Installing a smart thermostator upgrading the one you already havewill have an outsize impact not only how comfortable you are in your home, but also on your household budget. Heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of the average homes utility bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

A programmable thermostat can help reduce those costs by turning your HVAC system on when you anticipate being home, and off when you dont think youll need indoor climate control. A smart thermostat goes far beyond relying on a simple schedule. It will enable you to create more sophisticated schedules for every day of the week, and give you complete control over your HVAC system, even when youre away from home. We continually test and evaluate smart thermostats and can help you find the right one for your home.

TechHives editors and contributors have been testing smart thermostats for more than a decade, installing them in our own homes to gain truly real-world experience before we commit to our opinions. We continuously test the latest smart thermostats, along with the apps that control them. We blend those experiences with our general knowledge of smart home devices, so were able to assess how well these products integrate with other smart system youll want to use.

Updated July 16, 2024 with a link to our Degrii Smart Thermostat review.

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Price When Reviewed: $249.99

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is simply one of the finest smart home products in any category. Its spectacularly useful as a standalone device, but its designed to work with other important smart home platform on the market today. An included smart sensor allows you to monitor temperature and occupancy in a second location in your home. The user interface is polished and easy to use.

Anyone whos looking to install a smart thermostat should consider this Ecobee model. The only caveat for homeowners who want to use Siri voice commands is that youll need an Apple HomePod or HomePod mini to use as an interface with the Ecobee.

Pros

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Price When Reviewed: $249

Nest practically invented the smart thermostat category when it released its first learning thermostat in 2011. Google offers detailed instructions that make installation relatively easy for inexperienced do-it-yourselfers. While the Nest is designed to learn your habits and automatically control your homes temperature, theres a robust set of manual controls for users who prefer to keep a closer watch over their homes environment.

Nest is still the best for choice users who dont want to think about their thermostat. Since Nest is now manufactured by Google, its designed to work best with other devices in companys ecosystem, including security cameras and smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. the thermostat is also compatible with Amazons Alexa smart home speakers and displays, and its Matter implementation enables it to work in the Apple Home ecosystem as well.

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Price When Reviewed: $189.99

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced shares the user interface of the more expensive Premium model at a lower price. The Enhanced has all the features of the more expensive model except for the Premiums fancy radar technology and the fact that it doesnt come with Ecobees remote room/occupancy sensorsbut you can add one later if youd like.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is a great choice if you find the Premium model to be too expensive. Youll have the option to add a remote temperature/occupancy sensor if you decide you want one later, and the total price will be approximately the same as a Premium model. You will also need a smart speaker in your smart home setup if you want to use voice commands with this thermostat.

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Amazon Smart Thermostat uses cloud-based machine learning to analyze how you use your HVAC system, and then uses what Amazon calls Hunches to predict when to heat or cool your home. The thermostat performance improves as it learns your habits over time.

The Amazon Smart Thermostat is designed to work with Amazons Alexa virtual assistant, so its best for homeowners whove already committed to Amazon smart home products, especially since its not compatible with Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit.

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Google has designed its entry-level Nest Thermostat for users who think the flagship Nest Learning Thermostat is too expensive. At this price, you get a similarly attractive design and the same polished approach to programming and controls, but you wont get remote sensors that can help your HVAC system achieve a balanced climate for your entire home.

The Nest Thermostat will only read the temperature in the room where its installed, since it lacks the remote sensors that can connect to the Nests more expensive model and help refine its programming. This model is best for smaller home or apartments or for properties that dont have much temperature fluctuation from room to room.

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Price When Reviewed: $129.00

If youve got a high-voltage heating system designed for baseboard, radiant, fan-forced convector, and similar types of heaters, the Mysa Smart Thermostat will do the job. It looks great, has Wi-Fi capabilities built in, and has an easy-to-use mobile app with support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.

There arent many choices on the market if youve got a high-voltage heating system. Fortunately, Mysa has designed a thermostat that meets the standard set by the other thermostats on our list. Unlike homes with a central HVAC system, youll need to install a Mysa Smart Thermostat for each of your individual heating units in different rooms of your house.

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Price When Reviewed: $149.99

The Sensibo Air Pro adds smart home capabilities to standalone heat pump and window unit air conditioners, and the Pro model features an integrated indoor air quality sensor. Sensibo has designed a product thats easy to set up and use.

