Author: Kevin

Are some rooms in your home too warm or too cold?  Does one floor of your house get much warmer or cooler than the other?  Do you find that some vents blow lots of air while others – usually those farthest from the HVAC source – hardly blow much air at all?  No matter how you set your thermostat, does it seem there is always one (or more) room(s) of your house that don’t seem to get to the desired temperature? What can be done?

Special fans can help move more of the heated or cooled air already present in the ductwork into the desired room.  Fans on or in the ducts pull this conditioned air into the room, keeping it comfortable longer, so your furnace or air conditioner will run less often, lowering your utility bills.  But do they work?

Register Fans
Register fans also called in-floor booster fans are small fans that sit directly in or on the register(s) in the problem room(s).  A few kinds are pictured here.  They are easy to install and inexpensive usually less than $80 each. Some come in different colors, have their own thermostat, are multi-speed, or can be electronically controlled.  Most users of register fans find them noisy and prone to frequent failures/burnout.  They can also be a bit cumbersome since they have an electrical cord that needs to be plugged in (wires dangling across the room).  Most of these small fans are akin to the fan inside the typical desktop computer, and they are not rated with a high enough airflow (cfm cubic feet per minute) to really make a difference.  Some believe register fans further restrict airflow because the vent is now blocked by fans.  However, a few folks have found this simple solution helps.  At least it’s not too expensive to find out.

Mid-Duct Fan
A good alternative is installing a mid-duct fan also called an inline duct fan.  This is a large, heavy-duty cylindrical fan, taking up the entire width of the ductwork, e.g., they “replace” a section of ductwork. They are placed mid-way between the HVAC source and your problem room(s).   Your HVAC ducting must be accessible and exposed to install and work on it.  They require an electrical outlet or they can be hardwired, and require a relay back to the furnace.  So, you’ll need an electrician or HVAC professional for installation.  Inline duct fans are quieter than register booster fans, and cost $30-$150 each, depending on the size (note: you need to know the size and shape of your existing ductwork so you can pick the right-sized unit!), cfm rating, and features, plus a couple hundred dollars for the electrician.

Uneven Heating & Cooling
The solutions described above may fix the symptom of uneven heating and cooling, but it is always best to address the root cause of the problem.  Here are some of the typical things that may contribute to airflow problems:

• clogged air filters,
• air vents or dampers which are blocked by furniture or not opened fully,
• return air registers that are blocked, cracks/leaks in windows and doors,
• a dirty blower wheel and/or coil,
• leaks in the ducts themselves due to peeling duct tape or holes made by plumbing or rodents.

If none of the above things is the source of the problem, you might need to address the problem in another fashion.

Often the biggest challenge is the return air – getting the stale air from the second or third floor back down to the furnace to be heated or cooled and redistributed.  In these cases, the best solution is adding returns or installing a thermostatically controlled zone system.

Having your air duct system professionally balanced might solve the problem and will improve comfort and efficiency.  But if your problem is due to poorly insulated rooms, or undersized ductwork, then no amount of balancing will fix the problem.

The bottom line is that the lack of proper airflow drastically reduces the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system. Poor airflow decreases system performance, raises utility bills, and reduces equipment life.  It is best to find the root cause of the problem and address it.

Tony Anderson, Partner, discusses the new federal goverment regulations for home HVAC systems.

Effective January 1, 2015 all manufacturers of HVAC equipment can no longer manufacture 13 SEER equipment meaning that you can only buy a complete system with a 14 SEER or better rating.  Commercial HVAC systems are not subject to this regulation.

The repair on any piece of equipment is a personal decision. For example if you are going to stay in your home for the next five years and your eight-year-old 13 SEER HVAC, which uses the phased-out R22 refrigerant, needed a new blower motor, you may want to do that repair.  If you’re only going to be there a year or two, for sure you’ll want to repair it, rather than replace it.  But if you are going to be there for the long haul (10-15 years), you may consider replacing it with a new 14 SEER system that uses the new R410 refrigerant. You’ll get many better features: these newer systems are quieter, they have better blower motors, and the the whole works (compressor, bearings, etc.) are built better with higher efficiencies.

People ask why are we doing this?  It’s just like your car. Every time you look at the gas mileage ratings on cars, it continues to get better and better.  That didn’t naturally happen; it’s mandated by the government.  Same thing in our industry. Heating and air conditioning equipment would have remained at an 8 SEER rating if something better hadn’t been mandated.  Just during my career, the industry has gone from an 8 SEER to 10, 12, 13 and now we are at 14 as the minimum.  Check the yellow tags that come on your equipment to learn what the SEER rating is. These new regulations are good for the consumer because they mean lower utility bills, good for our industry because it forces continual innovation, and they are good for our environment because they consume less energy and deplete the ozone less while providing the same or better comfort level.

