WE STRIVE FOR HONESTY AND INTEGRITY ABOVE ALL
Smart homes are often considered a luxury or something that can only be afforded by the wealthy. Sure, a smart home offers convenient features, but when you’re a household on a budget is it worth it? The truth is that turning any residence into a smart home can increase a home’s energy efficiency, and it can even save you money. Here are a few things to be aware of when turning a home into a smart home.
Smart homes have technology additions that do more than just make life easier. They improve the energy efficiency of your home and decrease energy bills dramatically. Did you know that inefficient use of heating and cooling equipment is the largest contributor to an excessively expensive energy bill? Updated intelligent thermostats are improving each year. Some smart technology can control thermostats by voice or phone app in addition to being timed to turn off the air conditioner at a certain time.
HVAC units traditionally have one central thermostat with one sensor to regulate the air. Zone-based thermostats allow you to adjust the temperature in individual rooms instead of having one for the whole house. You can even use motion detectors to turn the AC on when you enter rooms automatically. As a bonus, the temperature in individual rooms will adjust much quicker, because energy can focus on cooling that room instead of the entire house. Faster temperature regulation reduces the amount of energy used.
Another great feature of many intelligent thermostats is the ability to program actions for certain periods of the day. If you know you’ll be out of the house for an extended period there’s no need to leave the AC running. Instead, schedule the AC to turn on shortly before your arrival and return to a comfortable house without wasting any energy. Having to leave the unit on while you’re out of the house, so you don’t go back to sweltering heat, is a big problem with inefficient HVAC systems.
High-efficiency units have sensors that measure humidity in addition to air temperature. A unit’s ability to regulate humidity quickly is identified by its SEER rating. A balance of humidity and air control will provide the most comfortable room. Reducing the humidity in your home may allow you to increase the air temperature and still feel comfortable. A higher thermostat setting for the temperature will require less time for the HVAC unit to run. When you are researching which HVAC unit is best for your home, consider speaking with a professional. A contractor will help you find the most efficient unit for your space as well as help you set sensors in the right areas of your home to regulate temperature.
Your home might already have motion sensing outdoor lights, but a smart home will have them indoors as well. Forgetting to turn off lights when you’re leaving the house or keeping lights on when it’s not really necessary are two more big contributors to energy inefficiency. Lights can heat up a room, so keeping them off when the room is not in use can reduce AC use. Smart motion sensing lights can register your movement and illuminate a path. Not only does this save you money, it’s also much safer than having to fumble to find the light switch in a dark room.
Ball Building Services provides the Tampa Bay area as well as Central Florida with quality, affordable HVAC services. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment or to learn more about smart HVAC technology and find the right unit for your home.