Since the Sensibo Air Pro has no physical buttons, youll need to control the thermostat with a phone app. For the unit to work, your air conditioner will require an infrared remote instead of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi remote. If you use an in-room AC unit, Sensibo can offer you many of the same features enjoyed by people with a whole-home HVAC system.

Pros

Cons

Price When Reviewed: $149.00

The Cielo Breez Plus is remarkably easy to set up and use. Its also quite versatile, since it can record humidity and supports geofencing in addition to controlling the temperature for a single-room air conditioner.

The Cielo Breez Plus may not look as good as other models we tested, but weve included it here because its compatible with more air conditioner models that any of its competitors in this category. The Cielo smartphone app is well-designed and absurdly easy to use.

A thermostat shouldnt be difficult to install, even if youre only moderately handy. The manufacturer should provide comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand instructions with plenty of photographs or illustrations to guide you through the process. The thermostat itself should be clearly indicate which wires go where, and most companies provide labels that you can attach to the wires coming out of the wall as you disconnect and remove your old model. The wires themselves should be color coded, but a good practice is to photograph your old thermostat for reference before you take it down.

Smart thermostats typically require more electrical power than a set of batteries can provide. Fortunately, they dont require so much power than they need to be plugged into the wall. They rely instead on low-voltage power provided by your HVAC system. Many smart thermostats require the presence of a dedicated C (common) wire for this purpose, while others can siphon electricity from another source, typically the R (power) wire. But the latter practice is known to cause problems with some HVAC systems, including permanent damage.

If you pull out your existing thermostat to install a smart model and find no C wire connected to it, look inside the wall to see if theres one that hasnt been connected. If theres no C wire, our advice is to have one installed. Some smart thermostatsincluding our top pick, the Ecobee Premium, come with power adapter kits that can be installed if you dont have a C wire and dont want to pay to have one installed.

The short answer is typically yes, because youll install a smart thermostat in each of your existing zones. Heres a longer explanation if youre not sure what a multi-zone HVAC system is. If you have a larger home, your HVAC contractor might have installed a zoned system that lets you set a temperature target for different roomsor different levelsinstead of heating or cooling your entire home to a single target temperature. In this case, youll have multiple thermostatsone for each zonethat connect to a central control panel. The control panel opens or closes the dampers in each zone as needed to bring that zone to your preferred temperature. Youll program the entire system using a single app.

Better HVAC systems offer multi-stage heating and cooling, meaning they can operate in steps, versus simply switching between on and off states. A two-stage system, for example, might have a low setting and a high setting, while a three-stage system might have low, medium, and high. When the ambient temperature is already close to your desired temperature, the system doesnt need to ramp up to its full power to reach your target temperature. Conversely, when the ambient temperature is far from your desired temperature, the system can kick on at full tilt and then switch to a lower-power mode as it approaches the target. As a result, multi-stage HVAC systems are more efficient than single-state. Virtually all modern smart thermostats support both single- and multi-stage HVAC systems.

All of the smart thermostats weve reviewedapart from the ones designed work with portland and window air conditionersare compatible with heat pumps. Not sure what a heat pump is? Its an appliance that redistributes warm and cold air. In heat mode, it draws warmth from the air outside your home and releases it inside (a ground-source heat pump absorbs heat from the ground). This is a greener method of heating in that it doesnt consume fossil fuels, such as natural gas. In cooling mode, a heat pump absorbs warm air inside your home and releases it outside. These appliances work best in milder climates that dont experience freezing temperatures, although they can be combined with a conventional furnace for heating when outdoor temperatures get very low.

Most smart thermostats are designed to work with central air conditioners, but there is a class of device that can control portable air conditioners (the type with casters that vent out a window) and window air conditioners (the type that sit on your window sill). These types of thermostats typically depend on the air conditioner in question have a remote control, as many modern units do. The Sensibo Air is our top pick in this category.

Most smart thermostats are designed to work with central HVAC systems. If your home is heated by high-voltage heaters (baseboard, radiant, or fan-forced convector, for example), youll need a thermostat thats specifically designed to work with that type of heater. The Mysa Smart Thermostat is our top pick if youre looking for a smart thermostat for a high-voltage heating system.

Geofencing uses a thermostats app and your smartphones GPS chip to establish a perimeter encircling your home. When you leave the perimeter, you presumably no longer need to heat and cool your home, or you can at least have the thermostat adjust the temperature so that its not running unnecessarily. When you cross the perimeter again as you come home, your HVAC system can kick into action so your house is comfortable when you walk in the door.

