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For the average homeowner, the thermostat is just a panel on the wall that makes the house warmer or cooler. While most modern heating controls have programming capabilities, people usually just push a button or slide a dial to try and find the right temperature. However, thermostat technology has advanced far beyond simple temperature control, and many homeowners may be unaware of all the options that are available to them. WiFi Capabilities At first glance, having WiFi capabilities on your heating controls just seems like a lazy man's upgrade. Instead of getting up to adjust the heat, you can do it from your smartphone or computer. Convenient, but that convenience may not necessarily be worth hundreds of dollars on its own. However, allowing your thermostat to access the Internet offers so many more possibilities. On the way home from a trip, you can tell the furnace to start warming things up while you're still an hour away, making the home perfectly comfortable when you arrive. High-end systems can also send you diagnostic information at the end of each day to allow you to keep track of the performance of your unit and spot any issues before they become major problems. Self-Learning Programming is great, but the major downside is the fact that once you program your heating controls, it is very difficult to tweak the settings accurately. However, new technology has become available, and certain models have self-learning capabilities. What this means is that your thermostat will learn your preferences-when you want the heat cranked up, and when you leave the system alone. It will retain all of this information and create its own conditioning schedule based on the information you give it, creating a more accurate programming system than you could ever design on your own. Humidity Control The thermostat that regulates your furnace also tells the air conditioner what to do. If you live in an area with high humidity, you constantly battle with trying to find the balance between perceived temperature and reality. High humidity causes your home to feel much warmer than it actually is. The best way to combat this issue with a normal air conditioner is to turn the air down cooler than you would normally like. This will cause the system to run longer, dissipating the extra moisture in the air. However, once the moisture is gone, the house is now suddenly too cold. With too much humidity, you will always either be too hot or too cold. However, there is a solution. An AC system with humidity control can extend its run time without creating additional cooling. What this means is that the unit will find the ideal temperature in the home, reach it, and then turn off the cooling. However, it will also be measuring humidity levels in the house, and it will keep the fan running until it draws out enough moisture to make the house feel like the temperature you requested. While many older units cannot operate with these features, if you have a newer system, you may already have the ability to implement these heating controls in your home today. Looking for more information on how to upgrade your heating controls? Learn more at http://www.energyequipment.com/.
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