When you hear the phrase “smart technology,” your mind may instantly think of your smartphone. But did you know that the same technology used to power our smart phones and tablets can also be used to help you keep your home comfortable? Smart thermostats are a newer HVAC technology that has changed the way that people heat and cool their homes. Not only does this device give you greater control over your home comfort levels, but it can also help you save money on electric bills by helping you heat and cool your home more efficiently. What is a Smart Thermostat? A smart thermostat is a device that can used with a home automation system to give the homeowner more control over their heating and air conditioning. Much like a programmable thermostat, a smart thermostat allows homeowners to control the temperature of their home throughout the day. A smart thermostat is connected to the internet, […]
Can I Close AC Vents in Unused Rooms to Save Money?
If you usually use only a few rooms in your home, you may think that closing off a few vents will save money. In reality, closing off vents will not reduce the amount of work your air conditioner needs to do. In fact, it may cause your AC unit to work harder. The Role of Vents in Home Air Distribution Supply vents allow cooled air from the air conditioner to circulate throughout the home. Many supply vents are registers with levered handles, allowing homeowners to open and close them as needed. When you close one of these registers, the amount of air flowing through your ductwork does not decrease. Instead, air will hit the slats of the register. Air may escape through the cracks in the register, redirect to other vents, or leak from the ductwork. Closing Air Vents Increases Pressure on the System When you close air vents and redirect air throughout the ventilation […]
Should I Leave Interior Doors Open Or Closed During Heating And Cooling?
Recently, researchers have found out that simply keeping a bedroom door closed can adversely affect comfort, safety and health in a house. This is because it blocks the air’s pathway, thus reducing air flow into the room and through the system as well. Pressurization of the room, which is caused by air trapped within the space, forces the cool air out of the house. All this has a significant impact on the energy efficiency of a house. How Closed Doors Affect Energy Efficiency When air is forced out of a room under pressure, an equal amount needs to be drawn so as to replace the expelled draught. Depending on the number of closed doors, the rate of entry of hot or cold outside air could go up by anything between 300% and 900%. This raises utility bills, decreases comfort and brings in a host of health problems. Since fluids seek the path of least resistance, […]
You Can Learn To Control Costs Of Home Comfort By Understanding Their Origins
Winter is a time when the mercury drops and you are required to use devices to raise the temperature inside a home, so that you can live comfortably, without being overwhelmed by winter wear. In fact, the ideal comfort comes from temperatures that give you what is called “shirt sleeve weather” Heating can be through fireplaces that use coal, wood or other fuel, but this gives localized areas of warmth, that can restrict movement within the home. Furnaces that heat up air and fans that blow them through ducts to the areas where they are needed are other alternatives. Individual heaters can also be used in spaces to heat air to the desired level. All these gadgets require different forms of energy whose costs for a home can be quite staggering. Are their methods to help in controlling home comfort costs? The obvious one is to use equipment that is energy efficient and produces the […]
