nilan2homeassistant

This repository contains Home Assistant configuration files and information how to natively integrate Nilan E-series heatpumps into Home Assistant. As I don't have EC9 with floor heating support I could not prepare temperature out to battery/floor heating. If you have EC9 and want to enhance, it should be doable although I understand you need to emulate keypresses to set floor heating circuit settings. Please create pull request after making configuration work.

!NOTE! Writing to modbus registers is not done. It requires climates and switches configuration. Check todo..

Hardware requirements:

• Nilan E/EC/EC9 with CTS-602 compatible controller. Control card is important one, not display.
• USB RS-485 adapter
• Linux computer to run MbusD-gateway software (Raspberry with raspbian or really any)

The architecture is like this as typically modbus slave such Nilan is not close to Home Assistant running computer so you need some kind of remote connection, which is implemented over WiFi via Raspberry Zero W on my setup.

Modbus gateway installation:

1. Install mbusd gateway software into gateway hardware; I use Raspberry Pi Zero W with Raspbian. Other Linux computer should be fine. Use mbusd instructions.
2. Copy provided mbusd-ttyUSB0.conf to /etc/mbusd/
3. Connect USB/RS-485 adapter to Nilan controller board and Raspberry's USB port. Check Nilan documentation where to connect and how.
4. Configure mbusd for start, I used systemctl service option to load on boot. Configure by changing filename and port in file and start/enable command line if your usb-port other than /dev/ttyUSB0

   systemctl enable mbusd@ttyUSB0.service

5. Start mbusd

   systemctl start mbusd@ttyUSB0.service

Home assistant installation:

1. Copy modbus_nilanec.yaml into /config -directory
2. Modify modbus_nilanec.yaml -file with your mbusd gateway IP-address
3. Copy NilanEC.svg into /config/www -directory
4. Add configuration lines under homeassistant: -tag

   homeassistant:
   packages:
   nilanec: !include modbus_nilanec.yaml

5. Go to developement - Check configuration files and if OK, restart
6. Edit some dashboard and create picture-element card and paste nilanec_picture-element-card.yaml into editor and save

If everything works you should see following without Nilan power/energy consumption, as that is another card I decided to add to screenshot.

Enhancements / Todo

• It would be nice to be able to combine modbus sensors into sensor attributes. Like hotwater bottom sensor would have attribute hotwater compressor setting when compressor can turn off. There could be a lot of combining of data.
• Picture-element-card Climate - I could not make it work.
• Other HA-based setting over modbus, like set fan speed by automation or requested temperature.
• Icon coloring based on state
• Verified EC9 setup

Bugs

There might be bugs on picture card or in modbus-package, please report or create pull requests.

Known issues:

• Home assistant and mbusd have some glitches and sensors might show "Unavailable". Most probably due to next bullet if Rpi wifi goes to powersave it will make modbustcp queries out of sync. It will go away. It might also be due to multithreaded architecture of mbusd which causes queries on top of each other. Some pages suggest "slave_sensor" configuration at Home Assistant's modbus configuration.
• Raspberry might loose Wi-Fi connectivity - consult Raspbian for fixes; to query: iw wlan0 get power_save
  • https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/96606/make-iw-wlan0-set-power-save-off-permanent
  • adding a line to /etc/rc.local "/sbin/iwconfig wlan0 power off". Add that ahead of exit 0 and it will run at every boot.
• MDI icon set does not have icon for fan speed 4, so fan plus was used for speed4. On my home setup fan speeds 1-3 are configured and.