Heat pump api

[andrewellis]

Hi
I have a NIBE heat pump and although I can access limited data online I have to pay £40 a year for the option to get access to more data and control it through the cloud.  This has proven to be unreliable for access over the year.  The Nibe has a modbus option that costs over £600?!?!?

I was wondering what options people have for interfacing with their other brands of heat pumps.  Are there local apis that can be accessed without having to go through a cloud? Do they cost money? Are there phone apps to control the heat pumps without paying loads of money.

Thanks
Andy

[pdf27]

I've not actually done this, but in theory you should be able to do quite a lot with Open Energy Monitor. Details at https://openenergymonitor.org - to me this looks cheaper and better than many of the manufacturer options. For an air-source pump it should be feasible to tie the data to external temperature and humidity to give a much better understanding of the real COP, and potentially also use the unit for some basic smart grid functionality (using electricity when you're exporting PV, etc.).

[andrewellis]

Thanks.  I've actually got my own program logging all the data but I'm curious if other manufacturers have more direct means of accessing the data locally so I can approach NIBE and say they should probably look to do the same.  The pv inverter world seems to have many ways of getting data from the inverter.  Either through the cloud or locally via a variety of means (modbus, apis over ethernet).  All free.  NIBE seem to want to charge a lot of money for access to any data which doesn't seem right.  For me the problem is interfacing with the heat pump without going out to a cloud server.  I am aiming to do what you say re smart grid functionality but really need real time access to the information.

[MyForest]

This probably won't help, but I'll give you an idea of another option.

The UK government are refunding the cost of installing metering-and-monitoring packages (MMSP) for the first 11 thousand applicants. There have been less than 1 thousand so far.

As a result, I stopped trying to hack my own flow-meters and temp probes together and just went with the Mitsubishi EMP-3 package for my Ecodan which was 1050GBP to get installed.

I scrape their cloud-based "API" every minute to get a really detailed JSON of how the system is performing.

So far it's been working pretty flawlessly. Of course it breaks when the internet breaks, but that's rare here.

I believe there are local wiring solutions you could use if you connected to their board, but I'm trying to do the least invasive thing I can whilst I'm under warranty.

[Bodidly]

I am intrigued by why you would want to access a Heat Pump through the cloud.

For us, it's been set up and forget. Sometimes we tinker with summer disconnection but that's about it.

[andrewellis]

I am intrigued by why you would want to access a Heat Pump through the cloud.

There are a few reasons.

I have the water set lower for economy and it is fine for showering.  However, my wife doesn't find it hot enough for her bath.  I can't put my toes in as I find it too hot.  It would be nice to control the temperature boost without wandering out to the garage.  This can be done using the cloud but costs a not insignificant £25 a year.  Another £25 for the full monitoring.  From looking at other companies they do not charge for these features.  It galls me when the NIBE seems more expensive then other brands in the first place.

We are in an old house and although the GSHP has saved us a lot of money in heating bills and is working well we notice a drop in temperature (.5 ºC) when it is windy. Not much but the moving air currents make it feel colder.  It would be nice to again select a degree higher if windy.

If the solar panels are doing well, I could select boost on the DHW from my pi.

[andrewellis]

The UK government are refunding the cost of installing metering-and-monitoring packages (MMSP) for the first 11 thousand applicants. There have been less than 1 thousand so far.

That is intriguing thanks for pointing it out.  It was something I wanted to do at the start as NIBE has an option for doing just that. However on contacting them they do not make it available in the UK.  I just read up on the MMSP. It sounds like it might be tricky with the NIBE as the DHW is contained within the unit.  There was mention of logging the hot water passing from the tank to the outlets.

[Bodidly]

I am intrigued by why you would want to access a Heat Pump through the cloud.

There are a few reasons.

I have the water set lower for economy and it is fine for showering.  However, my wife doesn't find it hot enough for her bath.  I can't put my toes in as I find it too hot.  It would be nice to control the temperature boost without wandering out to the garage.  This can be done using the cloud but costs a not insignificant £25 a year.  Another £25 for the full monitoring.  From looking at other companies they do not charge for these features.  It galls me when the NIBE seems more expensive then other brands in the first place.

We are in an old house and although the GSHP has saved us a lot of money in heating bills and is working well we notice a drop in temperature (.5 ºC) when it is windy. Not much but the moving air currents make it feel colder.  It would be nice to again select a degree higher if windy.

If the solar panels are doing well, I could select boost on the DHW from my pi.

Must admit I had not considered the fact the GSHP would not be in the house. Our is in the utility room so easy to tweak things if need be