EPH Ember

john_doe. · 01-01-2018 6:40pm

Ush1 wrote: »

Just to note they have no integration with Google home or Amazon echo. I emailed asking if it is something they are adding but got this reply:

"This is something we will be looking at when we finish developing the system,
We have 3 versions in our plan,
1 is to work with our timeclocks,
2 is to work with programmable thermostats, (currently working on this)
3 is to work with radiator controllers,

When all are completed we will be looking at ways to improve the app and integrate it with other apps perhaps to add value to the products,
Currently there isn't a lot of people with these devices in their homes so spending a large sum to add this function isn't feasible but over the next year or two this should change.

It would be listed in Updates for the app if this functionality becomes available"

Seems a strange answer, think there is quite a few people with them in their homes now.

I tried setting up home assistant for integration but couldn't get it working, too much effort.

Ya from their point of view I suppose they could be right from business standpoint . Most home don't have Google Amazon etc or if do prob only got them for Xmas. Maybe another year would see them more prevalent.

Be nice to see a timeline for these controllers as that article I linked was back in 2016 or how many users is out there.

I'm prob in between this and the Evo from Honeywell. The Evo seems a complete solution. However on a cold winter night when something goes wrong would like to be able to ring a local plumber who seem to understand these EPH devices and install them.

Drawback on EPH for me anyway is :
No Smart TRVs
Fear that it is not that well established and will have some bugs that could take long time to get fixed or also might drop out of the market.

There are a lot of "smart heating solutions " out there but none I can see that are that fantastic.

If Nest came with Smart TRVs it prob would be close. It's widespread ,easy to use , integrates well has regular updates.

The Honeywell comes close but again the controller looks outdated , has poor battery on it and it seems to be in a maintenance mode for updates.

Tado again impressive but handing control completely to cloud services wouldnt be for me.

Bacchus · 02-01-2018 4:18pm

Another EPH Ember user here. It's a good system. It is in no way "smart" but the app is handy (especially when out of home) and the main in-home controller is easy to use. I mostly use the app though to setup schedules. It would be great though if they added a few things like being able to set different temps for different times of the day. Smart TRVs would be also be welcome as the existing TRVs don't really let you do much except reduce the heat going to other rooms, which is a pain for downstairs because the thermostat for that zone is in the warmest part of the house.

john_doe. · 02-01-2018 4:34pm

Bacchus wrote: »

Another EPH Ember user here. It's a good system. It is in no way "smart" but the app is handy (especially when out of home) and the main in-home controller is easy to use. I mostly use the app though to setup schedules. It would be great though if they added a few things like being able to set different temps for different times of the day. Smart TRVs would be also be welcome as the existing TRVs don't really let you do much except reduce the heat going to other rooms, which is a pain for downstairs because the thermostat for that zone is in the warmest part of the house.

Thanks good to know and would share the smae thoughts.

I assume the existing TrVs are the manual ones?
Maybe Smart TRVs could be used separately to switch on and off zones or at least set the temp from an app. Not ideal but would get around problem let's say of having an unoccupied room on certain days where you wanted to knock off the heat too

Wondering why u ended up going for the Ember also ?

Bacchus · 03-01-2018 10:13am

john_doe. wrote: »

Thanks good to know and would share the smae thoughts.

I assume the existing TrVs are the manual ones?
Maybe Smart TRVs could be used separately to switch on and off zones or at least set the temp from an app. Not ideal but would get around problem let's say of having an unoccupied room on certain days where you wanted to knock off the heat too

Wondering why u ended up going for the Ember also ?

Two reasons... 1. Recommended by plumber and with the 3 zones + TRVs it worked out a better deal than Nest. 2. I'm not convinced the Nest systems are mature yet. On the functionality side, I occasionally (over the past year) have heard co-workers moaning about something their system won't let them do or did wrong (basically the intelligence getting in the way of what they want to set the heating to). On the security side, I'm not a fan of the Nest knowing if you're in/out in order to manage heating. I get that this is good for efficiency but security in IoT isn't exactly robust.

I will probably move to such a system (maybe a 4th/5th gen) as there are some significant advantages to be had and my reasons against aren't massive deal-breakers... but it just wasn't the right choice last year when we replaced the boiler. If Ember can add more functionality over the next few years, they might keep me as a customer but otherwise I can see myself switching to Nest within the next 5 years.