Geofencing is greatprovided everyone who lives in the home has a smartphone. Motion and proximity sensors offer an alternative means of determining if your home is occupied and therefore in need of climate control. Some remote sensors deliver the added benefit of monitoring the temperature in remote locations, which can help reduce problems with hot and cold spots. Some smart thermostats can also tap into door and window sensors as well as the motion sensors for your home security system. And proximity sensors on the thermostat itself can trigger its display to turn on when you walk past it, making the screens a handy feature in their own right, even if for no other reason than providing a nighttime pathway light. Youll find remote sensors with a growing number of high-end smart thermostats from Ecobee, Nest, Honeywell, and other manufacturers.

Smart thermostats connect to your Wi-Fi network and from there to the internet. This means you can monitor the temperature inside your home and control that status of your HVAC systemwhether its heating, cooling, or just running its ventilation fanfrom anywhere you have internet accesstypically using the thermostat app on your smartphone.

Every smart thermostat comes with an app so you can control it with your smartphone or tablet, but the best models can also be integrated with other smart-home devices and broader smart-home systems. This can range from being able to adjust the temperature with a voice command via an Amazon Echo (Alexa), Google Home (Google Assistant), or Apple HomePod (Siri) smart speaker to linking the thermostat to your smoke detector. That last feature will automatically turn off the systems fan if smoke or fire are detected, which will preven smoke from being circulated throughout your home. Other options to consider include IFTTT support, Apple HomeKit compatibility, smart-vent connectivity, and tie-ins with home security systems.

A landlord thermostat is just like any other thermostat except that its controlled by the person who owns the home or apartment and is renting it to a tenant. These are typically installed in residences where the landlord or a building manager is for paying for heating and cooling and therefore has a financial interest in keeping those costs under control. Even in situations where tenants are responsible for the heating and cooling bills, a smart thermostat can contribute to a more energy-efficient building. The thermostat usually has tamper-resistant features that prevent anyone else from making adjustments to it. While it might seem that the landlord is benefitting the most from installing a smart thermostat, smart home featuresincluding smart thermostatsare an attractive feature for renters, who likely are willing to pay more rent in exchange for the convenience and the opportunity to reduce their energy costs.

We install thermostats in a single-family home with a conventional HVAC system and use each one for a week or more to determine how effective it is at maintaining a comfortable environment. The homes existing thermostat was wired with G, R, W, and Y wires. There was also a C wire in the wall that was connected to the furnace, but that had not been previously used.

While there is no regulated standard for color-coding HVAC wires, industry practice has the G wire connecting the thermostat to the fan. This wire is typically green. The R wire, typically red, is for power. Some systems have separate power wires for heating and cooling and are labeled RH and RC respectively. The typically white W wire is for auxiliary heat; i.e., a second source of heat. The Y wire, which is typically yellow, connects the thermostat to your air conditioner. Finally, the C or common wire is used to carry power and is typically blue (think cerulean if you need a mnemonic).

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Best smart thermostats for 2024: Reviews and buying advice - TechHive

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Air conditioners are key to keeping your home cool and comfortable, but finding the right one can be difficult. Theres a lot of technical terminology and jargon that goes along with shopping for an AC that can make it challenging to figure out which ones are better than others.

To simplify the process, weve researched the best air conditioner brands and closely compared product specifications, prices, and extra features. Read on for our top recommendations for AC brands.

We spent hundreds of hours researching the HVAC industry to rank brands against each other. Here are the best air conditioning brands according to our rating methodology:

Compare our top-recommended air conditioning brands of 2024 below.

No results were found.

Many factors determine which air conditioner is right for your home. Weve highlighted some of the most important things to look for.

Installing an air conditioner requires you to work closely with a company, so youll want to ensure theres plenty of customer support available. Take note of whether a brand offers a direct phone line or customer support via live chat or mobile app. The more means of communication, the better. Additionally, read customer reviews on popular review sites such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB). This will help you get a realistic idea of what its like to deal with each brands network of contractors and customer service representatives.

Intelligent cooling is another way to say smart-home integration. For a more convenient and optimized system, find brands that offer smart-home options that allow you to control and adjust your air conditioner from your smartphone. These features often let you connect the AC to other parts of your homes HVAC system and control the system through voice commands.

A noticeable noise level is a common complaint for ACs. You certainly dont want a unit that might disrupt your sleep or bother your house guests or pets.

