Research ESPHome EcoNet local control for Rheem

[CCOSTAN]

Summary

Research esphome-econet as a local-control alternative or complement for the Rheem EcoNet water heater path.

This was split out from the temporary Rheem EcoNet certificate workaround tracked in #1820 so that the cloud-certificate workaround and the local-control project can be followed separately.

Why this is useful

esphome-econet is a local-control ESPHome package for Rheem appliances. It works without internet access through the appliance diagnostics port and can coexist with the cloud EcoNet integration.

This may be a practical future project if the Rheem/ClearBlade cloud path remains brittle, or if a more local control surface is preferred.

References

• https://github.com/esphome-econet/esphome-econet
• EcoNet setup fails with TLS certificate verification error to rheem.clearblade.com home-assistant/core#172228
• Parent workaround context: Track temporary Rheem EcoNet DigiCert G1 CA workaround #1820
• Original split-out comment: Track temporary Rheem EcoNet DigiCert G1 CA workaround #1820 (comment)

Research checklist

• Confirm supported Rheem model/generation and diagnostics-port requirements.
• Identify hardware needed: ESP32/ESP8266 board, wiring, connector, enclosure, and safe mounting approach.
• Review whether it exposes all currently used HA entities or better equivalents.
• Determine coexistence behavior with the current cloud EcoNet integration.
• Decide whether this belongs as a repo package, ESPHome external project, or documentation-only future project.
• If adopted, document rollback and ensure current Powerwall/Rheem automations keep working or are migrated intentionally.