our opinions : ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The Comfort Zone
FEBRUARY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Connectedness in your own home —
New systems and advances to increase your comfort
One of the recent trends in technology is the “ connected home .” We have refrigerators you can see inside from the grocery store aisle to interior cameras that can be controlled from your smart phone . There ’ s no question that our homes are getting smarter . That ’ s especially true with the advent of Wi-Fi connected thermostats . They came on the scene five years ago as a way to control your heating and cooling comfort remotely , or even from inside your own home . Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats are known by a number of names made by companies like Nest , Honeywell and Emerson . The newest ones learn your habits and preferences and program themselves to meet your needs . Now you can have what commercial building managers have had access to for years in your own home to make you more comfortable than ever .
Almost a third of our customers are asking for this additional connectedness in new AC / Heating systems . But how does it really help the consumer ? For one thing , depending on the model you choose , it can create one portal to manage your home ’ s temperature and safety . Your fire-safe , smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can all be hooked together to keep your family safe . It can also be cued remotely to lower or raise the temperature in your home so it will be at the right temperature when you arrive . Some models will contact you when the temperature is dipping down low enough for pipes to freeze so you can raise the temperature , saving you thousands in potential repair costs . Some will even learn your habits using motion detectors to determine when you leave and arrive back home to have the temperature to your perfect level , depending on your daily schedule .
What it can ’ t do is make your system work harder than it possibly can on days that are extremely hot or incredibly cold . On a 15 ° day , which we thankfully don ’ t have many of , or a 100-plus-degree day , which unfortunately we have too many of , your heating and cooling system needs to run continually to keep the temperature you choose . While the Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats train themselves to raise and lower the temperature to save energy when you aren ’ t home , on extreme-temperature days they can make you uncomfortable because your system can ’ t possibly
By Brett Hobson CEO Comfort Experts
catch up in the few hours after work when you get home . You will be trading energy savings with your family ’ s comfort .
Other technological advances are available , which allow you to zone your home to allow the temperature to be different in different rooms with a single system . For example , you can have your bedroom be cooler or warmer at night than rooms that no one is in . You can aircondition and heat different rooms at different temperatures at different times of the day .
Other systems are being developed to combat Sick Building Syndrome by pre-treating increased amounts of fresh air coming into your home to remove contaminants . Increased fresh air is essential because of the chemical contaminants from both indoor and outdoor sources , like exhaust , dust , gases and compounds from inside your home from adhesives , carpet , smoke , cleaning agents and synthetic fabrics . Sick Building Syndrome ’ s other contaminants can be biological like fungus , pollen and mold or radiation from televisions , computers and microwaves . When oil prices increased in the 1970s , buildings were made more air tight with less outdoor ventilation . This reduced ventilation rate was found to be inadequate to maintain the health and comfort of building occupants . Malfunctioning heating , ventilation and air-conditioning systems ( HVAC systems ) also increase the indoor air pollution . In order to have an acceptable indoor air quality ( IAQ ) with a minimum energy consumption , the American Society of Heating , Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE ) recently tripled ventilation standards to avoid the problems related to inadequate ventilation . New systems increase the fresh airflow while treating what ’ s coming inside , removing contaminants , providing clean air technology to your home .
All of this technology is making our homes smarter , safer and more efficient , and much of it is available on a smartphone or tablet . It ’ s a great thing to have when you are almost asleep and just want to move the thermometer down a couple of degrees . It seems like overkill , all of this technology just to change the thermostat , but I think I remember this same discussion when television remotes came out .
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