Crestron Heating & Air Conditioning Integration

The Benefits of HVAC integration in to a Crestron Home Automation System

Heating and Air Conditioning integration in to a Crestron Home Automation system makes total sense – particularly for larger properties and holiday homes. Utilising Crestron HVAC systems gives the benefits that clients expect such as precise temperature control and advanced scheduling but they also give many benefits which may be unexpected. The thermostat can provide an easy control layer for traditional radiator and underfloor heating systems, warming a room when the setpoint is higher than the current temperature in the room. The same approach allows almost any type of air conditioning system to be utilised and the thermostat can switch the AC on when the set point is lower than the current temperature in the room. Building in a buffer zone of two degrees ensures the two systems are never in competition with each other and keeps both systems running efficiently. We can also cycle both systems once the target temperature is hit, vastly reducing energy use, particularly in the case of air conditioning which can continue to blow air at the required temperature rather than switching off. We utilised this approach in our Dubai installation and instantly saved huge amounts of energy (circa 30%!) over the standard air conditioning system. There are many more benefits which we continue to explore below…

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Crestron Thermostats – Wired and Wireless

There are two approaches for integrating Crestron thermostats in to a clients home – placing the thermostats in the rooms and centralising them, with the use of remote sensors. The new range of in-room Crestron Horizon Thermostats (such as the HZ-TSTAT) are aesthetically pleasing and have features such as a touchscreen interface and a proximity sensor to bring the screen to life when required. Available in black or white the thermostats complement any interior and blend in seamlessly with the rest of the Horizon range of keypads. It is also possible to install the thermostat wirelessly, using the wifi network to talk back to the main home automation processor which can then switch sub systems as required (such as underfloor heating or whole house air conditioning).

Crestron Thermostats – DIN Rail Mount

For whole home systems it can make sense to install the DIN rail versions of thermostats (DIN-THSTAT) in a central location. They use remote sensors to monitor heating, cooling and relative humidity in a space. As they are mounted in a DIN cabinet they remove the need for a wall mounted thermostat instead relying on wall mounted, unobtrusive, sensors which can be wall papered over or painted to blend in to the most demanding interior design. The front of the DIN module contains a small display to view temperature and humidity settings together with pushbuttons to allow local control. Typically these units are hidden away from client view with all changes made via touch panels or remote controls in the living space.

Heat Recovery Systems & Renewable Energies

The above thermostats are capable of controlling local devices, closing relays when heat or cooling is required, but for bigger and more complex systems it makes sense for them to report the setpoint and the current temperature to a centralised processor. This information can then be used in a much more proactive fashion, controlling any electrical device in the home. This may mean controlling a heat recovery system to either extract air from an overly warm room or blow warm air in to a room which needs a boost. We can even build in AI to proactively warm a space if the house in general is too warm or proactively warm a space if renewable energies are providing more energy than the home requires. The options for these systems are endless and we love applying our experience to a clients requirements to maximise efficiency in the home and minimise energy use!

Crestron Home OS3 integration

The in-room Crestron Horizon thermostats and DIN rail mountable versions (such as the DIN-THSTAT with remote sensors) both work natively with Crestron Home OS3, simply search for the device on the network, assign it to a room and you are done. Easy configuration of the onboard relays allows control of heating and cooling in a very straight forward manner! The thermostat information such as set point and current temperature can then be viewed on other touch panels around the home and schedules easily adjusted as required.