Bacchus · 09-01-2018 1:05pm

Has anyone tried to use this component on Home Assistant?

https://home-assistant.io/components/climate.ephember/

I don't have HA, but I'm considering getting it as an umbrella controller for all my smart stuff. I came across that component and am thinking that it'd be cool if you could use that to allow Google Home to turn on/off heating or set up smart location based or weather based rules.

matrim · 09-01-2018 1:10pm

Bacchus wrote: »

Has anyone tried to use this component on Home Assistant?

https://home-assistant.io/components/climate.ephember/

I don't have HA, but I'm considering getting it as an umbrella controller for all my smart stuff. I came across that component and am thinking that it'd be cool if you could use that to allow Google Home to turn on/off heating or set up smart location based or weather based rules.

I wrote that component. It's currently limited and only reports the temperature and allows you to turn on the boost (For 1 hour). I have it setup with an IFTTT applet that sends a webhook to my HA instance that allows me to use google assistant to boost the heat. I can also use the google assistant component to query the current temperature and if the heating is on / off.

I've a pull request in for the next version of HA to allow setting the temperature for a zone so the next version should allow me to use google assistant to change the target temperature.

Dub_Jim_Royle · 16-01-2018 10:30pm

Bacchus wrote: »

Another EPH Ember user here. It's a good system. It is in no way "smart" but the app is handy (especially when out of home) and the main in-home controller is easy to use. I mostly use the app though to setup schedules. It would be great though if they added a few things like being able to set different temps for different times of the day. Smart TRVs would be also be welcome as the existing TRVs don't really let you do much except reduce the heat going to other rooms, which is a pain for downstairs because the thermostat for that zone is in the warmest part of the house.

Hi, just wanted to know if this can simply replace a timer clock that I have on the gas boiler. I don't need temp or rad control, just remote wifi on/off on the boiler via the app.
Also what kind of price do you know?

Thanks

Bacchus · 17-01-2018 11:51am

Dub_Jim_Royle wrote: »

Hi, just wanted to know if this can simply replace a timer clock that I have on the gas boiler. I don't need temp or rad control, just remote wifi on/off on the boiler via the app.
Also what kind of price do you know?

Thanks

Hey, we had a clusterf*ck of timers (digital and analogue) that had been added over time. We replaced all that with just one Ember controller and it works fine. I don't think there was any issue with it. As for price, I'm sorry I can't recall. We got it installed when we got our boiler replaced and also added TRVs... so I can't remember the breakdown in cost off hand.

Pretty sure they have a range of controllers available to suit budgets/features. A more basic model might fit your requirement of just on/off and wifi.

The devils · 08-03-2018 8:25pm

Hi guys I have a new boiler with r27 eph controller and 2 celect stats. Do you think I would be able to use ember hub on my system ?

Standard Toaster · 09-03-2018 2:27am

The devils wrote: »

Hi guys I have a new boiler with r27 eph controller and 2 celect stats. Do you think I would be able to use ember hub on my system ?

You won't, you'd want the R27-RF programmer.

https://www.ephcontrols.com/section/2-zone-programmer/

I have the R47 one myself and wanted to do the same. I may upgrade it at some point for the R47-RF

gally74 · 09-03-2018 6:16am

Standard Toaster wrote: »

You won't, you'd want the R27-RF programmer.

https://www.ephcontrols.com/section/2-zone-programmer/

I have the R47 one myself and wanted to do the same. I may upgrade it at some point for the R47-RF

I spoke to them yesterday and am going to go with them, their tech support was a1,

The devils · 09-03-2018 8:55pm

Standard Toaster wrote: »

You won't, you'd want the R27-RF programmer.

https://www.ephcontrols.com/section/2-zone-programmer/

I have the R47 one myself and wanted to do the same. I may upgrade it at some point for the R47-RF

Tks for the quick reply standard toaster ðŸ˜Š
Why are you going for the r47 rf?
I'm just wondering...I have only 2 stats upstairs and down...my water is not on the boiler it's a thermo unit.

Standard Toaster · 10-03-2018 1:57am

The devils wrote: »

Tks for the quick reply standard toaster ðŸ˜Š
Why are you going for the r47 rf?
I'm just wondering...I have only 2 stats upstairs and down...my water is not on the boiler it's a thermo unit.

