Smart home technology gives us hope that we can do more than cope. By fully embracing the contemporary era and its technological advances, we are constantly yearning for our homes to be equipped with the latest gadgets and technologies, and the HVAC system is no exception.
So, let’s take a look at some of the best HVAC innovations that have been winning over homeowners.
Motion-Activated Air Conditioning
The future HVAC system could be a smart one, easily controlled by an app through a smart device. Perhaps, with this new technology, you could get weather reports and control temperature based on the information. But, there’s more!
Among the latest advancements in smart heating and cooling technology are motion-activated HVAC systems!
Movement-activated HVAC systems come with sensors that use electronic tracking to determine the number of persons in a building or specific area and adjust the thermostat accordingly. The underlying principle is simple. These sensors are placed on aluminum rods which are then hung from the ceiling. Simply put, the air conditioner will only turn on when people are present. For instance, the bedroom might be cooler when a couple goes to bed, but less cooled when they move to a different area of the house.
This technology has already found its place in the commercial sector because of the 8-to-5 workday which makes its application simpler. However, it seems to be struggling in residential settings. Movement sensor air conditioning is very much like lighting operated by motion sensors and both technologies become challenging in homes that have crannies, nooks or oddly-shaped areas. However, researchers in the HVAC industry have been working on enhancing this technology. In 2018, for example, a study reported how a wearable smart device could improve the motion-activated HVAV technology and instruct an HVAV system when to adjust the temperature.
Art Cool Gallery Air Conditioner Unit
As one of the global leaders in technology innovation in consumer electronics, LG has often been recognized for its excellence in technology. Since consumers have been showing their preference for gadgets and electronics that camouflage themselves into an Instagram-friendly space, LG has unveiled one of its ground-breaking HVAC product: the LG art cool gallery!
This futuristic air conditioner unit has combined powerful technology along with aesthetic features.
The 27-inch LG digital art frame is actually an LG air conditioner. The wall-mounted HVAC inverter is hidden behind an art frame and can be controlled with a wireless remote. According to previous users, the art frame can be filled with pictures, printed pieces of art or even a section of wallpaper to blend into the wall décor. This innovative HVAC product operates at low sound levels, thanks to its dual inverter compressor, and can result in energy-efficient cooling and heating.
In other words, this slick and contemporary air conditioner model will allow homeowners to personalize their AC units with their own creativity.
Ice-Powered Air Conditioning
Over the past few years, several innovations and technologies have shaped the sustainability agenda in the HVAC industry. But, an eco-friendly technology that is widely recognized is the ice-powered air conditioning.
The history of ice air conditioning began in 2003 when a company in California called Ice Energy began to note the ecological impacts and the huge consumption of electricity by air conditioners. The company then developed an HVAC system that would operate by freezing water in a tank overnight and then using it to cool a building during the day. This ice-powered air conditioning system was then called the “Ice Bear.”
This technology could provide cooling for a building for up to six hours and this is one of the reasons why it became a promising development for the HVAC market during the 2010s. The benefits of Ice Energy’s systems also included savings in overall power consumption as well as a fall in utility bills.
However, this technology hasn’t still been able to establish itself in the future of HVAC. Since it can cool a building for only six hours, the Ice Bear system would have to be used in conjunction with a standard air conditioner. The biggest drawback probably stems from the company’s failure to launch the ice-powered system properly as it filed for bankruptcy in 2019.