My newly purchased home is huge, particularly old, and almost impossible to heat or cool. Trying to manage temperature, humidity plus air quality is a non stop battle. Where I live the weather is never the same two days in a row – temperatures can range from high 80’s all the way down to the negatives. My family and I are always dealing with lots of snow and rain, sometimes high winds or high humidity. Reaching and keeping a comfortable temperature is a aggravating and expensive task. The sun is always shining through our huge front windows which makes the AC have to work harder to cool the house down; on the opposite side of the spectrum, during winter when our old doors and windows let in a draft, it is our furnace that has to work harder to heat up the house since so much of it escapes. The humidity, whether it is excessive or insufficient, has a pressing impact on how comfortable the home feels. Overly humid air feels heavy, sticky plus hot, which prompts lower control equipment settings; drier air makes it feel cooler, so during winter the temperature controls are higher. Unfortunately every room in the home is a little different – depending on location, insulation, size plus all sorts of factors. For the first few months that I lived in the house, I sacrificed the bulk of my budget to heating and cooling costs, yet I was always uncomfortable. I finally hired a local HVAC technician to inspect the heating/cooling device and give some advice of what to do. He right away recommended I update to zone control; so by installing a series of valves within the ductwork plus control equipment in each of the rooms, I now manage the conditions in each section independently. The smart control units allow remote access, convenient programming as well as regulation of both temperature and humidity.
The different types of thermostats