Official documentation

01

External temperature sensor setup

The essential first step is to connect Scheater to your external temperature sensor. This information is used by the regulation algorithm to optimise heating based on real climatic conditions.

0

From the Scheater home page, go to the Parameters menu in the left navigation bar.

1

Click on the Temperatures section.

2

In the form, enter the entity name representing your external temperature sensor. Retrieve it from your Home Assistant instance and paste it into this field.

3

Click OK to confirm.

External temperature sensor configuration dialog

✅

Once the sensor is configured, the external temperature is displayed on the home page (Schedules menu), confirming that the connection with Home Assistant is operational.

02

Create and configure zones

What is a zone?

A zone is not necessarily equal to a room. In homes with communicating spaces, several rooms share the same air volume and will benefit from being regulated together. A zone therefore represents one room or a group of rooms depending on the layout of your home.

Create a zone

0

Go to Parameters › Zones.

1

Click the + button to open the creation form.

2

Give your zone a name (e.g.: Living Room).

3

Assign users. By default, the Family user represents the entire household. Other users can be created later (see section Absences).

4

The heaters field can be left empty for now. You will fill it in after creating your heaters. Click OK.

ℹ️

After creation, the zone appears on the home page as a card. It is empty as long as no heater is assigned to it — this is normal.

03

Configure heaters

A heater in Scheater is the representation of a physical heating device, connected to Home Assistant via several entities.

Creating a heater

0

Go to Parameters › Heaters and click +.

1

Give the heater a descriptive name, ideally related to its position (e.g.: Living Room – South). This name will allow you to identify it unambiguously.

2

Select the zone to which this heater belongs.

Entities to configure

Field	Description	Required
Power (W)	Nominal power of the heater (e.g.: `1200`). Required only if you use energy consumption tracking.	No
Temperature entity	Sensor measuring the local temperature of the heater. Multiple heaters can share the same sensor.	Yes
Window / door entity	Opening sensor that suspends regulation automatically when a window or door is open.	No
Switch entity	Home Assistant entity that controls the heater's power supply.	Yes

🧪

Built-in entity test: Each field has a green ▶ button to test the entity in real time. A green message confirms correct reading; a red message indicates a configuration error.

Regulation parameters

Switch logic inversion: Defines whether the switch should be set to ON to activate the heater, or to OFF (inverted logic). Configure this setting according to your device's behaviour.

TPI algorithm (Time Proportional Integral): The regulation algorithm is based on two coefficients, C and T. The default values provided by Scheater are suitable for most installations. You can adjust them to improve thermal performance, particularly depending on the insulation level of the room.

📚

To learn more about the TPI algorithm, consult the resources available online. It is a widely used algorithm in thermal regulation.

Heater TPI settings (coefficients, period)

04

Understanding the Dashboard

Once your zones and heaters are configured, the main page (Schedules menu) becomes a comprehensive dashboard providing a real-time view of your entire installation.

Zone card

Each zone is represented by a card displaying the average temperature of the zone. The right side of the card shows a temperature acquisition diagram averaged over the last two hours.

⏱️

Wait approximately 10 minutes after configuration to see the first acquisitions appear on the graph.

Visual indicators

Icon	Colour	Meaning
Warning (flashing)	Orange	Maintenance (e.g.: battery almost flat)
Warning (flashing)	Red	Serious error detected (e.g.: sensor out of service, flat battery)
Window	Orange	A window or door is open — thermostat on pause
Flame	Orange	The heater is currently in a heating cycle

Per-heater details

Click on the three dots (⋯) in the top right corner of the card to access the detail of each heater in the zone:

Temperature sensor battery level
Temperature offset applied to the heater (see section Temperature offsets)
Exact temperature of the heater (vs. average zone temperature)
Error messages (e.g.: Sensor error)

Comfort modes

The button at the bottom left of each card allows you to quickly switch between three modes:

Mode	Effect on setpoint
Normal	Schedule temperature applied
Comfort	+2 °C relative to setpoint
Eco	−2 °C relative to setpoint

⚙️

The Comfort and Eco offsets are customisable in Parameters › Temperatures. See the section System temperatures.

⚠️

The information displayed on the dashboard may not be up to date. All control conditions are periodically reassessed internally, and the display will only be updated once they have been taken into account. For example, it may take up to 10 seconds for an absence to be taken into account, and up to 10 minutes for a new setpoint to be applied if a heating cycle is in progress.