House has 4 zones; water, living area, bedroom area & upstairs. Solar/stove/Firebird & electric setup. It was only after the plumber had finished did I realise there's a smart element to the eph. Only the RF programmers will work with the eph hub, and by extension the app.

I'll get around to fitting it myself, should be a straightforward swap.

The devils · 11-03-2018 12:10am

Standard Toaster wrote: »

House has 4 zones; water, living area, bedroom area & upstairs. Solar/stove/Firebird & electric setup. It was only after the plumber had finished did I realise there's a smart element to the eph. Only the RF programmers will work with the eph hub, and by extension the app.

I'll get around to fitting it myself, should be a straightforward swap.

I'm just wondering if I was to buy the 27 rf and other bits to go with it, could I get 2 hard wired stats that would work the same as the wireless ones..it just I have two wired celect stats already their and that it would be better or handy to just upgrade these to eph ??
Cheers

gally74 · 11-03-2018 9:51pm

The devils wrote: »

I'm just wondering if I was to buy the 27 rf and other bits to go with it, could I get 2 hard wired stats that would work the same as the wireless ones..it just I have two wired celect stats already their and that it would be better or handy to just upgrade these to eph ??
Cheers

Give them a call their in cork

Standard Toaster · 12-03-2018 3:15pm

The devils wrote: »

I'm just wondering if I was to buy the 27 rf and other bits to go with it, could I get 2 hard wired stats that would work the same as the wireless ones..it just I have two wired celect stats already their and that it would be better or handy to just upgrade these to eph ??
Cheers

gally74 wrote: »

Give them a call their in cork

Agreed, give them a buzz. Their support is meant to be great.

dnme · 12-03-2018 7:45pm

Hi all,

I had a new EPH hard wired controller installed a year ago. I decided to upgrade it myself to the RF model. I went to my local wholesalers and ordered the RF programmer kit. This includes a new programmer, a gateway and two new thermostats. One for my rads zone and one for the hot water.

I replaced the programmer first. I was hoping the back plate (the bit that all the wires connect to) would be common but it was not. So I had to remove that and then connect up the new back plate. I mounted the new plate and programmer. I then plugged in the gateway and followed the instructions to get everything talking.

I downloaded the app, connected it and everything just worked flawlessly.
I left the original hardwired stats in place. They seem to work fine.

I'm wondering do the new rf stats give me any extra features that the hardwired stats dont?

john_doe. · 10-09-2018 7:35pm

Sorry to drag up an old thread.

Just wondering is the restriction still there in EPH Ember that you can only set one temperature a day.

Also how have folks that installed it find it to use? Has anyone moved away to another system

mneylon · 11-09-2018 11:34am

john_doe. wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old thread.

Just wondering is the restriction still there in EPH Ember that you can only set one temperature a day.

Also how have folks that installed it find it to use? Has anyone moved away to another system

That restriction is still there unfortunately.

john_doe. · 11-09-2018 2:28pm

Blacknight wrote: »

That restriction is still there unfortunately.

Thanks for that .

How do you find the system otherwise?

Clareman · 11-09-2018 2:30pm

I just spotted this thread on the main page. My parents have this system in their house and I have to say I find it brilliant and extremely easy to use. Their house is split into 3 zones and hot water, the interface/app is simple to use and this is ideal for my parents as they are completely useless when it comes to technology, it's gotten to the stage when they are coming home from places that my mother opens the app to put the heat on boost so the house is warm when they come home.

mneylon · 11-09-2018 2:57pm

john_doe. wrote: »

Thanks for that .

How do you find the system otherwise?

It's perfectly fine.
I would prefer that they either offered more options via the app or let 3rd party systems like the Smart Things interface with it, but it works very well within its limits
I've had one or two issues over the past 18 months where it lost its 'net connection, but once you've gone through the reconnection process once it's relatively easy to do it

Clareman · 11-09-2018 3:12pm

Blacknight wrote: »

It's perfectly fine.
I would prefer that they either offered more options via the app or let 3rd party systems like the Smart Things interface with it, but it works very well within its limits
I've had one or two issues over the past 18 months where it lost its 'net connection, but once you've gone through the reconnection process once it's relatively easy to do it

I'd second that.

