smart thermostat

Thermostats

What Are the Benefits of Smartphone-Controlled HVAC Systems?

Been thinking about getting a smartphone-controlled HVAC system? Perhaps you're weighing the benefits before you commit. After all, the technology can seem somewhat expensive when you know the HVAC system will work OK without it.

Nevertheless there are some well-known benefits of a smartphone HVAC system. Have a look and maybe we can nudge you a little closer to taking the plunge. 

  1. The smartphone HVAC is convenient. A smart AC or heating system allows you to change settings and check the status of your HVAC. Usage analytics help you to manage energy consumption more efficiently. You can also keep your home more comfortable through the smartphone. Clouds or sun, stormy or calm, you can adjust the temperature as needed through the app.

  2. Smart apps are compatible with other technology in the home. A smart HVAC system can communicate with the voice-activated systems you've added in your home, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Home. This is a great way to streamline home automation so that it's free of hassles.

  3. Smart technology helps you run your HVAC system more efficiently. You can set an energy-efficient schedule that helps you cut back on energy use and save money. Set a schedule to run the AC or heating a few degrees warmer or cooler in summer or winter, whenever the household occupants are away or sleeping. Turn on more cooling or heating when the family is up and moving around.

Best Smart Thermostats

There are lots of smartphone HVAC systems out there, but here are some smart thermostats you might want to consider:

  1. Ecobee. Eco-Bee 4, the fourth-generation model of smart thermostat, is much improved in features and functionality over the original model.

2.     Nexia. Nexia has been around since 2008. It is an all-in-one solution for a smart home and controls garage door, lighting, security, HVAC, appliances, and more.

3.     Nest. Nest comes in two options that connect to the Nest app, either of which allows you to control indoor temperature from near or far.

For more on smartphone HVAC, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow. 

Thermostats

What Are the Pros and Cons of a High Voltage Smart Thermostat?

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High voltage smart thermostats can regulate high voltage heating systems and connect to Wi-Fi networks and compatible mobile apps. High voltage thermostats, also known as line thermostats, are typically used with baseboard heaters, forced fan heaters and convectors, and radiant ceiling heaters. Here's more on what these devices have to offer.

How High Voltage Thermostats Work

High voltage thermostats convert your home's incoming current (240v or 120v) into usable heat. Under the hood, they're normally bigger in size than thermostats with low voltage. That's because they have a heat sink due to the active current that passes through them. The current keeps the electronics powered without needing a battery.

On the other hand, thermostats with low voltage run via power stealing. This process allows the thermostats to operate on small batteries and sap little amounts of power from your main line to recharge.

The drawback of high voltage systems is that you'll need at least one high voltage smart thermostat for every room or every heater.

How to Know If Your System Uses a Low Voltage or High Voltage Thermostat

You can know if your heating system uses a high or low voltage thermostat by looking at the wires. With a low voltage thermostat, you'll see a setup with many small and thin multicolored wires leading up to a board. For high voltage thermostats, you'll see between two to four thick wires separated into black and white or black and red groups. For help with identifying these setups, you can talk to an HVAC specialist.

If you use a high voltage heating system, a high voltage smart thermostat will give you many benefits besides being compatible with your system. Its features offer convenience and energy savings. For more information on high voltage smart thermostats, contact the heating and cooling professionals at Air Assurance. Since 1985, we've proudly served the home-comfort needs of residents in the Broken Arrow area.

HVAC System

What Summer HVAC Tips Are Least Known and Most Helpful?

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It's probably not news to you that it's important to change your filter regularly and have your air conditioner tuned up in the summer. But what about sealing and insulating your home and checking your AC vents and your drainage hole? Here are some lesser-known but useful summer HVAC tips.

Add Insulation to Your House

Believe it or not, insulation is just as important to your home in the summer as it is in the winter, making this one of the most important summer HVAC tips. Insulation helps stop heat from flowing into your home, which improves your AC unit's efficiency. Make sure your home is adequately insulated. Replace any rotted or damaged insulation around the outside AC lines. You can also prevent heat gain in the summer by maintaining the seals around skylights, doors, and windows.