We advise checking the noise level of the AC units that interest you. Currently, air conditioners can be as quiet as 50 to 60 dB. We recommend looking for ACs under 70 dB. To give you a better idea of how loud this is, check out the following breakdown from Purdue Universitys Chemistry Department:

When shopping forAC units, its important to know which type you need. There are six main types ofair conditionersystems, and each meets different needs. Learn about each type below to determine which kind you need:

Any air conditioner that uses a variable-speed compressor is a serious plus. Though a variable-speed AC system costs more up-front, the investment is worth it because it lowers your energy bills and increases your homes value. These units dont cycle on and off like traditional air conditioners. Instead, they adjust the air handlers speed to match your homes cooling needs, resulting in increased comfort, reduced humidity, higher efficiency, and quieter performance.

Some air conditioners have longer warranties than others. Additionally, some AC warranties only cover certain parts of the unit, such as the compressor, while others may include entire unit replacement. Check the manufacturers website for information and see if the brands network of installers will include a workmanship warranty.

The HVAC industry uses various ratings and metrics to determine a products efficiency, but the two most important ones for an AC unit are its SEER rating and ENERGY STARcertification.

Seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) ratings measure an AC units efficiency. The ratio reflects an ACs cooling output over a typical cooling season divided by the energy it uses in watt-hours. Your units efficiency could be lower depending on your homes conditions, such as insulation and windows. Any SEER rating above 13 is considered good. The average rating is 16, and anything above 20 is top-of-the-line. Units below 13 are likely low-quality.

An AC unit with ENERGY STARcertification meets federally mandated guidelines regarding energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. ENERGY STARrequires all of its certified central air conditioners and heat pumps to have a SEER rating of at least 15.

The best air conditioner brand depends on your preferences, budget, and home layout. We find Lennox to be one of the best AC brands due to its high SEER ratings, smart home capabilities, and SunSource technology. However, Carrier offers more intelligent cooling options, and York builds some of the most durable and quietest ACs.

We recommend getting at least three quotes from different AC brands to compare costs, warranties, and additional features. Use our tool below to request free quotes from reputable HVAC installers near you.

Whether Trane or Carrier is better depends on your individual preferences and home. However, we found that Carrier is generally better, given its focus on smart home integration and its assortment of air purifiers and humidity control products.

Yes, HVAC brand matters for a few reasons, namely due to warranties. Some brands also charge a premium because of their name and reputation while lesser-known brands might offer a similar product at a more affordable rate.

Your AC unit should last 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance and care.

A new AC system costs an average of $5,000 to $6,000. However, this price varies based on your homes layout, additional features such as air purification and smart thermostats, brand name, and installation fees.

The end of winter is the best time to buy an air conditioner. Retailers have a high supply of air conditioning units during winter, but homeowners often arent thinking about replacing or repairing their AC units during this time. The decrease in demand means prices and installation costs are lower.

We researched dozens of HVAC brands to determine which ones offer the best air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and other heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products. We then crafted a rating system based on each brands mid-tier and high-end product offerings.

We analyzed each companys product specifications, SEER ratings, AFUE ratings, and their best available sound rating. We also ensured that each brand offers ENERGY STAR-certified products. In addition, we closely analyzed each companys warranties to ensure their product and labor guarantees match or exceed industry standards.

Finally, we assessed the manufacturers years of experience and customer reputation on popular review sites such as the Better Business Bureau. We also checked whether the brand fulfills the high-end and luxury needs of Architectural Digest readers, such as smart-home integration options, solar-powered capabilities, and home comfort control products such as air purifiers and humidity control.

More Resources

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Heat Pump vs. Air Conditioner (2024)

When choosing a home HVAC system, most homeowners opt for a heat pump or an air conditioning (AC) system. Heat pumps offer heating and cooling

HVAC Installation Cost | 2024 Guide

HVAC installation costs typically range from $455 to $10,000, but homeowners will pay around $5,227 on average. A window air conditioning unit can cost as

View original post here:
What Are The Best Air Conditioner Brands? | 2024 Guide - Architectural Digest

Those numbers dont account for other equipment expenses like copper line sets, stands, wiring kits, extra refrigerant as needed, and so on. That can add up to anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars, depending on the project.

The rest of the cost of an installation has to cover overhead: Staff wages, training, trucks and tools, cushion for callbacks on systems that arent working right, and a little extra to take home.

