Hometronic wireless home automation

A Honeywell Control Systems product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Jul 11, 2005

Honeywell Hometronic wireless home automation system controls 19-zone heating system in private home.

A Honeywell Hometronic wireless home automation system is controlling a massive 19-zone heating system and the domestic hot water in a large private home in Stanmore, Greater London.

"Despite the system's complexity and a temperature sensor in every room, the controls needed no wiring due to radio frequency (RF) signalling," revealed Neil Thackeray of NRT Plumbing and Heating, which designed and installed all the plumbing and electrical systems.

"Installation of Hometronic was problem-free and after two years we have never been called back to attend to it".

Each of 38 radiators is plumbed individually to one of five manifolds, as used for underfloor heating, and fed from two boilers.

Time/temperature programming is by two Hometronic Managers, one each for upstairs and downstairs.

They use RF to send programmed time and temperature data to Hometronic controllers sited near each manifold.

Each of the home's 19 rooms is a separate heating zone with a wireless Honeywell room sensor allowing local adjustment within +/- 12 degrees C of the set value.

Each room sensor transmits the actual temperature and offset value by RF to a Hometronic controller, sited next to the appropriate manifold, which checks the values against the programmed time and temperatures transmitted by RF from that floor's Hometronic Manager.

Depending on the need for heat to an individual radiator, the controller opens or closes a motorised valve on the manifold, so providing singular flow adjustment to that radiator.

A multi-frequency transmission system, unique to Honeywell, ensures reliable and consistent operation.

The RF signals presented no reception problems despite the distances and partition walls.

The Hometronic Managers allow the householders to set "lifestyle" profiles - a total of 16 time/temperature sequences for the upstairs rooms and a further 16 for those downstairs.

Explained Neil Thackeray: "These profiles set the desired temperature in each room to suit lifestyle circumstances and even the members of the family in residence at the time.

At the press of one button, each room's temperature on that floor is adjusted to the set value in the new profile.

"The Hometronic RF signals are also transmit feedback from the remote pumps to a set of pump interlock relays, mounted with the home's two Worcester Greenstar boilers in the garage to prevent unnecessary firing." NRT Plumbing and Heating installs and services small and large heating systems, both radiator and underfloor.

"It's a family business - my brother, Mark, and I are the third generation to follow the trade," said Neil Thackeray.

"We get all our work by recommendation, so fitting the best products is part of our reputation.

We've always use Honeywell controls, from motorised valves to controllers and thermostats.

Our main supplier, J Clark and Sons (Kingsbury) ., is excellent.

They source anything we want to try that's new to the market.

They supplied the Hometronic and all other Honeywell components used in this installation.".