Clear Your AC Drainage Hole

Most AC systems have a drainage hole for clearing out the buildup of fluid resulting from condensation. A clogged drainage hole can cause water buildup and damage your AC unit. You can clean the hole out with a piece of wire or a paper clip.

Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat

smart thermostat can help you stay cool and save money. You can adjust it remotely and program it to keep your home comfortable when you're around and warmer when you're away, saving energy. Some models can even communicate more ways that you can use to lower your energy use and save more money.

Keep Vents Clean

Dust and debris can accumulate in your vents and impede airflow. One of the best summer HVAC tips is to clean your vents to avoid blockages and allergies. An excellent way to ensure your vents stay clean is by scheduling routine maintenance. Make sure your vents are not blocked by furniture, draperies, or carpeting.

Have Your Ducts Cleaned

Dust, mold, and mildew can accumulate in your ducts over time. Clogged ducts make your cooling system work harder to push air throughout your home. Have an HVAC professional clean out your ductwork every few years to make your indoor air healthier and your air conditioner work more efficiently.

Following these lesser-known summer HVAC tips together with the more common pointers will be greatly beneficial to your health, comfort, and finances. If you need any heating, cooling, or air-duct cleaning services in the Broken Arrowarea, contact us at Air Assurance.

Air Conditioning

Tips for Minimizing AC Strain During the Hot Summer Months

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Summer is here, which means you can expect to run your AC virtually nonstop. It's necessary to beat the Oklahoma heat, but it also puts a lot of pressure on your system, which can wear it out more quickly, causing frequent breakdowns and shortening its life span. How can you keep that AC strain to a minimum while still keeping your home comfortable? Read on for a few tips.

  • Keep the sun out. Close the curtains and blinds during the day to keep the hot sun out. Then, at night, consider opening a window or two to let cool air in that will linger into the next day, keeping the heat at bay.

  • Avoid peak hours. Any hot activities you have to do, such as cooking, baking, and taking hot showers or baths should be saved for evening, once the sun is down. This will keep your home from getting too hot during the day and, thus, reduce AC strain.

  • Replace filters. As dust and other contaminants build up in your air filter over time, they restrict airflow from your system. The less cold air you have, the longer it takes your home to reach your set temperature and the harder your AC has to work, which causes AC strain. Check the filter every month and replace it every three to six months.

  • Perform ductwork maintenance. Ductwork leaks also reduce airflow. Look for holes, tears, and other damage to your ducts and repair them with metal tape or mastic sealant — or call your HVAC technician to do it. Also make sure that your ducts are properly insulated. If they're not, the cold air will gain heat as it travels from the system to your home, causing it to take longer to cool your home properly.

  • Get a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats can be programmed in coordination with your schedule and automatically switch to a more energy-efficient setting when you're not home. Your AC's workload is reduced, and you don't pay to cool an empty house.

For more help reducing the AC strain in your home, contact us at Air Assurance. We keep Broken Arrow's HVAC systems running at peak performance and efficiency.

Thermostats

Where Should You Place Your Thermostat in Your Home?

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Thermostat placement can make a world of difference to your comfort and HVAC efficiency. Placing it in a bad location will make your HVAC system run unnecessarily or inadequately at times, decreasing your comfort and driving up your energy bills. Let's help you out by telling you about the best options for thermostat placement.

Interior Wall

The best location for a thermostat is on an interior wall. The problem with exterior walls is that their radiant temperature will be lower in the winter and higher in the summer than your home's air temperature. As a result, your HVAC system may run unnecessarily and increase your bills.

The interior wall that you place your thermostat on shouldn't have pipes or ductwork running through it. The water or air running through the plumbing pipes and supply ducts can cool or heat the wall around them. If the thermostat is on such a wall, it won't read the temperature of the air in the room accurately.

