Ruud EcoNet 4+

It’s better!

It’s gotten much better since I first used this system a couple years ago. The UI refinements are appreciated and the app seems faster. The system as a whole seems to be much more responsive than when I first used it.

A better scheduling UI would be nice. One that lets you customize how many time points you can have and represent them more visually would be better.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for your review about the app and we appreciate your taking the time to leave us feedback on how we may improve it.

Room for Significant Improvement - A 2-Star Experience

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.

Does the basics, but…..

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 !

Developer Response ,

Jeff - Thank you! We appreciate your taking the time to leave feedback on how we may improve the app.