Picture it: you are gathering up your things at the office and miles away at your home, the range powers on to prepare dinner. The AC system is notified and adjusts the temperature down to deliver more cool air to offset the oven’s additional heat. When you come home the lights automatically turn on as you enter, dinner is prepared, and your home is at the perfect temperature.
That’s the dream! And also the sort of advanced home interconnectivity that is obtainable now and 2017 could be a pivotal year for advancements in how your home’s heating and cooling systems function as part of the team.
“Smart phones transformed our lives in part because they permitted thousands of apps to make our lives simpler and richer,” said Rob Haines, Marketing Manager for Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning. “We predict that in 2017, developers will be centering on more new apps that let all of your home’s systems and appliances interact versus being siloed, and this will create breakout new advancements in how your home’s HVAC system works.”
Smart thermostats and new advanced HVAC systems can already send messages to you about energy usage and routine maintenance such as when it’s time to change the air filter. Future systems may even be able to determine a potential equipment failure before it happens and notify your HVAC repair company to call you and set up a technician’s visit. The technician will arrive with advance knowledge about the problem and the required parts to repair it.
Another on-the-drawing-board vision is the use of infrared heat sensing inside the home that will determine which rooms are in use by people in the home and actually guide heating and cooling specifically to those areas.
“Zoned HVAC systems have been one of the fastest growing parts of the HVAC industry for many years, and that will remain a big opportunity,” said Haines. “Furthermore, systems will focus on heating and cooling specific rooms or groups of rooms as needed to improve comfort and energy efficiency.”
And yes, Haines adds, the millennials are helping to drive the trends for at-home connectivity and more efficient heating and cooling systems. “As millennials buy their homes, they require their home systems like heating and cooling to not only do what they are told, but to track and modify themselves and to proactively send notifications to the homeowner. We also find that the millennials and Generation X are much more sophisticated about energy efficiency and those consequences of their HVAC systems.”
While February is an ideal time to look at trends for the year, it’s also a fantastic time to benefit from savings that will pay off in the coming months. Right now many Service Experts centers are providing free or deeply discounted equipment when you invest in a qualifying item, such as a free furnace when you invest in an AC system. Furnace tune-ups are also deeply discounted just in time for the coolest time of the year. Call Comfortech Service Experts in Jackson today to schedule a free in-home estimate or to set up a heating tune up to make sure your heating equipment is ready to keep you warm and cozy all winter long.