Central Location

You should place your thermostat in one of the central-most rooms in your home. This should be a part of the home that's used frequently. That allows the thermostat to read centrally circulating air and give the best average home temperatures.

Don't tuck the thermostat away in a hallway or other less-used areas. Also, avoid thermostat placement in areas that are naturally warmer, like bathrooms, kitchens, and spots that get direct sunlight.

Height of 52 to 60 Inches

Heat rises, so you may be getting a temperature reading that's too low if you place the thermostat lower than 52 inches above the floor. Similarly, the reading could be too high if you put the device higher than 60 inches above the floor. Ideally, you should position your thermostat at a height off the floor that's between 52 and 60 inches.

By following these guidelines for thermostat placement, you'll make your HVAC system perform more efficiently, and your family will stay more comfortable throughout the year. For all your home-comfort and energy-efficiency needs in the Broken Arrow area, contact the heating and cooling experts at Air Assurance.

Thermostats

Rating Smart Thermostat Technology

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Smart thermostat technology is almost a decade old. In that time, it has advanced in leaps and bounds. Today, multiple brands with various functionality features enhance HVAC automation, efficiency, and maintenance. Rating smart thermostats, like any technology, must take into account the specific application of the unit as well as the requirements and budget of the buyer. With that caveat in mind, here are three examples of smart thermostat technology in various categories.

Ecobee 4

For all-around functionality combined with affordable pricing, Ecobee's smart thermostat technology rates high. The unit includes terminals to connect and control up to 12 HVAC-related devices, including air conditioner and furnace, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, ventilation units, and other air-quality accessories. It also integrates motion detectors as well as temperature and humidity sensors to supply data that informs accurate control of your indoor environment. All programmed temperature settings are easy to override to adapt to changing conditions.

Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest introduced smart thermostat technology to the home market. The company sustains its prominence with the third-generation Nest model. Combining data from individual sensors throughout the home with algorithms that learn your occupancy patterns and household heating and cooling preferences, the unit computes and executes ideal temperature adjustments. All data is also displayed on the mobile app, and users can manually override programmed temperatures at any time. A variety of updated information such as HVAC energy-consumption history can be accessed. Nest also derives your GPS location from your smartphone to activate geofencing functions and provides emergency alerts if indoor temperature extremes are detected.

Honeywell Home T9

The T9 rates high among choices for temperature monitoring and control in multiple rooms. In addition to most standard smart thermostat technology, the T9 integrates up to 20 long-range wireless room sensors that detect occupancy and report temperatures. This data allows the T9 to make intelligent temperature adjustments to keep cooling and heating uniform throughout all rooms in the house. Alexa home voice commands are also supported, as are geofencing functions.

For more examples of today's smart thermostat technology, contact the HVAC professionals at Air Assurance.

Thermostats

The Key Differences Between Wireless and "Smart" Thermostats

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Are you a bit foggy on the difference between wireless vs. smart thermostats? Join the club. It's not uncommon that homeowners experience a little confusion when it comes to describing what makes a smart thermostat smart when compared with a mere wireless model. That's because a smart thermostat is indeed a wireless (aka Wi-Fi) thermostat, while a wireless or Wi-Fi thermostat isn't necessarily a smart one. Read on to learn which type — wireless vs. smart — might work best for you.

Wireless vs. Smart: The Difference

Why would you want to upgrade from your old analog or programmable thermostat? Mainly because of the convenience that wireless technology offers. You can change the temperature in your house from anywhere. Just access your home's HVAC system through an app on your phone, speaker, or tablet, and voila! Adjust the temperature.

Want to set a program from afar, to cut back on heating while the sun's shining? You can do so with wireless from near or far. And, they are a lot easier to program than the programmable models.

What Makes a Thermostat Smart?

What else should you know about wireless vs. smart thermostats? Smart thermostats can be set just as described above, but they also have the ability to learn your habits and adjust the temperature themselves. For instance, a learning system will note that you leave the house and arrive home at a certain time every day and adjust the temperature as needed, warming up or cooling down the home in anticipation of your arrival. 

