Climate control system including responsive controllers
View Patent ↗A thermostat is provided that receives one or more inputs from at least one heating system of a climate control system, and initiates an appropriate action in response to the input. The thermostat can turn off a heat pump providing substandard heat and responsively turn on a fuel-fired auxiliary furnace. The thermostat may discontinue further operation of the auxiliary furnace upon receiving an operating error signal associated with the auxiliary furnace, and responsively turn on the heat pump to provide for continued heating. The thermostat may also discontinue operation of the fuel-fired furnace and turn on a circulating fan in response to an input signal indicating a furnace high-temperature or a carbon monoxide presence.
1. A climate control system comprising:
a heat pump system including an outside unit having a compressor;
an auxiliary heating system having a control capable of digital communication;
a thermostat coupled to the heat pump system and the auxiliary heating system, the thermostat configured as a peer in a peer-to-peer network that includes as peers the control and a controller coupled to the heat pump system, the controller configured to determine when an outside ambient temperature is below a predetermined temperature value and to communicate a request via the peer-to-peer network to the auxiliary heating system control to initiate an auxiliary heating operation when the thermostat communicates a request to the controller for heating operation;
wherein the controller is configured to request the control for operation of the auxiliary heating system, when the compressor of the heat pump system is determined to be inoperable and/or the heat pump system is in a defrosting mode, and there is a demand for heat.
2. The climate control system of claim 1 , wherein the outside unit comprises the controller.
3. The climate control system of claim 1 , wherein the thermostat comprises a lighted display on which one or more fault messages from the controller and/or from any other controls and/or controllers of the climate control system are displayable in relation to one or more colors based on a current mode of the climate control system.
4. The climate control system of claim 1 , wherein the thermostat uses a decrease detected in the temperature of the space that is being heated by the heat pump system to determine whether the heat pump system is operable or inoperable.