According to some contractors weve heard from, a typical cost breakdown might be something like 40% equipment, 50% business expenses, and 10% profitor that's at least what they'll tell customers who ask. Pre-incentive prices include a lot more cushion built in than that structure implies.

Another way to look at the cost structures: Edward Louie, an efficiency researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, wrote up an itemized breakdown of all the individual costs that go into operating a small HVAC contracting business, and how much youd have to charge per project to meet them.

So how does that all affect the prices youll see on a heat pump quote? Different pros take different approaches to their pricing practices.

Many contractors offer menu-style pricing (including some on the EnergySage Marketplace). That is, they set prices based almost exclusively on the system size and type. Need duct modifications or electrical upgrades? You can pick those adders off the menu as well. The costs dont vary significantly from customer to customer.

Other contractors are more fluid with their prices. Their salespeople tend to work on commission and might have freedom to experiment with sales tactics and tweak their prices as they see fit.

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How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost in 2024? - EnergySage Blog

Whats so smart about smart thermostats? They not only ensure your homes temperature is comfortable, but they also do that while saving money andnot coincidentallyfighting climate change by better conserving energy resources. And the smartest ones do all that automatically.

Our pick, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, kept the temperature more consistently pleasant year-round than any other model we tested, likely because of its ability to calculate the effects of humidity on comfort. It comes with a remote SmartSensor, which balances temps in your home, and it has a built-in smart speaker for use with Alexa or Siri. Ecobees privacy policy is best in class, and the company still provides support for even its earliest years-old models.

Ecobees top-tier model comes with the best remote sensor weve tested, a built-in microphone and speaker, Alexa for voice control, and an air-quality monitor.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

Our top pick, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, isnt the absolute easiest model to set up, but its the best overall for eking out every last BTU of efficiency. It provides lots of settings to fine-tune your indoor climate, includes the smartest remote sensor around, can be tweaked by voice commands, and can play audio via a built-in Alexa smart speaker. In our tests, it was the hands-down best performer at keeping the whole house consistently comfortable. (The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced, which has fewer features, works just as well and has a far lower price.)

The smartest thermostat is also the easiest to set up using AI, but those extra brains come at a higher price.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

For a simpler setup, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat is the best choice because built-in AI does most of the work for you. It doesnt come with a remote sensor (and Nests arent as useful as Ecobees) or have built-in smart-speaker capabilities, which some owners may not need anyway. And some users have found that they sometimes have to override Nests AI to optimize their comfort and energy savings.

Though not as sophisticated as our other picks, this thermostat works with a wide variety of HVAC systems, is dead simple to use, and is inexpensive.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Ring

The Amazon Smart Thermostat may be basic, with simple controls and rudimentary AI, but it does what it does well, and for some people that makes it ideal. It can be configured to run on a timed schedule, or, using Alexa Hunches (Amazons term for Alexas AI-based learning feature), it can eventually learn your patterns and suggest customized settings. The one conspicuous missing feature wed like to see is compatibility with remote sensors, which our top picks have.

One of the few smart thermostats able to control inefficient electric baseboard heaters, the Mysa uses scheduling, geofencing, and an Eco mode to help you save money and energy.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home

If you have electric baseboard heating (or another type of high-voltage resistance heating), the Mysa Smart Thermostat (v2) adds smart control to those inefficient units. (It isnt able to control cooling systems.) To help save money and energyas much as 26% of your annual heating bill, Mysa claimsit makes use of scheduling, geofencing, and an Eco mode that subtly drops the temperature without affecting comfort. As many electric baseboard systems require a thermostat for every room, which can add up to a hefty price tag, for multiroom setups you may want to consider the more affordable Mysa Lite, which performs the same but has more basic controls and fewer features.

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The 4 Best Smart Thermostats of 2023 | Reviews by Wirecutter - The New York Times

The most recognizable advantage to upgrading to a smart thermostat is the opportunity to save money every month when the time comes to pay the electric bill. According to smart thermostat manufacturer Nest, now owned by Google, homeowners are projected to save an average of 10-12% on their energy costs monthly by investing in the upgrade, which can add up to $131-145 in savings each year. Smart thermostats save energy by automatically shutting off a home's HVAC system when residents aren't using it, then turning it on again at the homeowner's immediate demand or following a schedule programmed into the thermostat.

