Top Techy Trends in the HVAC Industry

The HVAC industry is always innovating, bringing you new and inventive ways to keep your home comfortable. If you’re interested in increasing your comfort and minimizing energy use, you might want to look into some of the techy trends making their way to your Charleston, South Carolina, home.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heat pumps are an innovative technological solution for efficiently heating and cooling the home. These installations draw energy from the earth to help adjust your home’s temperature with as little energy use as possible. A geothermal system relies on pipes buried in the earth that can draw on the naturally consistent temperatures underground. In the winter, the temperatures beneath the earth’s surface are warmer than those aboveground. In summer, they’re far cooler.

By circulating refrigerant or another fluid through these pipes, the geothermal heat pump will move heat as needed to help your home achieve the desired temperature. The heat pump will pull heat from your home and deposit it underground in summer so your home is cooler. In winter, the system draws heat from the earth and brings it up into your home. Geothermal systems are an innovative solution that’s growing in popularity within the HVAC industry.

Ductless Heating and Cooling

Ductless heating and cooling systems aren’t new to the HVAC industry, but they are gaining new momentum because they’re now powerful enough to adequately heat or cool an entire home, where these systems were previously used only for supplementary heating and cooling alongside a central system.

With a ductless system, you have one exterior unit that works with multiple indoor units. These are connected via a small three-inch hole in the wall. By eliminating ducts, you can improve efficiency dramatically. Ductless heat pumps operate the same way as geothermal heat pumps in that they draw heat from one area and send it to another.

Wi-Fi Enabled Thermostats

Wi-Fi enabled thermostats are among the hottest tech innovations found in the HVAC industry. They’re joining the growing “internet of things” as products with impressive connectivity. With a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat, you can control the temperature in your house from anywhere via the associated app. This technology also offers functionality that can track your energy usage, calculate efficiency, and offer recommendations for future savings.

Many Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats are also able to track your usage over time and adjust automatically to better suit your preferences. These systems may turn the heating or cooling back when you’re out of the house yet begin the warming or cooling process before you return home. That way, you never experience transitional temperatures, finding the home just as you like it when you return.

Off-Grid Heating and Cooling Systems

HVAC systems are traditionally one of the biggest energy guzzlers in the home. This is why off-grid heating and cooling systems are such an impressive addition to the landscape. Though these aren’t widely produced or used yet, the technology is beginning to spread. Solar-powered air conditioning systems can draw on the power of the sun to effectively cool the home without adding to your utility bill. When you combine a high-efficiency HVAC system with a sizable installation of solar panels, you may even end up with heating and cooling that sends energy back to the grid.

Many solar systems are connected to the larger electrical grid. If you can set up a system that generates more energy than it uses, you negate your carbon footprint here completely and actually generate energy for others on the grid that helps to shrink your neighbors’ footprints’ as well.

Variable Speed Blowers

Variable speed blowers are popping up in a number of HVAC systems. These are an efficient alternative to single- or even dual-speed blowers. Rather than offering one or two speeds, these can make minute adjustments to the speed of the blower. This allows for more efficient temperature adjustments that use less energy.

Are you ready to upgrade the heating and cooling in your home? Learn more about options like geothermal or ductless heating and cooling by contacting M & B Heating and Air at 843-628-1775.

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