Technology is changing virtually every field in the world today and HVAC systems are no different of course. While there is no getting away from the fact that HVAC systems are power hungry in most cases, it is also true that there are cutting edge and innovative green technologies that are coming to the fore to change the future of HVAC.
What has led to the rise of green technology?
There are several important factors that have gone into the popularity and rise of green technology. Some of the most important factors are:
- Shrinking natural resources – fossil fuels especially.
- Increasing environmental consciousness.
- Rise in regulations that require smart and cooling and heating solutions.
- Consumers who demand green solutions from manufacturers.
Keeping all this in mind, there have been several smart technologies that have already started shaping the present and the future of heating and cooling solutions. You can take the words of Raymond Kishk, the Manager at InterstateAir,
“Adopting the Green Technology should be encouraged among all industries (small or large cap) as well as among retail consumer also. This is a tremendously good thing for the planet and the people in it!”
Smart Thermostats
Almost every piece of technology today is intelligent which also means that it learns as it goes along. This principle has been deployed in the thermostat space as well. Thermostats are now coming up with capabilities such as:
- WiFi controlled –so you can switch it on or switch it off only when needed rather than keeping your unit running all through the day.
- Remembering the temperature settings that you like and automatically adjusting to the same.
- It can even turn itself off completely so that you save money as well. This is especially useful when it can shut itself off during peak demand.
The use of solar energy
This is an interesting space indeed because solar energy is abundant and when it can be harnessed by way of solar panels, to run a chiller unit then indeed that has to be a good thing. There are quite a few companies working in the space and working with photovoltaic systems in order to power up effective chillers. On a similar note, there are products that can work with blocks of ice when it comes to cooling down a building. Several gallons of water are frozen in a tank and function as the ‘Fuel’ for an air conditioning unit.
Variable flow
A lot of homes and offices also use up more energy when it comes to cooling or heating simply because there are certain portions that are warmer or colder than the other. This can happen because the sun is falling on a space in a much more intense manner than another space. It, therefore, makes sense to have an HVAC System that adjusts the flow of cold or hot air depending on the differences in the inside space.
Better efficiency
HVAC Systems can also reduce their carbon footprint if they run at peak efficiency. Of course, there are a lot of EPA Regulations and government norms that govern or control the working of such HVAC Systems but equally, manufacturers themselves are committing more deeply to improving efficiency.
Some of the ways in which this manifests itself in HVAC Systems are:
- Compliance with buildings that have Green Code.
- Self-diagnosing systems that can tell you if they are operating at maximum efficiency.
- Technicians who are efficient in spotting and fixing possible leaks and problems even before they explode into bigger issues.
Impact on HVAC jobs
It is also interesting to note that green technologies are also changing the way people operate in the HVAC jobs domain itself. There is absolutely no doubt that it is causing a lot of challenges but the HVAC Industry is gearing up for the changes that will take place in a technician’s job profile. Today, an installer also needs to know about green technology and how it is going to affect his or her ability to not just install a new generation HVAC system but also to provide sustained care for the product as well.
Geothermal systems
A few companies are also experimenting with systems that operate on geothermal principles. This simply means that a fluid inside a pump either absorbs the Earth’s heat or the cold from the air outside and uses the same to either warm up or cool down the insight space.
The use of recycled materials
A few of the components of the HVAC System are now been made with recycled or environmentally friendly materials. For instance, recycled denim is being used to create duct wrap. This is a rather interesting component because there are quite a few materials out there that can easily be recycled to make the HVAC ‘Hardware’ greener than before.
Final Thoughts
The software that goes into control in such intelligent HVAC Systems is also showing a lot of sophistication and is able to generate actionable information that can go a very long way in helping an individual make his system even greener.
Web developer and SEO specialist with 20+ years of experience in open-source web development, digital marketing, and search engine optimization. He is also the moderator of this blog "RS Web Solutions (RSWEBSOLS)".