Something is not working quite right.  All you know is that it’s cold and your heat does not seem to be working as it should.    Listed below are some common issues, their common causes, and tips on how you may be able to fix the problem yourself, before contacting a service technician for repair.  This can save you time and money.

1.   Filter-related Issues

• Dirty filters are the most common cause of heating (and cooling!) problems because they restrict airflow.  When the filter is clogged and the system can’t “breathe,” the heat exchanger will overheat and shut off too quickly, and your house won’t warm up. It also causes the blower to run hard and for long periods of time, with little heat coming out, and could shorten its lifespan.  Dirty filters also cause soot buildup in the system, reduces your system’s efficiency (thus costing you more money to operate), and shortens its life.  This is an easy solution: replace all filters. Be sure to check for the correct size (they are sold by size, not manufacturer).  Get the highest-rated ones you can afford to get the best indoor air quality and performance.  Important tip:  When you replace the filters, make sure the arrows on the filter are pointing towards the furnace (away from you).  Never try to skimp by vacuuming and re-using filters.
• Listen for a whistling sound.  This is a sign that the system is not getting enough air, due to a clogged filter or obstructed airflow.  If you’ve already changed the filters and still hear the whistle, then there may be an obstruction elsewhere in the system. Check to make sure all the registers are open and unblocked.

2.   Thermostat-related Issues  

• If the display on your thermostat is blank, it could be there is no power to the thermostat.  A tripped circuit breaker or fuse could be the problem, possibly caused by a power outage, power surge, lightning strike, or storm. Reset the tripped circuit breaker or replace the fuse. Make sure all the wires going to the thermostat are connected and not loose.  Useful tip: If you’ve lost your owner’s manual for your thermostat, most major-brand manuals can be found on the web-just go to the manufacturer’s web site.
• Check that the thermostat is in heat mode. If it’s a programmable thermostat, switch it to manual control and set it for 5 degrees above the room temperature, and wait to see if the heat cycles on.   For programmable thermostats, check that it is set to the correct day and time (am or pm).
• If your thermostat is battery-powered, or relies on battery for backup power in case of a power outage, it could be that the battery needs replacing.  If you have a programmable thermostat, and had a recent power outage, it could be that without a functioning battery backup, all of your settings have been wiped out by the power outage and the thermostat reverted to its default program.
• If your thermostat has a switch to control the furnace fan, switch the fan “On” (as opposed to “Auto” or “Off”).  If you do not hear the fan coming on, go to one of the supply registers and see if you can feel any air coming out. If the fan is not running, there may be no power to the furnace.  If the fan runs, but the air coming out is cold, you have a problem with the furnace (or heat pump) itself.

3.   Electrical-related Issues

• Check to see if the circuit breaker or fuse controlling the heating system is tripped or blown.  If a breaker has been tripped it will be in a position that is between ON and OFF. Reset the breaker by turning it all the way OFF, then back ON. If your home has fuses, check to see if the fuse for the furnace is blown. If so, replace it with the same size and type of fuse. Do not increase the size of the fuse. Important Tip:  If a breaker keeps tripping or a fuse keeps blowing, contact a qualified service technician to inspect your system to determine why you are having problems.
• Check to see if the switch located near the heating unit is switched on.  This often looks similar to a light switch and easy to mistakenly turn off.  (In one house, the switch was mounted upside down, so the unit was actually “on” when the switch was in the “down” position!).  Useful tip: Most thermostats get their power from the same electrical circuit that feeds the HVAC system.  So, if your thermostat is not responding, turning on the switch by the HVAC may be the solution!

