Where Should You Place Your Thermostat in Your Home?

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.

How to Be the Manager of Your Office Thermostat

Figuring out the right temperature setting for an office can be difficult. Too much heat or too much cold can affect productivity and cause other problems. If you’re in charge of the office thermostat, keep the following tips in mind to maintain a comfortable environment for everyone.

Recommended Thermostat Settings

How hot or cold should your office be? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends setting thermostats somewhere between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The setting yours should be set at depends in part on what time of year it is and other factors, such as the overall personal comfort levels of your co-workers. For example, employees might want the thermostat to be turned up a bit higher in winter, when it’s freezing outside. When it’s hot out, they might welcome a cooler indoor setting. Keep in mind that workers can always wear an extra layer to stay warm if you decide to set your thermostat lower.

Different Areas of Your Building

Certain areas of your office building might need different thermostat settings. Areas where technological equipment is stored or kept, for example, should be kept cooler. Other areas might not get much heat from the sun, resulting in a greater need to keep the temperature higher.

HVAC Solutions

There are ways to keep your office environment comfortable while avoiding arguments over the thermostat setting. HVAC professionals can provide you with solutions to ensure that your building is heated or cooled as needed. Zoning is one such solution, since it makes it possible to prevent hot and cold spots. You’ll also save money on energy costs for your commercial building. Having HVAC maintenance and inspections done can also help ensure that you’re able to heat and cool your office comfortably and efficiently throughout the year.

If you need help with your commercial HVAC system or if you need a new office thermostat, please contactAir Assurance. Our team offers high-quality heating and cooling services for commercial and residential customers in Broken Arrow.

Does Winter Require Specific HVAC Checks That You Don't Need in Warm Weather?

As temperatures drop in Broken Arrow, you'll want to turn the heat higher and higher. But how sure are you that your furnace will be ready to face the significant challenges that winter poses? Be sure to carry out these winter HVAC checks to keep your heating system in tiptop condition all through the winter.

Check the Thermostat

Your thermostat and HVAC system work as a team. One can't operate effectively if the other is slacking. Your thermostat should have fresh batteries and be set appropriately to meet your comfort needs. Save energy by setting it to a lower temperature when you're at work or asleep.

Ensure There's Adequate Insulation

Without enough insulation, your home will suffer heat loss. As a result, your furnace will run overtime to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, wasting energy and money. Check for adequate insulation in your attic and around your ducts. If you're unsure of your home's insulation needs, contact an HVAC technician for assistance with winter HVAC checks.

Replace Your Air Filter

If you haven't changed a dirty filter in a while, your furnace will be forced to run harder than necessary. This will increase your energy bills. Clean or change your filter at least once a month to prevent it from being clogged with dust and debris.

Schedule a Heating-System Tuneup

Your furnace won't be able to handle whatever winter brings if it's not working correctly. For that reason, you should schedule an inspection of your heating system as part of your winter HVAC checks. During the tuneup, your technician will inspect your system and uncover any potential issues that need to be addressed. He or she will also clean and optimize your system.

Performing these winter HVAC checks will get your system ready for the colder months and help cut your heating costs. If you need to schedule furnace repair or maintenance in the Broken Arrow area, contact us at Air Assurance. We've served the heating and cooling needs of our satisfied residential and commercial clients since 1985.

Rating Smart Thermostat Technology

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.

Manual vs Programmable vs Smart: Which Thermostat Option is Right for Your Home?

The thermostat is a vital part of your home comfort system. It's tasked with keeping the indoor temperature at your desired level. Thermostat technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. Thermostats now range from manual to programmable to smart. Each type has its own set of advantages. Let's delve deeper into these thermostat options to help you establish the best choice for your needs.

Manual Thermostats

More often than not, these simple devices are found in older homes. They usually have a manual dial that you have to rotate to adjust the desired temperature. Digital manual thermostats have up and down arrows instead of dials.

Programmable Thermostats

These thermostats adjust your home's temperature automatically. For example, in the winter, you can program them to cool your home down a little while you're at work to avoid wasting energy on an empty house and start heating it up before you return. The predetermined schedule you can give these devices to operate by varies from one model to another. Some only allow you to create one schedule whereas others can allow two or more different schedules.

Smart Thermostats

These offer all the benefits of programmable thermostats. Additionally, you can control them with your smartphone, allow them to learn your routines and adapt to them, and even use them to monitor your energy usage.

What's The Best Option For You?

Manual thermostats can be inconvenient and imprecise. Also, they don't offer any energy savings. If you still own one, you should upgrade to a programmable or smart model. If cost is a significant consideration or you just want something to help you program your HVAC system while you're away, you can go for a programmable thermostat. But if you're tech savvy and want maximum control and convenience, a smart thermostat is your best bet.Upgrading your thermostat will help you maximize the efficiency of your heating and cooling system and lower your energy bills. If you need installation, repair, or replacement of any of the above thermostat options in the Broken Arrow area, contact the professionals at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Make The Most Of Your HVAC Equipment With A Zoning System

One of the greatest advances in home comfort was the introduction of zoning systems. A home can be fitted with separate thermostats to monitor heating and cooling in different "zones," or areas, of a home. These are tied to a central thermostat control that can distribute cool and warm air in a more controlled fashion. Dampers placed in ducts control the temperature for the different areas. For example, if a south-facing area of the home has a bank of windows and needs more cool air in the summer, dampers will open more for that area. North-facing areas with more shading would require less, and dampers would constrict that air flow. Zoning systems thus direct warm and cool air into areas where they are needed most.The floor plans of most homes are not logically designed for optimum air distribution. Hot air rises, cool air falls. Therefore, the same amount of cooling is not needed for downstairs areas as it is for upstairs. Rooms farther away from the HVAC system can also receive less air flow than is required. Zoning systems address that lack of balance and create a more even heating and cooling pattern throughout the home.In addition, rooms or sections of a home that require less heating or cooling due to limited use can get less air flow, thus saving energy. A properly designed zoning system can not only maximize home comfort but also reduce energy costs.  Think of it as like a light switch for different rooms of your home.  Of course we have those, but who would have only one light switch that controlled every room's lights?  Same principle with zoning systems.  You don't have to cool all of your house, just to be comfortable in part of your house.If you would like to investigate the advantages of zoning systems for your Oklahoma home, contact the comfort experts at Air Assurance. We can explain all the benefits and logistics of zoning. We're always ready to give you the information that you need in order to take better control of your home comfort.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.