What is optimum start?
Optimum Start
Optimum Start is a smart schedule algorithm, built into every Pelican thermostat, used to calculate what time to start heating or cooling to bring the room to the scheduled temperature by the scheduled set time. This is both an energy efficient and comfort feature of your Pelican solution.
This is different than standard schedules because a standard schedule starts heating or cooling at your set time, while optimum start will calculate when to start heating or cooling to bring your room to temperature by your set time.
How do I enable Optimum Start?
All Pelican thermostat scheduled set-times can be enabled for Optimum Start.
To make a set-time “Optimum Start”:
- Navigate to a thermostat’s schedule.
- Select to edit the schedule and select into one of the days to edit the set-times.
- Select the “Edit Time” and a pop-up will appear that provides both time sliders (used to set the time) and an On/Off button the either enables or disables Optimum Start.
- Set to On for Optimum Start to be active.
- Schedules with Optimum Start will show an Optimum Start icon next to the set time.
How does Optimum Start work?
When Optimum Start is enabled for a set time, every day before that set-time the thermostat will analyze the last 7-days of room temperature movement to calculate when it needs to start heating or cooling to bring the room to the scheduled temperature by the Optimum Start set time.
The earliest a thermostat can enable the heating or cooling for Optimum Start is 12:01AM on the day of the scheduled set-time, unless there are other set times after 12:01AM and before the schedule set time that is using Optimum Start. If there are set times before the Optimum Start set time, the earliest the thermostat can enable heating or cooling for Optimum Start would be the prior set time before the Optimum Start set time.
The examples below shows the thermostat auto-adjusting its heating start time to bring the room to its scheduled temperature by the Start of Day.
Optimum Start started the Heat 5-minutes before the set-time:
Optimum Start started the Heat 48-minutes before the set-time:
Why is this more efficient then a standard schedule time?
As the seasons change, indoor heating and cooling loads can change as well. Optimum Start adjusts to these changes, on a daily basis, fine-tuning when each room should start heating or cooling. The average heating and cooling run-time for this type of algorithm has shown to be more energy efficient over the year versus scheduling a thermostat to start heating or cooling at a fixed time before people arrive each day.
Does Optimum Start take into account the outside air damper?
Yes! But, only if a Pelican PEARL is controlling the outside air damper.
When a Pelican thermostat communicates to the PEARL, they will work together together to either use cold outside air to pre-cool a room instead of running mechanical cooling OR to keep the outside damper shut to pre-heat a room without bringing in cold outside air.
The economizer function can be used for up to four hours before the Optimum Start scheduled time. If Optimum Start decides to use the economizer, but is unable to cool the room by the set time, it will enable mechanical cooling as well.