4.    Furnace-related Issues

• Check to see if the pilot lot has gone out (if your furnace has non-electric ignition).  The solution is to relight the pilot light.  If you are unsure how to this, contact your gas service provider.  If the pilot will not light or stay lit, call a service technician.
• Most furnaces today have electronic ignition switches rather than a pilot light.  If that gets stuck, try switching the furnace off, wait a minute, then switch it back on. If your furnace has a reset switch, press it. After another minute, you should hear the furnace fire up.
• Make sure the gas is turned on.  Trace the gas line back from the furnace to the meter, and if there is a handle that’s perpendicular to the gas pipe, turn it so it’s parallel. There should be no obstructions or kinks in the gas line. Also, if you have other gas appliances and they are all working, then you know the gas line is on and not obstructed.
• Some furnaces have emergency cut-off switches that are activated when a door or service panel is removed. If the furnace door is not closed properly (such as after a filter cleaning, or accidentally bumped open), the cut-off switch will prevent the furnace from coming on.  Check to make sure all access doors are properly closed and secured.
• Make sure the exhaust line or flue is clear.  I’m not talking about the chimney flue in your fireplace, but the part of your furnace that exhausts to the outside, usually through a metal duct.  Sometimes birds, drawn by the warmth, build nests in it.  To clean it, you’ll need to turn off the furnace first.
• High-efficiency furnaces can drain off several gallons of water a day during the heating season. If the drain lines become restricted by sediment or mold growth, the furnace will shut down. If the drain line is in unconditioned space, and the water in the line freezes, that, too, will cause the system to shut down.  Check the drain hose, and if it looks dirty, remove it and clean it with a mixture of 25% bleach + 75% water, and after flushing it for several minutes, replace the hose.

5.   Heat Pump-related Issues 

• Check to see if the outdoor unit is covered in ice. It is normal for the coils to frost-over, especially if there is lots of moisture in the air (mist, rain, or sleet).  Your heat pump has a defrost cycle that normally melts this frost.  However, if the ice on the coils is extremely thick, never seems to melt, and only seems to get worse with time, then there could be a problem with the defrost cycle.  Try switching the system to “Emergency Heat” at the thermostat. Wait until the sun melts the ice off, then try turning the system back to “Heat.”  If you do not hear the heat come on, or if you hear loud noises, turn the system back to “Emergency Heat” (thereby shutting off the outdoor unit) and call for service.
• When outdoor temperatures stay below about 35 degrees, it is normal for the backup or auxiliary heat light (usually a blue or green light) to come on. The colder the temperatures, the longer this light will stay on. But if the light comes on and stays on, even when outdoor temperatures rise above 35-40 degrees, then there is a problem with your outdoor unit and you’ll need to call for service.
• Clean away leaves and debris around the outside unit that could be restricting the airflow.  Be sure the outside unit is not covered if you are trying to use it!

Never fear.  If none of these fixes your problem, we’re always here to help!

Jeff Owens, Project Manager, describes the major project at Brentwood Middle School that installed a green, ductless, HVAC system expected to save 25%-30% of the energy previously required to heat and cool a large school building.

Objectives

Brentwood Middle School opened in August 1972.  It’s a large school with 1,250 students in grades 6 through 8. In 2014, it was named by thebestschools.org as one of the top 30 schools in theO USA.  Learning can be hampered by environments where students are distracted by noise, or in temperatures that are too hot or too cold. In 2013, it was decided that the 41-year-old school should replace its antiquated HVAC system.  They chose a system that would need no ducts for conditioned hot and cool air, would keep classrooms quiet, would let teachers control their individual classroom’s temperature, and would use no floor space for equipment.  The project required removing all the ceiling tiles, all lighting, all the old ductwork, all floor-mounted air handlers, and all roof-mounted equipment.  The work was done during two summer breaks so there was no need to close any classrooms.

Mitsubishi VRF

The system uses  a Mitsubishi VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) system. In each of the classrooms we have a ceiling cassette that takes care of this particular room and it’s thermostatically controlled by a white thermostat on the wall. The teacher can control the temperature in each room. Before there was one central thermostat controlling all the rooms.

Ductless

This is called a ductless system and you have no ductwork above the ceiling and you have four directional blowers with air flowing in four different directions in the classroom. There are approximately 74 units throughout the building.  Another good feature for these Mitsubishis is that they’re quiet – only 30-35 decibels. You can’t even hear the thing running in the classroom. It is very quiet unlike a conventional system. Each cassette is connected to a condensing unit on the roof. There are eight condensing units on the roof and each feeds 15-20 air handlers. There is a flow of refrigerant and as the system requires heating or cooling it will flow the refrigerant needed to heat or cool a particular room.  This is a two-ton capacity unit so it can use as much as 24,000 BTUs of refrigerant.

Fresh Air

Of course there has to be a way to bring fresh outside air into each classroom and that does require ducts and vents.  Reznor make-up units on the roof filter the air, and blowers pump the air to the vents. There are no return air ducts. The fresh air pumped in by the make-up units result in the rooms having a positive air pressure, which then exits through leaks around windows and doors.  There are five makeup air units on the roof that condition the outside air. 100% outside air goes in and is heated or cooled as required and then is directed into each classroom.