In other words, these thermostats help eliminate the struggle of accidentally running an HVAC system all day by forgetting to turn it off before leaving for work or going to bed. Homeowners can program a smart thermostat to follow a specific schedule, but unlike cheaper, programmable thermostats also available on the market, smart thermostats take energy-saving efforts one step further by automatically picking up on residents' temperature-adjusting habits, not needing a preprogrammed schedule to know when to raise or lower the temperature or power down entirely. Smart thermostats are also equipped to sense whether the room it's installed inside is empty, automatically turning off if the device assumes no one is home. Smart thermostats also make it easier to control your home's temperature while awayby connecting to your home's Wi-Fi and your preferred mobile device through a downloadable application.

Excerpt from:
How Much Does It Cost To Install A Smart Thermostat? - House Digest

UK: Heat pumps using R290 (propane) are to be installed at all new UK Aldi supermarkets in a new deal with Vaillant.

Vaillant UK, the UK arm of the German manufacturer, has been working with Aldi since 2016, when its AroTherm heat pump was installed at Aldis headquarters in Warwickshire. The retailer has installed the air-source heat pumps at seven of its regional distribution centres in total.

Following the success of these units, the AroTherm Plus heat pumps will now be installed at all new Aldi stores across the UK, as part of an exclusive five-year contract.

Depending on the size of the site, each store will see between two to five 12kW units installed, along with, Vaillants SensoComgort controls. The units will be commissioned and serviced by Vaillant under the contracts 10-year service agreement.

As part of the contract, Vaillants AroTherm Plus heat pump has also been installed at Aldis new eco-concept store in Leamington Spa, where the unit provides both heating and cooling. The store, which opened in September 2022, was designed to significantly reduce carbon consumption, with sustainable building materials and design changes which are estimated to reduce life-cycle emissions by up to two thirds.

Aldi UK has been carbon neutral since 2019, which has seen us transition to natural refrigerants, said Aldi UK national property director George Brown. for Aldi UK, said. Recently, we invested in adding chiller doors to our new and refurbished stores, which will reduce each stores energy consumption by approximately 20%. However, this meant we needed a sustainable heat source in our new sites to replace the existing heat-generating fridge packs.

Aldi UK commits to fridge doors 4 January 2023UK: Aldi has become the latest UK supermarket to announce that it will be installing fridge doors as standard in its new and newly refurbished stores. Read more

Aldi to convert all UK stores to CO2 15 August 2017UK:Aldi is to convert all its UK stores to use CO2 refrigeration, theGerman discount supermarket chain has announced. Read more

Aldi and Viessmann in natural energy project 7 March 2017GERMANY: Discount retailer Aldi Nord and refrigeration company Viessmann are rolling out a new cooling and heating system employing propane heat pumps, ice storage and photovoltaics. Read more

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Aldi to install propane heat pumps in new stores - Cooling Post

As homeowners, we are always looking for ways to increase the energy efficiency of our homes, not only to save money but also to minimize our environmental impact.

However, increasing energy efficiency doesnt always mean installing pricey solar panels or buying high-end appliances. Sometimes, simple hacks can significantly boost your homes energy efficiency.

With the continuous advancements in technology and the increasing awareness of our ecological footprint, energy efficiency has become more accessible than ever.

This article will explore a host of innovative hacks to to make your home more energy-efficient, from smart home technology to old-fashioned common sense.

Energy efficiency is not just about reducing energy consumption and saving on utility bills. It also has numerous environmental and societal benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, creating green jobs, and improving indoor air quality. Now, lets dive into some practical ways to make your home more energy-efficient.

Innovations in technology and a bit of creative thinking can go a long way in making your home more energy-efficient. Whether youre a homeowner looking to cut down on utility costs or someone passionate about reducing your environmental footprint, these hacks offer practical and effective ways to save energy.

Implementing even a few of these tips can make a significant difference in your energy consumption and contribute to a more sustainable future.

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Innovative Hacks to Boost Your Home's Energy Efficiency - Mirage News

by Karl Driessen

Some people may have heard about harnessing the heat stored in the earths crust, in places like California, Nevada, or Iceland. Such geothermal fields are often located around places with volcanic activity. When you see hot springs or geysers, there is definitely something geothermal going on. And this can be tapped for clean energy: the Geysers, located north of San Francisco, has a capacity to generate 900 megawatts of power without fossil fuels, using the steam coming out of the ground.

But geothermal heat in Forest Hills? Really? It turns out that there are some neighbors that are using the heat stored in their backyards to heat and cool their homes. In fact, I am one of those, as some people in the neighborhood found out when they noticed a big drill rig in our backyard, wondering if perhaps we were hoping to strike oil.

