System and method of use for a user interface dashboard of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning network

1. An HVAC graphical interface dashboard, comprising:

a weather tab, wherein invoking the weather tab advances to a weather screen;

an indoor humidity tab, wherein invoking the indoor humidity tab advances to a humidity screen which displays at least a current indoor humidity;

an alerts tab, wherein invoking the alerts tab advances to an alerts screen;

a help tab, wherein invoking the help tab advances to a help screen that provides context sensitive help that presents at least one dialog box related to a function of a current screen;

an indoor settings tab, wherein invoking the indoor settings tab advances to an indoor settings screen which includes a current indoor temperature;

a programs tab, wherein invoking the programs tab advances to a programs screen which is configured to program at least one of:

a) a time;

b) temperature setpoints; and

c) heating/cooling setpoints;

a home tab, wherein invoking the home tab advances to a home screen which provides a summary of indoor conditions,

said dashboard further comprising:

a) a screen that employs a backlight to display information to a user;

b) a backlight; and

c) a motion detector, wherein the backlight is turned on by the motion detector upon a detection of motion.

2. The dashboard of claim 1 , wherein the dashboard has a screensaver that activates after a selected amount of inactivity from a user.

3. The dashboard of claim 1 , wherein, in order to access an installer screen from the home screen, an installer is to press and hold an icon with a finger for a given time period and then drag the finger across the interface.

4. The programs tab of claim 1 , wherein the programming screen for programming a time invokes both:

a) a display of an analog clock; and

b) six interface boxes, each including indicia of one of:

i) an hour;

ii) a minute;

iii) an AM/PM;

iv) a day;

v) a month; and

vi) a year.

5. The program screen of claim 4 , wherein at least one value of at least one interface box is changed as a user drags at least one clock hand of the analog clock.

6. The program screen of claim 4 , wherein at least one value of at least one interface box is adjusted by a user using a number on a clock face as a button to enter a time for the clock.

7. The dashboard of claim 1 , wherein at least one device coupled to the HVAC has a coarse adjustment and a fine adjustment displayed to set the device.

8. The dashboard of claim 1 , further comprising an installer dashboard with an installer screen, wherein a device within the HVAC to be diagnosed is moved as text by a finger movement from a more left part of a diagnostic interface to a more right part of a diagnostic interface.

9. The installer screen of claim 8 , further comprising pushing a start button to begin diagnostics, and removing selected text by dragging the text back to the more left part of the diagnostic interface.

10. An HVAC system including a graphical interface dashboard and at least one coupled device, comprising:

the dashboard, including:

a weather tab, wherein invoking the weather tab advances to a weather screen;

an indoor humidity tab, wherein invoking the indoor humidity tab advances to a humidity screen which displays at least a current indoor humidity;

an alerts tab, wherein invoking the alerts tab advances to an alerts screen;

a help tab, wherein invoking the help tab advances to a help screen that provides context sensitive help that presents at least one dialog box related to a function of a current screen;

an indoor settings tab, wherein invoking the indoor settings tab advances a user to an indoor settings screen which includes a current indoor temperature;

a programs tab, wherein pressing the programs tab invokes a programs screen which is configured to program at least one of

i) a time;

ii) temperature setpoints; and

iii) heating/cooling setpoints;

a home tab, wherein invoking the home tab advances a user to a home screen which provides a summary of indoor conditions; and

the at least one coupled device selected from the group including:

a) an air handler;

b) a furnace;

c) an evaporator coil;

d) a condenser coil; and

e) a compressor;

wherein the at least one coupled device is viewable from at least one of the tabs,

said dashboard further comprising:

a) a screen that employs a backlight to display information to a user;

b) a backlight; and

c) a motion detector, wherein the backlight is turned on by the motion detector upon a detection of motion.

11. The dashboard of claim 10 , wherein the dashboard has a screensaver that activates after a selected amount of inactivity from a user.

12. The dashboard of claim 10 , further comprising allowing a partially locked or fully locked mode.

13. The dashboard of claim 12 , wherein the partially locked mode deactivates all buttons except for up-down arrows.

14. The dashboard of claim 13 , wherein the fully locked mode deactivates all buttons and removes the up-down arrows from screen.

15. The dashboard of claim 13 , wherein to unlock the screen, the user presses and holds a lock-pad icon for a selected period of time.

16. An HVAC graphical interface dashboard, comprising:

a weather tab, wherein invoking the weather tab advances to a weather screen;

an indoor humidity tab, wherein invoking the indoor humidity tab advances to a humidity screen which displays at least a current indoor humidity;

an alerts tab, wherein invoking the alerts tab advances to an alerts screen;

a help tab, wherein invoking the help tab advances to a help screen that provides context sensitive help that presents at least one dialog box related to a function of a current screen;

an indoor settings tab, wherein invoking the indoor settings tab advances to an indoor settings screen which includes a current indoor temperature;

a programs tab, wherein invoking the programs tab advances to a programs screen which is configured to program at least one of:

a) a time;

b) temperature setpoints; and

c) heating/cooling setpoints;

wherein a program schedule of the program tab is divided into a plurality of time zones wherein, upon a time a time zone being invoked for a set period of time:

a) a temperature setpoint for that time period is deactivated,

b) a display of the deactivated setpoints of the deactivated time period appears dim relative to a display of the time period's setpoints before deactivation; and

c) the deactivated time period's setpoints appear dimmer relative to an active time period's setpoints; and

a home tab, wherein invoking the home tab advances to a home screen which provides a summary of indoor conditions,

said dashboard further comprising:

a) a screen that employs a backlight to display information to a user;

b) a backlight; and

c) a motion detector, wherein the backlight is turned on by the motion detector upon a detection of motion.

17. The dashboard of claim 16 , wherein the dashboard has a screensaver that activates after a selected amount of inactivity from a user.

18. The home tab of claim 16 , wherein the home screen has an alert icon that gives a user an indication that there is at least one alert present in the dashboard.

19. The home screen of claim 18 , wherein pressing the alert icon directly navigates to a display page on the thermostat giving a user:

a) more information about the at least one alert;

b) the ability to clear the at least one alert; or

c) to set a reminder time for a later date for the at least one alert.

20. The home screen of claim 19 , wherein the alert icon is one of three colors:

a) a first color to indicate that the HVAC dashboard is currently running in an energy efficient mode;

b) a second color to indicate that a filter needs to be replaced; and

c) a third color to indicate that a piece of equipment is no longer working.