I'd probably sum it up as if you want something simple to use without many bells & whistles go for the Ember, if you are looking for a IoT type of device with loads of options go for a Hive or something similar.

john_doe. · 11-09-2018 3:41pm

Clareman wrote: »

I'd second that.

I'd probably sum it up as if you want something simple to use without many bells & whistles go for the Ember, if you are looking for a IoT type of device with loads of options go for a Hive or something similar.

Thanks I wonder do they have anything on the roadmap for the app. It's difficult to find info on it from Ember.

I'm down to basically ember , tado or someone custom.

Advantages of Ember are i can actually get someone to install it and it seems to be a simple design with an old style controller still usable if internet is down with local support

Tado looks to be the more feature rich system but I can't even get an installer for it and I wonder how I will maintain it once installed.

matrim · 11-09-2018 4:14pm

john_doe. wrote: »

Thanks I wonder do they have anything on the roadmap for the app. It's difficult to find info on it from Ember.

I'm down to basically ember , tado or someone custom.

Advantages of Ember are i can actually get someone to install it and it seems to be a simple design with an old style controller still usable if internet is down with local support

Tado looks to be the more feature rich system but I can't even get an installer for it and I wonder how I will maintain it once installed.

I contacted them about 6 months ago asking if they were considering adding TRV support and they said "not for the forseeable future". Looking at the API / App, it seems to be outsourced to a third party so I wouldn't hold my breath for any updates to functionality.

As others have said, if you want a decent simple app functionality the ember is fine. But if you want more control I'd consider the tado. I'm regretting not getting my plumber to add a tado.

john_doe. · 11-09-2018 4:49pm

matrim wrote: »

I contacted them about 6 months ago asking if they were considering adding TRV support and they said "not for the forseeable future". Looking at the API / App, it seems to be outsourced to a third party so I wouldn't hold my breath for any updates to functionality.

As others have said, if you want a decent simple app functionality the ember is fine. But if you want more control I'd consider the tado. I'm regretting not getting my plumber to add a tado.

Thanks that's what I was thinking , struggling to find a plumber I'm Cork to fit a Tado however.

mneylon · 11-09-2018 10:15pm

john_doe. wrote: »

Tado looks to be the more feature rich system but I can't even get an installer for it and I wonder how I will maintain it once installed.

And that's why I ended up with the Ember. The plumber I was using was a total convert to it and as far as I could tell didn't know anything about any other IoT system.

I've had some interactions with the company directly and while they were very pleasant and all that they've obviously got no plans to add anything meaningful in terms of functionality.

captainshamroc · 12-09-2018 12:43pm

A friend (Cork based) got Ember installed last year and while they considered it expensive (boiler changed also explains that) they are delighted with the results. Standard 3 bed semi with two heating zones and hot water.
Unfortunately not an option for me. Old 3 story house with only one heating zone so I'm going to have to go the TRV route.

john_doe. · 12-09-2018 9:52pm

captainshamroc wrote: »

A friend (Cork based) got Ember installed last year and while they considered it expensive (boiler changed also explains that) they are delighted with the results. Standard 3 bed semi with two heating zones and hot water.
Unfortunately not an option for me. Old 3 story house with only one heating zone so I'm going to have to go the TRV route.

Have you any TRVs in mind
I was looking at the fibaro trv. From what I am reading about smart trvs they are a nightmare to keep batteries charged with most requiring battery charges once a month.

https://www.uk-automation.co.uk/fibaro-radiator-thermostat-head-trv/

The Ember EPH offers control from phone, but without two key features for me :
Ability to zone to a room level and control with trvs
Set different temperatures per day.

Is anyone using the Ember EPH as the control for hot water and main zones but then using smart trvs to limit the heat in rooms via a different app and control mechanism?

mneylon · 13-09-2018 9:51am

john_doe. wrote: »

Is anyone using the Ember EPH as the control for hot water and main zones but then using smart trvs to limit the heat in rooms via a different app and control mechanism?

I was planning on doing this, but need to find a sane solution for it. I had found one crowd on Kickstarter that looked like they would work, but unfortunately they killed off their project and refunded all the backers (not a bad thing!)

EPH Ember

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