Watch the video on HVAC Control Systems.
Picture, if you will, a home where the temperature and humidity in each room is carefully monitored and adjusted to the specific whim of the occupants. A home where cool air automatically flows into the kitchen when someone's cooking. A home that predicts your every move, and adjusts the levels for you day in and day out. It's not a dimension of the future... but of the present. Your next stop: The Comfort Zone.
Comfort in the home begins with the temperature and humidity level. If a home is too warm, cold, humid, or dry, it can mean health problems for the occupants and durability problems for the home. Traditional thermostats operated on a simple principle: on/off. The most energy efficiency a homeowner could hope to achieve with these units was to tape the temperature setting at 68 degrees and never adjust it.
While this method kept energy bills lower, it did nothing to make the home more comfortable. It also didn't address the humidity or temperature changes in rooms that were far away from the thermostat.
Today, you have a wide range of options when you're choosing an environmental control system, and the systems aren't limited to on/off. Installing a programmable control system with both a thermostat and a humidistat is the best practice to maximize home comfort.
There are three major types of control systems available to homeowners today. The first step above a standard on/off thermostat is a control system that allows homeowners to program the temperature for certain times of the day. These systems have wireless, mobile thermostats that can be placed anywhere in the home.
The second type of control system is similar to the programmable thermostat, but it can also monitor and adjust humidity levels. High humidity can make for very uncomfortable living spaces, and increase the wear and tear on a home over time. Homes are healthier and more durable if humidity is kept in check, especially during the extreme temperatures of summer and winter.
The third and most aggressive type of control system also uses a programmable thermostat and humidistat. In addition, it incorporates a sophisticated ductwork system to maintain specific temperatures in each room. This system allows occupants to create a comfort zone wherever they are. This feature really comes in handy if one part of the home receives a lot of afternoon sun while another part is cool in the shadows.
Unlike the first programmable thermostats that were introduced to the marketplace about 10 years ago, today's models are easy to use, have large display panels, and offer the homeowner more choices in time controls. Some systems take the technology one step further, allowing homeowners to monitor and program their control systems over the Internet.
Homes with advanced control systems offer the homeowner a more durable, comfortable living environment, and can help reduce energy bills as well. Today, getting to the comfort zone is as easy as knowing what's available, and how to program your way there.
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