You might be thinking what exactly is a smart home? A smart home is referred to a home that has a thermostat, or some other type of appliance that turns on and off based on your habits and how close you are located to your home. Smart homes take care of many things for you whether you realize it or not.
Just as a smart phone has changed the way you work a smart home will change the way you live. Just as smart phones became very popular once people discover the advantages of a smart home they will as well. HVAC systems may just be the foundation to making your home a smart home.
Current HVAC Features
Out of all the energy that your home consumes each year HVAC equipment uses about fifty percent of that. This includes things such as your heating and air conditioning systems. Usually all HVAC equipment demands regular maintenance followed by regular maintenance checks. The whole reason we have HVAC systems in our home is to make sure that the environment inside is comfortable and ideal for everyone living there.
HVAC costs alone can be more than all of your other home appliances combined. So as you can see Heating and cooling systems are critical to maintain a comfortable living environment for both you and your family. HVAC systems are however a system that tends to require a little bit more attention than all of your other appliances and tend to break down more often so it is important that you take care of them properly.
Connected Systems
You may not realize it but your HVAC system controls many different things inside your home such as thermostats, humidifiers, security devices and many other things. The more “connected systems” your home has the smarter is it. The more connected systems you have inside your home the more comfortable the environment will be. Take a smart thermostat for example.
A smart thermostat can automatically change the temperature inside your home based on the data it collects from a cloud. The HVAC system then would connect to some online weather service, which would allow the thermostat to choose the perfect temperature. By dynamically adjusting the temperature the HVAC system will consume just the right amount of energy.
When you have a regular thermostat and set it manually the HVAC system will normally consume too much or too little energy. Another point that is raised about HVAC systems is that they break down very often, but with a connected security system the HVAC system could send out warnings of possible malfunctions within the equipment.
Communication and Results
Connected systems communicate the same way that apps on smart phones do. A program called Application Programming Interfaces is built into the software that runs the connected systems. The more people who transfer their home into a smart home the more standardized and easier to use API’s will become.
These connected systems will work with just about any type of HVAC system whether it is a commercial air conditioner or regular heating and cooling system. The HVAC system is a great thing and can easily become the backbone for your smart home if the right steps are taken. The benefits and great results of these connected systems far outweigh the bad. Save yourself time and money by transforming your home into a smart home today.
Smart homes have been proven to be very beneficial to both large and small families with children. Less of your time will be spent working on your HVAC appliances and you will have more time to spend with family.