With gas furnaces being phased out in new construction in some jurisdictions, our construction plans prompted the question of whether we could cut the gas pipe and decarbonize our heating and cooling. Was it even possible to do this in DC? How long would it take? How much would it cost? A whole bunch of unknowns when we started.

No volcanoes here. Residential geothermal doesnt require the boiling temperatures used by geothermal power plants. Instead, it leverages the near-constant temperature of the ground underneath us (around 50 degrees Fahrenheit). A device called a heat pump extracts heat from the ground in winter and uses it to warm the house. Conversely, in summer the heat pump removes heat from the house and buries it in the ground.

How does that work? In a nutshell, a heat pump is like a refrigerator. Most of us will have noticed that the back of a refrigerator can get quite warm, while inside, milk and vegetables are kept cold. The neat trick of a heat pump used for heating and cooling is that this process can be reversed by flipping the so-called reversing valve. If it is hot inside, dump the heat outside; if it is cold, dump the heat inside.

A popular and economical type of heat pump exchanges the heat with the surrounding air. This looks very similar to a standard air conditioning compressor, with the added functionality of generating heat in winter.

Geothermal systems instead use water-source heat pumps, exchanging heat through a closed loop with coolant buried deep into the ground. For more details, check out the Rocky Mountain Institute explainer on geothermal heat pumps.

Why in the world would anyone go to such depths (literally!) to install a geothermal system? There are a few important advantages. It is environmentally friendly, as it does not produce greenhouse gases. It is very efficient in heating and cooling, using up to 50 percent less energy. This is because it moves heat, it doesnt burn fuel to generate heat. While it is relatively costly to install, in the long run it is cost effective because of its low energy use and the expected lifetime of the infrastructure (50 to 100 years or more) and equipment. It is also less noisy than outdoor compressors.

By the way, the Inflation Reduction Act has made geothermal installations eligible for a 30 percent tax credit, helping offset the high initial costs.

Our geothermal journey has not been short. We had received a couple of quotes before Covid-19 struck. When we picked up the thread in 2022, one geothermal contractor had stopped doing business in DC, and the other a local HVAC contractor saw the driller it worked with retire. It took some time to find a drilling company most regional companies choose not to operate in the District because the typical urban lot size is too small. Obtaining the soil boring permit took a few months; perhaps a bit longer than usual because the application was pending right at the time that the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) was being split up into the Department of Building (DOB) and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).

Drill, baby, drill for environmental sustainability! The permit kicked off a noisy multi-day drilling spree (thank you again neighbors for your forbearance!) to prepare for the installation of the geo loops. Given the size of the drill rig think fire engine access to the property from the alley was not easy, but the truck just managed to squeeze in. An enormous frack tank was placed in the backyard to collect any groundwater that might erupt during the drilling. (Thankfully, that did not happen! Other neighbors apparently werent so lucky and hit a spring that is now used to water their garden.)

The crew proceeded to drill wells between 240 and 320 feet deep, and inserted pipes through which the coolant will circulate. This video shows the drill grinding away, with a crewmember shoveling away the rock dust that comes up.

Next up is the fusing of the loops into one long circuit, and then bringing those coolant-filled lines into the house to connect to the heat pump.

Urban residential geothermal is a reality, and the District could include it as part of its Climate Ready DC plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our lot was barely suitable for geothermal, but it is possible to scale up geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool entire neighborhoods, as is done for example in a 400-home development in Texas.

In Washington DC, much of this would involve retrofitting existing housing when natural gas distribution is terminated. I can imagine Washington Gas being re-baptized Washington Gas & Geo, with geo wells drilled 20 feet apart in every alley and street.

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Original post:
No geysers? No problem. Geothermal energy is heating and cooling ... - Forest Hills Connection

Jennifer Soukhome| Holland Board of Public Works

HOLLAND Did you know summer air conditioning is one of the largest energy demands in your home? But there are a few things you can do to reduce cooling costs, saving energy and money this summer.

According to the Department of Energy, about 76 percent of the sunlight that falls on a standard double pane window enters to become heat. To prevent unwanted heat, keep your blinds or curtains closed, so direct sunlight cant come in. If you have horizontal blinds, turn the vanes upwards. This will deflect the heat toward the ceiling, keeping the space below cooler.

The DoE further states: You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for eight hours a day from its normal setting.