05

Heating schedules

The concept of time slots

Scheater operates with time slots. Each time slot defines a temperature to apply from a given time. There is no end date: it is the succession of slots that constitutes the schedule.

By default, a single entry covers the whole week at 12 °C. This is your starting point to customise.

Create a time slot

0

On the dashboard, click on the calendar icon in the header of the desired zone card.

1

Click the + at the top right.

2

Select the day or group of days: specific day, Week (Mon-Sun), Weekdays (Mon-Fri), or Weekend (Sat-Sun).

3

Set the start time of the slot (e.g.: 06:00).

4

Select the desired setpoint temperature (e.g.: 18 °C) and click OK.

Calendar view

Click on the calendar icon at the top left of the schedule page to display a complete weekly view of setpoint temperatures. This view makes it easy to detect configuration errors.

Priority rules

When time slots overlap (e.g.: a Week slot, a Weekend slot and a Saturday slot for the same time), Scheater applies the following priority rule:

Week (fallback)

→

Weekdays / Weekend

→

Specific day (max priority)

The most specific configuration always takes precedence.

06

Activation and regulation modes

It is possible to activate or deactivate the regulation of each zone, and to define an active period. Access these settings via the gear icon ⚙ at the top right of the heating schedule.

Mode	Description
Permanent	Regulation is continuously active, with no date limit.
Annual	Two dates define an active period each year, regardless of the year.
Punctual	Two precise dates including the year. Regulation will be inactive the following year.
Disabled	Regulation is manually switched off.

⚠️

Scheater never shuts down thermostats. Disabling regulation applies a setpoint of 12 °C by default on all zones, avoiding any risk of frost in the pipes.

07

Managing absences

Absence management allows the temperature to be automatically reduced in zones linked to an absent user, without completely cutting off regulation.

Create users

0

Go to Parameters › Users. The Family user is present by default and cannot be deleted.

1

Click +, enter the resident's name (e.g.: Frank) and confirm.

2

Assign this user to a zone via Parameters › Zones by selecting their name in the Users field.

📥

For each user, it is possible to link an absence to a Home Assistant entity — an input_boolean or a binary_sensor. When the entity switches to on, Scheater automatically triggers the absence.

Schedule an absence

0

Go to the Absences menu in the left bar.

1

Click + and give the absence a unique name (e.g.: Frank's Holiday).

2

Select the start and end dates, choose the user concerned, then confirm.

🌡️

In the event of absence, Scheater applies a temperature of 14 °C (configurable) in zones linked to the absent user — regulation is never completely cut off.

08

Temporary manual control

Manual control allows a one-time temperature to be applied to one or more heaters in a zone, for a defined duration, without modifying the permanent schedule.

Typical use case: quickly heat a bathroom before going in, without changing the base schedule.

⏱️

Allow at least 20 minutes of pre-heating for the room to reach the desired temperature.

0

On the dashboard, locate the card for the zone concerned and click on the ▶ icon in the header.

1

In the menu that opens, select the heater(s) to control, set the desired temperature and the duration.

2

Click OK. The card then indicates that the heater is under manual control and displays a countdown.

When the time expires, the heater automatically resumes the temperature defined in the schedule.

Zone card with an active temperature override

✋

It is possible to interrupt manual control simply by pressing the stop button on the zone card.

09

Energy consumption tracking ✦ Premium

Scheater includes a consumption tracking module that estimates your heaters' operating costs in real time.

Configuration

Go to Parameters › Power Consumption and activate the feature. You can then configure:

Currency: EUR or CHF
Plan type: flat rate, or off-peak / peak hours
Cost in cents per Watt-hour for each pricing tier
Off-peak / peak hour time ranges, configured like heating schedules (time slots)

💡

The nominal power (in watts) must have been entered for each heater in the Heaters form for the calculation to be accurate.

Energy dashboard

Accessible from the left menu, this dashboard displays:

Total energy consumed since regulation was activated
Estimate of associated costs
Current day's consumption
Consumption graph by heater
Consumption graph by day, month or year
Option to display data as monetary billing

10

Backup and restore ✦ Premium

The backup function allows you to export your entire configuration in a single file, and restore it when needed.

Go to Parameters › Backup.

