Smart Global Off Time with Conditional Notifications

thepearce

Overview:
I’d like to propose a feature that allows users to set a "Global Off Time"—a hard cutoff time at which all heating devices in the system are turned off or reverted to a predefined safe state (e.g., frost protection). This feature would address the issue of unexpected heating events during the night, offering users better control and peace of mind.

The Problem:
Heating can unexpectedly fire up in the middle of the night (e.g., at 01:30 am) because of:

• A manual setting (device or app) that was accidentally left on ("until schedule resumed), and
• The temperature in a room dropping below a trigger point.

For households where the boiler has a minimum on-time requirement (e.g., 15 minutes), this can result in wasted energy and disturbances during the night—especially if the boiler wakes people up when it runs unnecessarily.

Proposed Solution:

1. Global Off Time:
   Allow users to define a fixed time (e.g., 23:00) at which:
   • All heating in the system is turned off or reduced to frost protection mode.
   • Manual overrides and unexpected triggers are ignored or overridden, ensuring no heating is left active by mistake.
2. Smart Notification Behavior:
   • Silent Mode: If all heating is already off by the Global Off Time, no notification is sent.
   • Intervention Notification: If heating is left on and the Global Off Time intervenes to turn it off, send a push notification, such as:
     "FYI: Heating in the Living Room was turned off at 23:00 as per your Global Off Time setting.". I'm assuming the person has their phone in DND in hours they don't want any disturbances from apps.

This ensures users are only notified when the system actively makes a change, avoiding unnecessary alerts when everything is already in order.

Key Benefits:

1. Energy Efficiency: Prevents the boiler from cycling unnecessarily during the night.
2. Improved Sleep and Comfort: Eliminates unexpected heating events late at night.
3. Peace of Mind: Provides an automatic safeguard to prevent heating from being left on accidentally.
4. Customizable Alerts: Keeps users informed only when an intervention is required, reducing notification fatigue.

Why This Matters:
Unexpected heating events are especially frustrating at night, waking people up and wasting energy. A "Global Off Time" would eliminate this issue for households with a consistent bedtime and improve overall control of the heating system.

Conclusion:
This feature would be a valuable addition to Tado, combining automation, efficiency, and convenience. Please consider adding this functionality to give users more control over their system.