Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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proximity-activated central heating

 heating that turns on before you get home
  (+5, -2)
(+5, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

To save energy, I turn off my home central heating when I go out. When I get home, the house is cold, and it takes a while to warm up.

The system could sense if I was in or not (motion sensor) but this wouldn't solve the problem of warmup time.

What if my heating system could figure out how roughly far away I was (using my cellphone's location system). It could then switch on if I was within a certain radius and moving towards the house.

Version Two would run me a bath and start the potatoes boiling...

—bumhat, Dec 30 2005

Remote control central heating, baths, potatoes http://www.save-on-...phone%20control.htm
(Requires dialing up.) [DrCurry, Dec 30 2005]

Call it in, or use the internet http://www.resident...0.html?SMSESSION=NO
[ldischler, Dec 30 2005]

[link]






       Timers work well, if you run on a schedule.
—Worldgineer, Dec 30 2005
   

       All possible, expensive for home use.
—gnomethang, Dec 30 2005
   

       I thought you meant something for shifting heat concentration around the house
—theircompetitor, Dec 30 2005
   

       Intellligent timers that worked out your average schedule by analysing when you're home would be good.
—wagster, Dec 30 2005
   

       [worldengineer] I tend to run on schedule, except when I don't. Which happens quite often, if you know what I mean.   

       [wagster] that would work as well, except when... it wouldn't - I'm just a wild and crazy, unpredictable guy. A sensor-based system would work 100% of the time... or handle two people sharing one place (hard to predict).
—bumhat, Dec 31 2005
   

       Except ofcourse when you are on route to your neighbours.
—zeno, Jan 02 2006
   

       I'm not sure this is the best way of doing it, esp with [zeno]'s example. You can get SMS control for aircon now, maybe just use that.
—neilp, Jan 02 2006
   

       Sure, that would work, but you'd still have to remember to do it, so I wouldn't. The point of auto-sensing is that it just 'magically' *works* - whenever you're home, the heating is on.   

       My neighbours are weird, so I don't visit them.
—bumhat, Jan 03 2006
   

       If you want proximity-dependent warmth couldn't you just wear a jumper?
—hippo, Jan 03 2006
   

       [hippo] Of course I could. The intention of the idea is to pander to my laziness.
—bumhat, Jan 04 2006
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

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