Energy Savings

As the sun comes up in the morning, one side of the building requires cooling while the other side does not. An energy management system determines which of the eight condensing units to run.  This saves energy. The energy used is being measured by the energy management system and is expected to be 25 to 30% less than the old system.  Data from the old system has been retained and in a year we should be able to report exact figures.

On a cold morning, just the thought of having your feet hit a cold floor makes you want to stay in bed! With radiant floor heat, even your dog will want to curl up on the bare floor rather than in your bed.  Radiant heat has benefits when compared with traditional convection heat. But what is it and how does it work?

Radiant heat elements in the floor, wall or ceiling warm the people and objects in the room rather than directly heating the air. You cannot see radiant heat energy but you can certainly feel it, and it just makes you feel more comfortable and cozy.  It works like sunshine.  When you’re outside on a sunny day, you may feel comfortable in short sleeves even if the air temperature is only 60 degrees. This is because of the radiant warmth from the sun.  Radiant heat lets you feel warm at a lower air temperature than conventional forced-air heat.  Plus, because there is no blower as with forced-air heat, there are no drafts.

Energy Efficient

It is estimated that radiant heat is not only about 30% more efficient than conventional forced-air systems, but provides a more even and continuous level of warmth.  Here’s why:

• With radiant heating, the heating elements are near you in the floor or walls.  No ductwork is needed as part of the delivery system, and ducts are where some heat is lost.
• Since radiant heating systems do not use blowers or fans, your environment stays quieter.
• With radiant systems, heat stays near the floor where you are, and is not collecting near the ceiling.
• Radiant systems easily provide room-by-room temperature control, or multiple separate zones, allowing more heat where you want it most.

Other Benefits

Besides saving energy, here are some other benefits of radiant heat:

• Health benefits: European studies indicate that dust mite populations are reduced as much as 90% in radiant heated homes.
• No humidification needed: Unlike hot air systems, radiant heat will not dry out your breathing passages.  Humidification is unnecessary with radiant heat because it does not alter the air moisture content.
• Environmentally friendly: Radiant systems can run off of a variety of energy sources (gas, oil, wood, etc.), and can easily be interfaced to solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources. [For more information on environmentally-friendly systems, check out our LEED story.]
• Flexibility: Radiant floor heating systems can be installed under any type of flooring, including wood, tile, laminate, concrete and carpet. Beautiful wood, marble or tile floors are even more enjoyable because they are now warm, and don’t need to be covered up with rugs to shield bare feet from a cold floor.
• New construction or remodel:  Radiant heating can be customized for rooms of any shape or size, and can convert cold, damp areas into warm living space.  Add radiant floor heat in large lower-level rooms or basements that are almost uninhabitable during winter months, or a garage space being converted into living space. It works really well in a concrete slab, too.

Many Types

There are many types of radiant heating systems.

• Under the floor or in the walls:  These are called low-temperature systems.  Since their heating surface is much larger, a much lower temperature is required to achieve the same level of heat transfer.
• Radiant heating mats: These are ideal for spot heating, like shower floors or benches, and are safe for wet location installations.
• Radiant heating room panels:  These can be hung on the wall (like artwork) and typically are glass or mirrored, and come in a variety of colors and sizes.
• Overhead panels:  These have a lot higher surface temperatures, and can be found in production and warehousing facilities or sports arenas.  They boast the quickest response time of any heating technology.
• Radiant heat can be used outdoors as well.  In cold climates, some folks have heated driveways or roofs so they don’t need to shovel snow or worry about the snow pack causing the roof to collapse.

There are two basic ways to supply radiant heat in floors or walls: hot water or electricity.  Electric radiant, which uses zig-zag loops of resistance wire, is ­generally retrofitted to a single room, such as a bathroom, kitchen, or added room, such as a converted garage. It can be used for spot installations and operate along with traditional forced-air heating systems used in the rest of the house. Hot-water “hydronic” systems circulate water from a boiler or water heater through loops of 1/2-inch flexible plastic tubing.  Hydronic systems are better suited for whole-house (rather than spot) installations.

What About Air-Conditioning?

Keep in mind, no matter what radiant heating system you use, you’ll still need a separate air-conditioning system for cooling.  Radiant cooling cannot be used in Tennessee because our high humidity would cause excessive condensation (not a problem for heating systems).  That means that although radiant heat does not use ductwork, registers or vents for heat delivery, you’ll likely still need these for a cooling system.

