Ruud EcoNet

I’ve seen a lot of low ratings for this app. Everyone has different needs and circumstances, but I can share that the app has not crashed for me and has worked great. It provides quick updates when I open it. The changes take effect almost immediately. It gets the job done. I have a new Ruud furnace and AC connected to it. The only thing I wish it had was the option to randomly circulate the fan. I can select about six fan speeds, so I have it set to low fan only at certain times of the day/night. One benefit this app has over my last WiFi t stat is the “auto” feature. No more switching from furnace to AC in the transition months. Just set it and forget it!

As a user of the Ruud EcoNet app, I find myself compelled to express my disappointment, resulting in this two-star review. The lack of integration with Apple Home or HomeKit is a significant oversight in today’s smart home ecosystem. This missing feature diminishes the app’s utility and convenience, which is a substantial letdown for users invested in the Apple ecosystem. Furthermore, the transition from the older version of the app to the current one was poorly managed. There was a distinct absence of communication or a seamless update process. Many of us were left unaware of the new app’s existence until we faced functionality issues with the older version. This lack of foresight led to unnecessary inconvenience, as users had to independently search for and adapt to the new application. The decision to launch this as a completely new app, rather than an update to the existing one, resulted in a disconnection with the user base. I am open to revising my review to a full five stars, should these concerns be addressed in future updates. The potential for a first-rate user experience is there, but it requires a commitment to user-friendly practices and a deeper integration with widely-used smart home systems.

This app delivers the basics pretty well: scheduling is well designed (provides up to 4 user-defined periods per day), and calculates daily energy consumption, which it reports by hour, day, week and month. But it falls short on multiple fronts: 1. Status is confusing - developers didn’t allow enough space to display a full description. 2. Hot water level is completely bogus and inconsistent. After showing “full” and system in standby, I drew one gallon to take a temperature measurement. It then reported 2/3rds full (for a 65 gallon tank). Many times the system is in standby, yet the indicator shows any where from “empty “ to 2/3rds full. Have learned to completely ignore, since regardless of what’s displayed we have yet to run out of hot water. 3. The hourly energy usage graph seems to display every other hour for the current day, but every hour is displayed for the previous day, suggesting it’s a programming error. I have reported these issues to the manufacturer over a week ago, but have yet to get any kind of a response. PS. The heater itself is amazing. The installed cost was about the same as to replace a failing oil fired heater, while it’s operating costs are about 1/4th the cost of oil - in a state with high energy costs !