The introduction of smart thermostats has marked a significant leap forward in air conditioning. Advanced thermostat control allows ACs to cool homes more quickly and evenly. It results in higher efficiency, resulting in lower cooling costs. Smart thermostats are also decreasing AC failure rates and reducing the costs homeowners pay for repairs on average.
Scheduling
Scheduling is by far the biggest change that came with programmable and smart thermostats. With traditional manual thermostats, households unnecessarily waste substantial energy overnight while sleeping and during the day at work and school. Programming lets thermostats conserve energy automatically during these periods.
Some smart thermostats come with additional features that help you save. Profiles allow for multiple schedules, such as for different seasons and days of the week. Different modes, such as Economy, Vacation and Hold, can greatly improve efficiency as well.
Occupancy Sensing
Occupancy sensing offers an alternative to scheduling, which isn’t practical for all households. The most basic example is geofencing. A geofencing thermostat monitors a virtual boundary around a home and tracks household members through technologies like GPS and RFID. That allows it to conserve energy when no one is home. More advanced occupancy sensing allows for granular control within zone control systems.
Energy Monitoring
Increased electricity usage is often the earliest sign of an AC malfunction. With a traditional system, you may not notice a spike until you get a bill at the end of the month. Smart thermostats with energy monitoring can detect spikes within days or even hours. That lets you schedule professional help long before it becomes a serious issue. These smart thermostats can also provide reports that reveal household inefficiencies and provide guidance on improving them.
Predictive Maintenance
Many ACs now have smart onboard components that can communicate with a smart thermostat. This allows the thermostat to track system performance over time. By doing so, it knows when the AC is operating within expected parameters. When it’s not, the thermostat can alert you to schedule an inspection. Such technologies have already saved billions in commercial HVAC applications worldwide. The industry believes it will drive down residential consumer costs considerably in the decades ahead.
Machine Learning
Learning thermostats collect data, analyze it and adapt based on that analysis. Machine learning has become even more powerful as cloud computing has become more prevalent. Many smart thermostats can program themselves and update their schedules as household behaviors change.
Smart thermostats are also improving how AC systems cycle. While scheduling saves significant energy, it requires a lot more energy to reach a temperature than to maintain it. Thermostats can now monitor performance during these adjustment periods and fine-tune the cycle to lower energy consumption even more.
If you’d like to install a smart thermostat or need AC repair in Fort Pierce, FL, contact NisAir Air Conditioning today.