But with radiant heat, you can say goodbye to cold floors in winter! Radiant heating can be a comfortable, efficient, and reliable heating choice.

Eddie Hutton had this video produced to help homeowners learn how to save energy, improve the environment and make older homes go “green.”

Saving energy and helping the environment that’s what the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is all about. They developed the LEED green building certification and rating system.    LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.  The LEED ratings describe the degree to which a building reduces negative environmental impacts and improves the health and well-being of its occupants. There are four rating levels based on the number of points achieved: from Certified (which starts at 40 points), to Silver, Gold, and Platinum (which requires a score of 80 or more points).

LEED-H is the rating system used for homes.  There are many categories outlined in a scorecard, such as:

• Location and Transportation: This includes proximity to a variety of transportation options, like bicycle paths and mass transit.
• Sustainable Sites: This includes rainwater management, using natural land cover, and protecting nearby habitat.
• Water Efficiency:  This includes reducing both indoor and outdoor water use, and tracking water consumption via water metering.
• Energy and Atmosphere: This includes refrigerant management, energy metering, and optimizing energy performance by using renewable energy sources.
• Material and Resources: This relates to the construction techniques, which must make use of environmentally-certified or recycled building products, sourcing raw materials locally or regionally, and reducing the amount of waste stored in landfills.
• Indoor Environmental Quality: This covers things that affect air quality, lighting quality, acoustic design, and surroundings, such as ventilation, low-emitting materials, and making use of natural lighting and heating.

The scorecard also rewards things like innovation, adaptability, and regional (geographic) priority areas.

Is your home a candidate for renovation and a LEED-rating?  You know, LEED is not just for new construction!  Maybe you want to start small.  Perhaps your home has a detached garage you’d like to renovate to be used as a vacation rental.  After all, we hear that Nashville is a destination site for many travelers! Having a Platinum LEED rating would sure serve as a differentiator when marketing your rental!

Let’s look at ways a house could attain a LEED rating.  First is its location: ideally, it would be in a neighborhood with bicycle paths and an MTA bus route, and close to parks, downtown and shopping. Add a geothermal heat pump for the HVAC system.  That way you can use a desuperheater to capture waste heat to provide hot water.  LED lighting is an ideal way to reduce energy consumption because LED lights use only about 1/5^th the power of incandescent lights, so the payback interval is shorter than any other energy saving approach. Plus, since LEDs don’t radiate heat like typical incandescent bulbs, they reduce the load on the home’s air-conditioning system.  Insulation is also very important in reducing the cooling and heating costs.  The best product out now is a soy-based spray foam insulation, which is not only eco-friendly, but is resistant to air, rodents, insects, mold, mildew, moisture and reduces sound transfer.

Download a copy of the LEED Scorecard and start your Green Home project today!

It is easy to be overwhelmed with the many different thermostats on the market and all the features!  Which one is right for you?  We’ve taken three of the top thermostats and done a comparison for you: the Honeywell WiFi, the Nest (now owned by Google), and the Honeywell Lyric. All tout easy installation and setup, and all allow you to control the thermostat remotely from a smartphone via a free downloadable app.  All will save you money on your utility bills if used appropriately.  Each of these thermostats uses different programming methods – or better said, what triggers the change in temperature settings – is quite different among the three.  So, depending on your habits, one might be better for you than another.

Honeywell WiFi

User ratings of this thermostat are very high, and higher than the user ratings of the Honeywell Lyric and Nest in most cases.  Users like the smartphone app a lot, and you can operate it from a website, too. You can schedule temperature changes for waking, leaving, returning, and sleeping.  Programming is a matter of setting up a 7-day schedule for each of these changes.  You can override the schedule at any point, but this method works well if you have a fairly predictable schedule most of the time. Temperature control is spot on, within +/- 1 degree. The touchscreen wall unit offers a multitude of preferences: colors, displays (Fahrenheit/Celsius, 12/24 hr. time, temp/humidity, etc.), brightness, auto/manual, keypad lockout, hold temperature option, and much more.  Plus, there is a smart mode whereby it learns how long it takes to reach a desired temperature and proactively adjusts, and it reminds you when it’s time to change your filters. The cons were few:  If your internet connectivity is down, you can only control the thermostat from the wall unit (same as a traditional thermostat), your color preferences cannot be saved, and circulate mode (fan) is preset at 35%.  Depending on the retailer, the cost for this unit varies from $193-$230 (not including installation).

