Last Updated on February 16, 2022 by Kravelv
Heating, ventilation, and air condition systems have become a crucial part of every home today. This system regulates temperatures in homes and offices all year round. Over time, more convenient and user-friendly smart air conditioning systems have replaced traditional air conditioning systems.
Installing smart HVAC systems in a new home is often easier because the house is designed with this technology in mind. However, installing the system in an existing home is often challenging and can take longer. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. As long as you’re working with a reliable HVAC contractor, you can install the system in your existing home.
Here’s a brief guide.
What Is Smart Air Conditioning?
Smart air conditioners are a new category of air conditioning equipment. They are thermostats with sensors that can be programmed to adjust the room’s temperature on a minute-by-minute basis.
The smart thermostat is a computer-controlled programmable thermostat that contains sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and other things inside the room it controls. When the room reaches its target temperature, the computer decides how much to turn up or down the fans, hot water pipes, and other system elements. Smart thermostats can also be connected to a network connection via an ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, or similar device, allowing them to share information and access the internet (such as weather reports).
What’s more, with smart airconditioning, you don’t have to worry about whether you forgot to turn off the AC when you left home. You can check and control the settings anywhere through your phone or computer.
How To Choose A System
A smart air conditioning system should fit into your lifestyle seamlessly. Therefore, when choosing a system, here is what to look at:
- Compatibility
One major thing to consider when choosing a smart air conditioning system for your home is the compatibility of the thermostat to your HVAC system. Some thermostats are compatible with most forced air systems. However, if your system has variable speed or is multi-staged, you may need an expert who understands those systems to install the thermostat. Some thermostats are not compatible with baseboard and in-wall heaters.
- Price
Prices of thermostats can widely vary as thermostats include different features. An excellent way to know what features you may need is to consider where you live. If the area doesn’t face extreme weather, you don’t need to get a thermostat with advanced features. Alternatively, you can work with an expert to help you determine what features you’ll need in a thermostat.
However, if your budget can accommodate an advanced thermostat, you can still purchase it. Just make sure that you don’t spend money on a system you may not fully utilize.
- Geofencing
Your thermostat should detect when you’re away from the house and adjust the temperature accordingly. For example, when you’re away, it should be able to lower the temperature in your room if it was in heating mode or raise it if it was in cooling mode. This will help you save energy and money and make your room comfortable.
- Energy Efficiency
HVAC systems can use a lot of energy in a year, racking up the costs. Therefore, when choosing a smart air conditioning system, the manufacturer must show how it will help save energy. For example, when no one is at home, the thermostats should enter the low-power mode to help reduce energy.
You can ask for field data on how the thermostat performs or check online reviews about the system that you want to purchase. If there’s proof of energy efficiency, then you can buy it.
- Check Regulations
Be aware of any local regulations that affect your system. Some cities have specific rules about what kind of air conditioner you can have in your apartment or house. Check with neighbours to see what they have installed, and do some research online to make sure there’s nothing specific about where you live that might affect your choice of a smart thermostat.
Benefits Of Smart Air Conditioning Systems
Using a smart air conditioning system in your home has several advantages. Here are some of them:
1. Remote Control
Smart AC systems are controllable from anywhere, allowing you to adjust your home’s temperature from work, vacation, or even from the bed. This gives you greater control over the comfort of your home than standard units, which require manual adjustments at the unit itself.
2. Energy Saving Features
Some systems learn your household habits and adjust temperature settings accordingly. Others automatically turn off when rooms are empty or when window sensors detect that doors or windows are open. Some can even monitor outdoor temperatures and modify indoor temperatures accordingly. These features can help save you money on your monthly energy bills and reduce overall wear and tear on your unit.
3. Scheduling
You can schedule your AC unit to turn on or off at certain times. This feature is beneficial if you’re going on vacation and don’t want to waste energy while you’re away. Also, when you’re coming home from work, you can schedule your system to start warming up your house one hour or some minutes before you arrive.
4. Save Costs
Another significant benefit of a smart thermostat is that it helps cut energy costs. When you program your thermostat to only heat or cool during certain times of the day and up to a certain level, it helps ensure that more energy isn’t consumed.
You can also program it to only heat rooms used in the house, which will help cut down energy costs.
5. Track Energy Usage
Smart homeowners should know their energy usage and patterns in the house. Since traditional thermostats don’t track energy usage, doing so manually can always be a problem. However, smart thermostats can build a profile detailing how your energy usage changes over time. You can then use this to adjust your preferences to cut costs.
Conclusion
A smart HVAC system is an excellent addition to your house as it helps you track your energy usage, cut energy costs, and schedule your HVAC preferences. These benefits depend on the type of thermostat that you’ll choose. This article is a brief guide to smart air conditioning systems for your existing house.
