Edge: Interpreting your temperature data

In this article we will learn about analyzing the incoming temperature data in Edge. You will learn about graph patterns that indicates specific issues in the apartment, heating system or outdoor.

Outdoor climate

1. Outdoor sensor affected by the sun

   • What is the data showing? - Temperature spikes on the measured temperature during specific hours of the day.
     
   • What could this mean? - Your outdoor sensor is most likely affected by the sun either directly or indirectly through reflections. 
   • What effect does this have? - If it's summer and there no heating needed then it does not matter. However in spring/autumn it could cause some issues.
     Depending on your heating system and settings in Edge, this tells your heating system that it's a lot warmer than it actually is and it will react accordingly. 
     Less heat will be sent out, the circulation pump might stop earlier than expected and this may cause a lower indoor temperature for some period.
   • What can I do about it? - In most cases the outdoor sensor is already placed in an optimal spot and it's difficult to move it to a better one.
     You can install a sunscreen to prevent the sensor from being affected by the sunlight.
     It is also possible through Edge to use the forecast temperature instead of measured temperature if the two historically have proven to be very similar.
     
     

2. Edge's Heat block function is active 

   • What is the data showing? - The Equivalent temperature jumps up to 25ºC and you see a straight line or it deviates slightly from 25ºC.
     
   • What could this mean? - It is relatilvey warm outside, Edge's heat block function has been activated and it's trying to prevent uncessesary heat from going out in your heating system.
   • What effect does this have? - This should lower your energy consumption and also have a positive effect on the indoor climate. The heat block function will cause the set point value for outgoing heat to decrease and depending on steering method also force the circulation pump to stop.
   • What can I do about it? - No need to do anything but if this somehow is affecting your building negatively you can always contact Kiona support and we can turn the function off. 
     
     

Indoor climate

1. Temperature sensor has been moved 

   • What is the data showing? - You have a normal indoor temperature value and then within a few hours it drops drastically to around 13-15 degrees and stays there.
     
   • What could this mean? - In most cases the sensor has been removed from the original position because of renovation and placed somewhere colder like on the window pane or in an indoor balcony. 
   • What effect does this have? - If the sensor is marked as a reference sensor in Edge and used as a parameter in the self-optimization it will affect the steering negatively.
     It also affects the average indoor temperature graph and depending on how far off the scale the temperature is it affects the scaling in the diagram.
   • What can I do about it? - First, go to Edge and confirm it is not marked as a reference sensor and affects the steering. Secondly, try to get the sensor back to it's original position.
     
     

2. Temperature sensor has been thrown in the garbage 

   • What is the data showing? - The temperature sensor went from showing a regular indoor temperature to show and follow the outdoor temperature in two hours. The HUB/Gateway then lost connection with the sensor.
     
   • What could this mean? - One possibility is that the sensor got disposed of and thrown in the garbage container outside and then the garbage truck came and picked it up.
   • What effect does this have? - After the connection is lost to the sensor, it will not affect the steering or the average indoor temperature.
   • What can I do about it? - Confirm if the sensor has been removed or not. If it has, then contact Kiona to unregister the device so that a new sensor can be registered.
     
     

System temperatures

1. Actuator stuck or operating in manual mode 

   • What is the data showing? - The supply temperature on your radiator circuit(Orange) is showing a constant value and is not following the set point temperature(Black). 
     In the photo below you can see the supply temperature being stuck on 35 degrees for days.
     Eventually it got cold in the apartments so a technician went to the heating central to manually adjust the actuator(Red arrow) they then replaced it and set the mode to auto(Green arrow).
     
   • What could this mean? - There are multiple reasons why a supply temperature is showing a constant temperature. A common reason is that the actuator controlling the flow is either stuck because of a faulty motor, dirt/rust or is operating in manual mode instead of auto.
   • What effect does this have? - It means that the indoor temperature will start to fluctuate a few degrees since there's no active steering based on the outdoor temperature. If the actuator is set to manual mode it no longer reacts to the signals coming from your heating controller to open and close the valve.
   • What can I do about it? - If the constant temperature is not due to a constant equivalent temperature, min/max limitation on the heating curve or some other obvious reason then contact your technician/plumber so they can have a look in the heating central to see if there's something wrong with the actuator. You can try to manually open/close the valve a few times to get it unstuck or set it back to auto if you are experienced yourself and know how.
     
     

2. Set point settings in the heating controller have been adjusted 

   • What is the data showing? - The supply temperature have started to deviate with a certain amount of degrees, in this case about 4ºC.
     
   • What could this mean? - The most common cause is that someone changed the setting for either paralell shift or room temperature in the heating controller without updating the documentation on current curve in the optimization module.
   • What effect does this have? - In most cases there's an alarm in Edge on the supply temperature. This will activate and be shown on the overview page since there is a 4ºC difference between what is expected and what is actually sent out in the heating circuit.
     It might be harder to see if the steering is accurate now when you have to take this deviation into account.
   • What can I do about it? - If this is a permanent adjustment and someone did add a parallell shift of "+4" in the heating controller, then add +4 on all the Y-points on the current curve aswell and make a note in Edge. 
     We do however recommend to use the function "Adjust heat" for temporary increases of heat and make use of the "Adaption zones" and/or "Desired indoor temperature" for more permanent adjustments instead of making a trip to the heating central.
     
     

3. Edge's Autumn function is active 

   • What is the data showing? - The equivalent temperature suddenly drops in the morning to around 8ºC. 
     
   • What could this mean? - This means the autumn function met the set criterias and activated. This function is on by default between August - November and activates when some specific parameters are met.
   • What effect does this have? - It will increase the heat a few hours in the morning and will make the radiators feel warm to let you know the heating system is on and working.
   • What can I do about it? - No need to do anything but if this somehow is affecting your building negatively you can always contact Kiona support and we can turn the function off.

4. Actuator not properly closing the valve

   • What is the data showing? - As the outdoor temperature exceeds the setting for pump stop and the pump stops, the supply temperature measures temperatures above 40ºC.
     
   • What could this mean? - There could be multiple reasons behind this scenario, one of them is that the actuator is unable to properly close the valve. This causes some flow to run through the heat exchanger and heat the secondary circuit. Another cause could be that the supply temperature sensor is located too close to the heat exchanger and is affected by conduction heat.
   • What effect does this have? - In most cases, not much effect at all but if there's any self-circulation in the secondary system there will be unnecessary energy costs and the apartments will potentially receive unwanted heat.
   • What can I do about it? - Contact your technician/plumber to take a closer look at what is causing the high temperatures being registered by the sensor. You can verify if this is due to an open valve by looking at temperature data from previous years during periods where the pump was shut off and see if it has increased. 
     For example if the supply temperature showed 27ºC the previous year and now shows 40-50ºC and no other changes has occured then most likely the valve is unable to close.