Google Nest 

By comparison to the Honeywell WiFi, the Nest is more simplistic. The display only offers temperature, and not the multitude of preferences (colors, etc.) like the WiFi does.  Also, unlike the WiFi, you cannot do all the functions from the thermostat wall unit that you can do from your smartphone. There is no hold temperature option, and the temperature control was only +/- 3 degrees (a 6 degree swing is enough to make it feel too hot or too cold). Like the WiFi, it learns how long it takes to heat up and cool down to your set temperatures and proactively adjusts.  There is no need to enter a 7-day program, though you may.  You can merely set target home and away temperatures (for cooling and heating) for a single day or week, and it uses that as a starting point.  Then, the Nest “learns” your patterns by having a sensor that senses when someone is home.  So, if you have an erratic schedule, this feature might be ideal.  However, user reviews say if you have a big house, its line of sight will not cover the entire house, so you may be home but in another room where the sensor can’t sense you, and thus the “away” mode kicks in.  Many users found the “learning” was imprecise at times, and some gave up on it and opted for straight programming of temps at specific times.  The thermostat is accessible via the internet and the unit itself maintains connection to an internet website to tell you the outdoor temperature.  Nest offers usage reports and shows you, via a green leaf on the display, when you’re saving energy.  Users reported many frustrations, including software updates that wipe out your settings and any “learning” that was done, and time changes (for Daylight Saving Time) did not update the temperature settings, but many problems have since been fixed in newer updates. The Nest’s construction is solid (glass and stainless steel vs. the Honeywell’s plastic) and costs for the “second generation” of Nest units vary from $249-$300 (not including installation).

Honeywell Lyric

The design of this unit at least on its face is similar to the simplistic display of the Nest.  But its geofencing feature represents a totally different programming alternative. It uses your smartphone’s location to determine whether you are home or away, and sets the temperature accordingly.  If you’re the type of person that doesn’t go anywhere without your smartphone, this might be for you, but be aware that everyone in the household must have the app installed on their smartphone.  Multiple thermostats can be controlled from the same app.  Users say the Lyric does a better job than the Nest at fine-tuning the temperature: it considers both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity to reach a set point. Users found the software app with the Lyric more clunky than the Nest, and some functions can only be done from the smartphone or web, not from the wall unit. Many reviewers reported the geofencing was not reliable, problems working with iOS 8, multiple manual resets when internet connection was lost, and other frustrations causing them to set up shortcuts or do manual overrides or to swap out the unit due to frequent breakdowns.  Others reported poor experiences with Honeywell’s customer support, or that they did not like the wobbly plastic feel of the device.  As with the Nest, there is both an older and newer model, plus there is a retail and contractor’s version.  Costs for the newer retail model range from $219-$280 (not including installation).

With all smart thermostats, you’ll want to check compatibility with your home’s HVAC system before purchasing one.  Some do not work with baseboard heat, for example, and if you have multiple zones in your house, you’ll need multiple thermostats.  Installation can be done by the homeowner, but know that we are happy to help you install any thermostat of your choosing.

In August, we began our Smart Thermostat Poll to get your input on some of the features manufacturers are now offering on their new crop of thermostats.  Are manufacturer’s over-engineering these or are these really features people want?  We put it to the test, by asking which features you liked or thought you might use (a “yes” answer) and which features you either didn’t care about or wouldn’t use (a “no” answer).  Here’s a summary of the results*:

The features most users said they wanted or would use are:

• Reminders to change your air filters.
• Allowing you to override your “normal routine” when on vacation (away mode).
• Alerting you when the temperature in your home gets too cold or too hot, which may mean your HVAC unit isn’t working.
• Allow you to run only the fan (to circulate air) without having to run the air conditioner or the heat.
• Having the thermostat derive its power from your HVAC (instead of running on batteries).
• Automatically adjusting for daylight savings time.
• Automatically downloading software updates from the Internet.

Features users said they would be least likely to use were:

• Having a portable (handheld) thermostat control that can be used in any room of the house.
• Having the display in different languages.
• Being able to upload a photo that displays on the thermostat’s screen, with screen saver and slideshow features.

Thank you to all who have already taken the poll.  If you haven’t taken the poll yet, there’s still time (click here)!  Plus, just for taking the poll, we’ll send you a coupon good for 10% off the installation of any thermostat of your choice. Enter your name and email address at the bottom of the poll.  To be eligible your home must be in Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner or Cheatham counties.

With all the different models, prices, and features, and 10% off installation, what’s YOUR excuse for not saving energy and money?

* If you’d like the detailed results (all categories with percentages of responses), subscribe to our blog and we’ll email the detailed results to you.