We have a long history as an HVAC company: we’ve been serving the comfort needs of homes in Staten Island for more than 60 years. When we first started in business in the mid-1950s, the window air conditioning unit was the newest innovation in cooling, and many homes still lacked ventilation systems. Today, we work with central air conditioners, high efficiency cooling systems, flexible ductless mini split heat pumps, computerized zone control systems, smart thermostats, and more. The development of air conditioning technology over the past few decades is tremendous—and we’ve not only stayed current with it, we’re always looking ahead to the future.
We’re going to use the HVAC crystal ball to look forward to what we can expect in the future when it comes to heating and air conditioning. The technology for many of these developments is already in place. It’s only a question of finding the best way to implement them affordably for residential systems.
The Ice-Run Air Conditioner
Standard air conditioners don’t use ice to cool down the air. In fact, if you see ice anywhere on your AC, it’s time to call for repairs. In the future, however, ice may be the core of some air conditioning systems. A company called Ice Energy in Glendale, CA has developed the Ice Bear. This system swaps out the compressor with ice, which is made at night and then cools the air throughout the day. The Ice Bear is so far only in commercial use and isn’t at the point where it can be effectively used as the solo-air conditioning for homes. But we’ll be watching for developments.
Movement-Activated Heating and Air Conditioning
Zone controls for HVAC systems allow a homeowner to control which rooms receive heating and cooling and which don’t. This helps tremendously with lowering utility bills. The next step is for the HVAC systems to make the determination on their own of when rooms need conditioned air based on detecting if rooms are occupied. Motion-activated heating and cooling systems will make zone control even more effective.
Smart Vents
This is an expansion of the “smart” thermostat technology that is becoming common in homes. With smart vents, the system automatically opens and closes specialized vents to control airflow in rooms. The vents can be controlled through a phone or tablet or through plug-in sensors placed in the rooms to record climate information. We can anticipate smart vents becoming regular features of HVAC systems in the near future.
Smart HVAC Everything
In general, smart technology is the way of the future for home comfort—to the point where we might simply talk about the “smart house,” a vision of a fully-automated home that only a few years ago would have seemed like science fiction. The HVAC system in these future homes will be closely connected to all other systems: lighting, security, and even entertainment. Heating, cooling, and airflow will work in tandem so that single adjustments will create changes all across the house that ensure the best in comfort without energy waste.
No matter what the newest HVAC developments, you can trust to us for the finest in heating and air conditioning in Staten Island, NY. We offer the best in skill and customer service for homeowners in the area.
Bob Mims Heating & Air Conditioning: Serving Staten Island’s AC and heating needs since 1955.