So, use your programmable thermostat when you're away from home or asleep for more than eight hours. Keep in mind, the greater the temperature difference between the inside of your house and the outdoors, the more it will cost to run the cooling system.

If you dont have air conditioning or want to reduce your energy bills, there are alternate cooling methods.

On cool nights, you can utilize the stack effect if your house has multiple floors by opening windows on both floors. Warm, less-dense air will rise and leave through the open windows on the upper floor, creating a drop in air pressure that will pull in cooler air through the windows on the lower level.

If the stack effect doesnt work for your house, try cross-ventilation. Install a box fan in a window on one side of the house to blow cool air inside and another in a window on the opposite side to blow warm air outside.

Whole-house fans combine these two energy-saving approaches: vertically expelling warm air and pulling in cool air with a (big) fan.

Also remember, air conditioners require regular maintenance to function efficiently. Neglecting maintenance can result in performance decline and increased energy use, costing you money. An air conditioner tune-up by a professional keeps your system in top shape. During May and June, Holland BPW customers can receive a rebate of $50 double the usual $25 rebate on an AC tune-up.

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If it's time to replace your AC, consider purchasing a heat pump. Not only will a heat pump cool your house more efficiently, but it'll also provide heating. Holland BPW has $500 and $1,000 per-ton rebates for heat pumps.

For more information on rebates available through Holland BPW, visit hollandbpw.com/rebates or call 616-355-1534.

Jennifer Soukhome is the community energy services specialist at Holland Board of Public Works.

About This Series:MiSustainable Holland is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives.This Weeks Sustainability Framework Theme: Smart Energy: We need to use both conservation and efficiency measures to manage our resources to provide access to reliable and cost-effective energy.

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MiSustainable Holland: Hot tips to help cut summer cooling costs - HollandSentinel.com

By Dan Rafter, CTW Features

Be ready for any weather this summer by properly insulating the home, doors and windows.

Ed Mulderrig has seen more than his share of poorly insulated homes. The problem areas are usually around doors or windows, especially in older homes.

That can result in a huge loss of hot and cool air, said Mulderrig, owner of Mulderigg Builders in South Hampton, N.Y.

Youd be surprised at how much air can slip past poorly insulated windows or doors.

Mulderrig is far from alone. Contractors across the country can swap horror stories of homeowners whose heating and cooling bills soar because their homes arent properly insulated.

The problem is this: insulating a home isnt as simple as it seems. Homeowners have to decide which type of insulation to use, and whether to install insulation on their own or with the help of a professional contractor.

Proper insulation, though, is the key to an energy-efficient home. said Mark Ziegert Sr., brand and marketing communications manager for insulations systems with Johns Manville.

Ziegert that homeowners can reduce their heating and cooling costs by as much as 20% with a properly sealed and insulated home.

Ziegert also cited a study by the Appraisal Institute, and said for every dollar homeowners save in annual utility costs, they add $20 to their homes market value.

What follows is a quick look at the types of insulation available to homeowners.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, blanket insulation is the most common and widely available type of insulation.

Blanket insulation is available at home improvement stores in large rolls. This type of insulation is installed between a homes studs, joists and beams. Homeowners can install it themselves, as long as its placed in obstruction-free areas.

Homeowners can spray, inject or pour liquid foam insulation into the smallest of spaces.

Because of this option sprayed foam usually provides a tighter seal for a home than does traditional blanket insulation. It is also more expensive.

Homeowners will often rely on insulation companies or other contractors to install sprayed foam.

The Department of Energy said that homeowners can use foam insulation boards which are rigid panels to insulate any part of the home, from the roof all the way to the foundation.

In addition to preventing hot and cold air from escaping, foam boards can add structural strength to a home. They are an ideal choice for the DIYer.

The Department of Energy said insulated concrete blocks can provide extra insulation to walls throughout a home. The cores of these blocks are filled with insulation. The downside? Installing concrete block insulation requires masonry skills that most homeowners lack.

Homeowners should remember to insulate their whole homes.

Robert Brockman, marketing manager for CertainTeed Insulation, said homeowners tend to forget certain key areas of their residences.

Under stairwells, around plumbing fixtures and along cathedral ceilings are some of the most difficult areas of a home to properly insulate, Brockman said.

Cracks and openings near windows and doors are also notorious for making home heating and cooling systems work harder to regulate indoor temperatures, he noted.

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My walls are sealed - The Bucks County Herald