Thermostat and Environmental Control Overview
What This Capability Provides
The Thermostat and Environmental Control Capability provides a complete model for climate management within a Zipato deployment. It introduces virtual thermostats with operation modes, setpoint management, scheduling and actuator control built on top of the normalized device model, and handles heating, cooling, humidification, dehumidification and ventilation as a reusable module.
It is not a standalone product. It runs on top of the Core Platform, using the normalized device model and event stream to deliver climate logic that any application or integration can consume.
Core Model
Virtual Thermostat Device
The capability is structured around a virtual thermostat device. This device appears in the platform device tree alongside physical devices. All operation modes, inputs and outputs are held within it.
Thermostat (virtual device)
├── ThermostatMaster (master control — mode, setpoint, hold)
├── ThermostatActuator (one per operation mode — relay/valve control)
├── ThermostatInput (temperature or humidity sensor binding)
└── ThermostatLevelInput (level control input binding)
This structure separates the logical climate model from the physical devices that feed it. Any supported sensor or actuator — Z-Wave temperature sensor, Zigbee relay, KNX valve, wired thermostat — can be bound to the virtual thermostat regardless of its protocol.
Two thermostat variants are available: Pro (full feature set, multi-zone capable) and Basic (simplified configuration), selected at creation time.
Component Bindings
A virtual thermostat is composed by binding physical devices to three roles:
| Role | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Outputs (Actuators) | Control heating, cooling or ventilation equipment | Relays, motorized valves, fan controllers |
| Inputs (Controls) | Provide user-facing control interfaces | Wall thermostats, control panels |
| Meters (Sensors) | Measure the regulated value | Temperature sensors, humidity sensors |
Operation Modes
Each thermostat operates in one of the following modes:
| Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|
HEATING | Controls heating actuators (boilers, radiator valves, underfloor heating) |
COOLING | Controls cooling actuators (air conditioning, chilled beams) |
HUMIDIFICATION | Controls humidification equipment |
DEHUMIDIFICATION | Controls dehumidification equipment |
VENTILATION | Controls ventilation fans and dampers |
A single thermostat can have multiple operation modes configured — for example, both heating and cooling actuators bound to the same thermostat — but the master control selects which mode is active at a given time.
Regulated Values
The thermostat regulates environmental conditions by comparing sensor readings against setpoints and adjusting actuator output:
| Regulated Value | Sensor Type | Used By |
|---|---|---|
TEMPERATURE | Temperature sensor | Heating, Cooling |
HUMIDITY | Humidity sensor | Humidification, Dehumidification |
Meters (sensors) are bound per regulated value. Multiple sensors can be bound to provide readings from different locations within the controlled space.
Master Control
The master control endpoint manages the thermostat's overall behaviour through the following attributes:
| Attribute | Purpose |
|---|---|
mode | Current operating mode selection |
preset | Active preset configuration |
target | Target setpoint value |
holdUntil | Hold deadline (for timed overrides) |
disabled | Whether the thermostat is currently disabled |
Program Modes
The thermostat supports four scheduling behaviours:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
PROGRAM | Follow the configured schedule — setpoints change automatically according to time-based profiles |
HOLD_PERMANENT | Hold the current setpoint indefinitely, ignoring the schedule |
HOLD_PERIOD | Hold a setpoint for a defined period, then resume the schedule |
HOLD_UNTIL | Hold a setpoint until a specific time, then resume the schedule |
Actuator Configuration
Each operation mode endpoint carries configuration that governs how the actuator behaves:
| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Cooldown | Minimum time (milliseconds) between actuator state changes — protects equipment from rapid cycling |
| Hysteresis | Temperature tolerance band around the setpoint — prevents oscillation |
| Invert | Inverts the output signal (enabled by default for cooling and dehumidification) |
| Initially Disabled | Whether the actuator starts in a disabled state |
Learn more about HVAC Configurations
How It Fits the Platform
The Thermostat and Environmental Control Capability consumes Core Platform services:
- the normalized device model provides sensor and actuator data regardless of protocol;
- the event stream delivers real-time temperature and humidity readings to the control logic;
- the device control layer sends on/off and level commands to actuators;
- the data storage layer persists schedules, configuration and energy consumption history.
Thermostat control logic executes on the edge runtime so that climate regulation is maintained even when cloud connectivity is intermittent. The virtual thermostat continuously compares sensor readings against setpoints and adjusts actuator states accordingly — independent of any cloud service.
Where to Continue
| Goal | Page |
|---|---|
| Learn about HVAC equipment configurations and tuning | HVAC Configurations |
| Configure schedules and time-based profiles | Scheduling |
| Understand the normalized device model that feeds sensors and actuators | Device Normalization |
| See how applications consume this capability | Applications Overview |