Action	Description
Export	Downloads a file containing schedules, heaters, zones, absences and general settings.
Import	Restores a configuration from a previously exported backup file.

ℹ️

Warning: Import completely overwrites the existing configuration of your Scheater instance. Make sure you import the correct file.

11

Temperature offsets per heater ✦ Premium

Within the same zone (shared volume), some heaters may be smaller or some areas less well insulated. Applying the same setpoint to all heaters can lead to localised overheating or underheating.

The offset allows this to be corrected by adding or removing a few degrees from a specific heater's setpoint.

Configure an offset

0

Go to Parameters › Zones and select the zone concerned.

1

At the bottom of the form, find the list of heaters in the zone with their offsets.

2

Use the + and − buttons to adjust the offset of each heater.

ℹ️

Example: Zone setpoint = 16 °C. Offset +2 °C → heater regulated at 18 °C. Offset −2 °C → heater regulated at 14 °C. The offset is visible in the detail popup of each dashboard card.

12

System temperatures ✦ Premium

Several temperatures applied automatically by Scheater are configurable in Parameters › Temperatures.

Parameter	Default value	Description
Absence temperature	14 °C	Setpoint applied in zones linked to an absent user.
Regulation disabled temperature	12 °C	Safety setpoint applied when regulation is manually deactivated.
Comfort mode offset	+2 °C	Setpoint increase when switching to Comfort mode.
Eco mode offset	−2 °C	Setpoint reduction when switching to Eco mode (value deducted).

⚠️

For Eco mode, the configured value is deducted from the setpoint.

13

Coefficient auto-tuning ✦ Premium

The Auto-tune function automatically adapts the TPI coefficients of each heater based on the real thermal performance of the room. This enables optimised regulation and avoids unnecessary heating cycles.

Activation

0

Go to Parameters › Heaters and select the desired heater.

1

In the Regulation section, activate the Auto-tune button.

Once activated, Scheater will progressively adjust the coefficients by analysing the thermal behaviour of the zone, in particular based on the insulation level.

✨

Auto-tuning is particularly recommended for installations with heterogeneous thermal characteristics (rooms of different sizes, varied exposures, uneven insulation).

14

License management

The free version of Scheater is limited to 5 heaters. A Premium license key unlocks an unlimited number of heaters, as well as every feature marked ✦ Premium in this documentation (consumption tracking, backup, offsets, system temperatures, auto-tuning). Keys are purchased on the pricing page.

Activate your license

0

After purchasing on the pricing page, you receive your license key by email (secure payment via Lemon Squeezy).

1

In Home Assistant, go to Settings › Add-ons › Scheater › Configuration.

2

Paste your key into the license_key field and save.

3

Restart the add-on. Scheater activates the license automatically on startup.

✅

Check the activation in Scheater: Parameters › Premium features. The activation status icon turns green as soon as the license is recognised.

Tracking your license status

The Parameters › Premium features section displays in real time:

Field	Meaning
Activation status	Green when Premium features are active. The button next to it forces an immediate revalidation against the license server.
License status	Raw state returned by the server: `Active`, `Inactive`, `Expired` or `Disabled`.
Last checked	Timestamp of the last successful revalidation — the reference point for offline operation (see below).
Expiration date	Shown only if your license has an expiry date (subscription). Absent for a lifetime license.

Offline operation

Scheater's whole point is to keep heating your home even when things go wrong, so a network hiccup must never turn off your Premium features overnight. If your Home Assistant instance loses internet access, Premium features keep working for 30 days from the last successful check — plenty of margin for a long weekend, or longer, without connectivity.

Activation limit & releasing an instance

Each license key can only be activated on a limited number of installations at once. If you reinstall Home Assistant, restore a backup, or move to new hardware, the old installation still counts as an active instance until you free it up.

Release an instance

0

On the installation you're retiring, go to Parameters › Premium features.

1

Click Release this instance and confirm.

2

Premium features are switched off immediately on that installation, and the activation slot is freed for your new installation (or any other).

⚠️

There is no automatic time-based recovery: if you forget to release an old instance and run out of activation slots, contact support with your license key.

Exit commitment

If Scheater is ever discontinued, or if the licensing service stops working, a final version of the add-on with all Premium features unlocked and no license check will be published on GitHub. You will never be left with a bricked installation because the project or its licensing backend went away.