Smart thermostats are incorporated into the home's automation system. They send a signal through the Wi-Fi system to the thermostat, and that signal is then sent to the blower and the HVAC.

Some of the smart features you can opt for:

  • Geofencing, which detects when you're getting close to home and adjusts the temperature to a comfortable setting.

  • Detect and diagnose HVAC problems.

  • Remind the homeowner when it's time for maintenance.

  • Analyze energy use.

For more on wireless vs. smart thermostats, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

Thermostats

Common Smart Thermostat Issues

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A smart thermostat comes with a variety of useful features that increase the comfort of your Broken Arrow home and help lower heating and cooling costs. However, even though it contains the latest technology, you may experience some problems when using it.

Here are a few smart thermostat issues that you may encounter.

Software Glitch

A number of homeowners have had their smart thermostats go offline unexpectedly due to a server outage or software bug on the part of the manufacturer. Consequently, they're not able to set the temperature remotely as advertised.

If you're planning to be away from home for a significant period, you may want to have an HVAC technician wire in a failsafe thermostat. That will prevent a failed smart thermostat from wreaking havoc on your property while you're not around.

Malfunctioning HVAC System

Older HVAC systems don't provide a common ('C') wire for thermostats. The C wire is a 24-volt supply that's dedicated to charging your smart thermostat. Power stealing smart thermostats can work with the older HVAC models without needing a C wire. They do so by "stealing" power from your system's existing circuits.

Your HVAC circuits aren't designed to power anything. Therefore, your smart thermostat can cause your HVAC system to malfunction as it steals power. To solve the problem, let a technician add a C wire for you.

Dead Batteries

If your smart thermostat is unable to steal enough power, its battery can go dead. You can solve the problem by using the more reliable C wire.

A failed update could also cause your thermostat's battery to behave erratically. If restarting the device manually doesn't help, you may need to contact a pro to check if you have a wiring problem.

Whether smart or normal, any thermostat can fail and cause damage to your HVAC system and property. Whenever you encounter smart thermostat issues that you can't fix yourself, contact an HVAC professional as soon as possible.

If you're in the Broken Arrow area, solve any of your heating and cooling problems now by contacting the HVAC pros at Air Assurance.

HVAC System

Smart HVAC: System Automation

In upgrading your HVAC system, you have a lot of different choices. One increasingly popular option is automation. It can be a bit pricey, but there are a number of benefits. Here's a brief guide to help you determine if a smart HVAC system is right for you.

What Is Smart HVAC?

A smart system learns your household's heating and cooling preferences over time and adjusts to them automatically, to provide enough air to keep you comfortable, without wasting energy. They also factor in outdoor temperature when setting the indoor temperature. A variable-speed air handler can provide more air on hotter days, or less air on milder ones.

The system learns your habits, too: whether you like things a little warmer in the morning or a little cooler at night, etc. Some systems even have sensors to detect when someone enters or leaves a room, so that air isn't sent to unoccupied areas.

And in addition to learning your preferences, the system also connects to your phone or other mobile device via an app. This way, you can remotely control the temperature, and even the vents, closing one and opening another as needed.

Benefits of a Smart System

An automated HVAC system is more expensive than your standard model, but it's an investment. It can cut your energy bill by around 20 percent, paying for itself over time. It also ensures you're always comfortable, learning and automatically adjusting to your preferences, rather than making you set and reset the thermostat throughout the day.

Is HVAC automation right for you? To find out, have a professional conduct an energy audit of your home and determine where you're wasting energy. They can also examine your current HVAC equipment, to see if it meets your needs, or what upgrades might be beneficial to you. Then, they can help you choose the smart features that will best benefit your home, and set them up for optimal comfort and energy savings.

To learn more about smart HVAC systems, contact us at Air Assurance today. Broken Arrow trusts us for all its heating and cooling needs.