5 Ways Smart Technology Is Driving the HVAC Industry
In the recent past, we have seen a lot of changes in different industries thanks to the revolution brought about by the Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Some of the significant changes are evident in the residential and commercial HVAC systems. The HVAC sector has developed from simple thermostats with very simple features to include a wide range of sensors that provide apps and algorithms with data to make remote changes.
IoT gadgets and appliances communicate and evaluate data to improve and monitor systems. The collected information is vital for maintenance planning, optimization, and automation of the systems found in a particular building. Due to the increasing prevalence of smart technology within commercial and residential buildings, IoT is driving the HVAC industry toward more advanced and cost-effective tools for owners and managers to meet efficiency and energy goals.
In the HVAC industry, IoT technology helps monitor vibration, pollutants, airflow, weather conditions, and the number of occupants, among other things. Analysis and monitoring of stress indicators enhance troubleshooting and make preventative maintenance easy to establish. IoT and smart HVAC enhance optimization feedback and metering. As a result, managers and homeowners can meet efficiency and energy consumption standards while managing indoor air quality and occupant comfort. Below are five ways that describe how IoT technology is changing the HVAC industry.
1. Adding Remote Control
Interconnected sensors allow building managers and homeowners to control their HVAC systems offsite. That means you can easily switch off your HVAC system even when you are on vacation or when the office building is closed for the weekend. Switching off the cooling and heating system when there’s no one at home or in the office helps you conserve energy and prolongs the lifespan of components such as air filters.
Networked sensors also enable you to reactivate the system in time, ensuring that the building or your home will be at a more comfortable temperature by the time you get back from vacation or your employees arrive.
Innovative technology also allows you to control individual components of your HVAC unit remotely. For instance, you can open your vents to enhance the ventilation of a specific part of your building. Similarly, you can deactivate or activate temperature control for conference halls and meeting rooms throughout the day, depending on the number of occupants and usage. This way, managers will have complete control over how HVAC systems in their buildings function, enabling them to make adjustments that further boost efficiency and comfort as needed.
2. Integrating HVAC Units With Other Systems
An innovative HVAC system can take advantage of any other smart technology within the same building. For instance, you can use the motion detectors found in lighting systems and smart multi-zoning to deactivate or activate an HVAC unit based on occupancy. With time, managers can use data from smart HVAC systems and other smart systems in their buildings to make their commercial or residential properties more efficient.
The provided information can also help them identify areas that need more energy to cool, maybe due to ineffective ductwork or uneven insulation. Building managers or owners can also use RFID and IoT technology to track people’s movement throughout the building, which allows them to effectively schedule cooling and heating, depending on the average foot traffic parameters.
3. Zoning Management
Central cooling and heating are essential for advanced HVAC units, but technology has come a long way since the invention of programmable thermostats. While programmable thermostats allow users to calibrate their HVAC units in advance, a smart thermostat can offer you active control of every part of the HVAC equipment, including individual vents and air ducts. This level of control allows building managers and owners to utilize smart HVAC units to create multiple zones with unique temperature and humidity settings or different schedules throughout a building. This way, you can have complete control over the temperature of the various parts of the building.
In a residential property, smart multi-zoning allows you to keep common living areas and bedrooms at different temperatures based on your personal preferences. Multi-zoning can allow efficient temperature control and more precise scheduling in big office buildings. For instance, you can set lower temperatures in low-traffic storage spaces than in workspaces with high traffic during the winter season. This way, you’ll save a lot of energy without compromising the comfort of your employees.
4. Improving Preventative Maintenance
HVAC systems that use IoT technology come embedded with software, connectivity, and sensors that enable the unit to exchange data with other interconnected gadgets. Sensors monitor variables like humidity, electrical current, vibration, and temperature, allowing building managers and homeowners to inspect different components of HVAC units as they run.
Smart systems also enhance preventative maintenance by analyzing equipment status and air-quality data. As a result, you can predict when your HVAC needs maintenance before a small problem becomes a significant issue. If one of the components begins to malfunction or fail, sensor data automatically alerts the building manager or homeowner to schedule an inspection or maintenance to resolve the problem immediately.
Building managers and homeowners can also combine these systems with routine preventative maintenance, such as changing air filters on schedule to ensure minor problems are fixed before they become major repairs. This way, buildings become less costly to maintain. It may also minimize downtime, ensuring that your building doesn’t become uninhabitable or uncomfortable due to an HVAC component malfunction or failure.
5. Boosting HVAC Efficiency
Smart HVAC systems can adjust how they function to increase comfort while reducing energy consumption using the information provided by the networked sensors. These systems can also combine data from the sensors with information from external sources such as weather forecasts to control a building’s HVAC unit more effectively.
Smart HVAC units can learn with time. As a result, they can better predict system maintenance needs and energy usage using daily information. The system can adjust different variables like humidity and temperature, or the managers can regulate the variables depending on the occupants’ preferences or according to the owner’s preferences.
Switch to HVAC Smart Technology Today!
You can reap a lot of benefits by switching to HVAC smart technology. Connecting smart vents and smart thermostats allows you to adjust your HVAC unit settings from any location. Nowadays, users can monitor and adjust their office or home cooling or heating from an application on their phone. You can close or open floor vents and get notifications on almost everything from potential furnace malfunction to high humidity levels. Investing in innovative technology for HVAC systems also improves energy efficiency and reduces cooling and heating costs in both commercial and residential properties.
Are you thinking of switching to HVAC smart technology? If yes, contact our HVAC experts from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning. Our team of HVAC technicians is well trained and conversant with the latest smart technology trends in the HVAC industry. We also provide other services, including water heaters, air infiltration systems, UV systems, humidifiers, and duct cleaning and air quality services to the residents of Macomb County, MI, and its surroundings. Contact us today to learn more about HVAC and innovative technology or schedule your service appointment.
