. I need to manually access the app to view temp however it does have minimum and maximum temp alert should. TV house is set at 78 when I'm not here in summer. Winter setting up north of 50.

In the Ecobee app, it is under More - Settings - System.

For years I have set the daily program for my thermostat at 88* with a drop down to 76* so the AC runs for one hour per day. That is enough to keep the humidity at about 50%. My electric bill is usually about $50/month for the summer months I'm gone. I have a small temp/humidity thermometer on my kitchen counter that my house checker resets (simple push of a button) each time he visits. It shows the high/low temp and high/low humidity for the period since it was last reset.

It's obvious they meant %, not Degrees...

Thermostat use
 

I have been a snowbird since 2006 and have come to the following conclusion about thermostat settings while we are gone for the summer. I do have a wifi thermostat (Honeywell) and use to monitor it daily while we are gone. I have found that is not necessary. The thermostat has a readout of humidity but does not have a means to control humidity. I would monitor the humidity and turn down the temperature periodically to lower it as needed. I found it is much easier to use the temperature programing to do that. I set the temperature in the house at 86 degrees for 23 hours and at 0500 in the morning it sets back to 75 degrees until 0600 when it then goes to 86. That keeps the humidity in the 50 to 60% range all day. Simple but effective. Electric bill in the $50 range all summer.