FEELING THE HEAT? NO SWEAT!

5 Tips for Keeping Your Home Cool and Comfortable this Summer

As temperatures are rising outside, here are some tips homeowners can use to stay cool and make their home comfortable.

1. Get Smart About Thermostats

With a Honeywell® Home smart thermostat, homeowners won’t have to worry about being overheated or too chilly. The home will have a temperature that’s “just right.” As people move throughout their day, the thermostat will help keep the house at an ideal temperature to maximize energy savings when they are away from home and cool the house when they are at home.

2. Create Ideal Environments

According to recent product research from Resideo, 60% of homes have a room that’s uncomfortable – like a bedroom over the garage – and that is difficult to balance. As such, you may want individual rooms to be a certain temperature depending on the time of day. Creating such a system is a snap if you have a smart thermostat with smart-room sensors, like the Honeywell Home™ T9 or T10 Pro Smart Thermostats. You can prioritize the temperature in the rooms you spend the most time in. For example, if the kids have friends over and are playing video games downstairs, you can keep them comfortable and deliver the right temperature to the right room at the right time. Likewise, at night – you can select the ideal temperature for sleeping so the entire family can sleep at the optimal temperature.

3. Pay Attention to Humidity

When temperatures reach above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, indoor humidity should not exceed 50%. Higher than that and you may start to see mold appear throughout your house. The best solution is a professionally installed whole-home dehumidification system, which helps you monitor and manage your home’s moisture levels. Our DR120 Dehumidifier can remove up to 120 pints of moisture per day – that’s 15 gallons of humidity taken out of your home a day. Creating such a system is a snap if you have a smart thermostat with smart-room sensors, like the Honeywell Home™ T9 or T10 Pro Smart Thermostats. You can prioritize the temperature in the rooms you spend the most time in. For example, if the kids have friends over and are playing video games downstairs, you can keep them comfortable and deliver the right temperature to the right room at the right time. Likewise, at night – you can select the ideal temperature for sleeping so the entire family can sleep at the optimal temperature.

4. Get Your Ductwork in a Row

Improving indoor air quality (IAQ) doesn’t need to be complicated. One of the simplest, yet most effective ways to remove airborne odors and VOCs is cleaning the air that travels through the home’s ducts. A UV treatment system or air purifier is just the ticket. UV treatment can eliminate live airborne particles and surface mold that may otherwise go undetected and grow in duct systems and cooling coils.

5. Go Light on Light

An open window makes a room hot in a hurry, so keep the curtains or blinds drawn during the hottest part of the day. You can block out up to 80% of solar heat with cellular shades, according to the US Department of Energy. For more smart-home tips, check out our other solutions for the summer. To ensure your home has the latest solutions to beat the heat, contact a professional.Creating such a system is a snap if you have a smart thermostat with smart-room sensors, like the Honeywell Home™ T9 or T10 Pro Smart Thermostats. You can prioritize the temperature in the rooms you spend the most time in. For example, if the kids have friends over and are playing video games downstairs, you can keep them comfortable and deliver the right temperature to the right room at the right time. Likewise, at night – you can select the ideal temperature for sleeping so the entire family can sleep at the optimal temperature.

A Win-Win for Contractors and Light Commercial Building Owners

Your light commercial customers may be quietly envious of the building automation systems that a lot of big businesses use. However, remote monitoring and building automation aren’t reserved for the big budgets and immense facilities of Fortune 500 companies. Those same systems can be customized for smaller businesses, with pricing sized to fit.

Opportunities always exist to implement upgrades aimed at reducing energy costs, but where do small business owners find the money to fund the money-saving installation? For many light commercial businesses, the answer to that question comes in the form of utility rebates. The addition of the right system can often make a business eligible for rebates that can offset and, in some cases, completely cover the cost of the system installation. “If you can go to a building owner and say that you’ve not only got an outstanding energy-saving solution but also have the means to help them pay for it, you’ve got a deal that’s hard to say ‘no’ to.” says Rick Jones, of Honeywell partner Relevant Solutions.

Energy Savings

As energy costs continue to rise, building managers are seeking ways to reduce the energy usage in new and existing buildings and continue to provide a healthy environment for the building occupants.

According to Energy.gov, building owners can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning the thermostat back 7°-10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. Also, a recent study by commercial real estate firm Jones Lang Lasalle finds that 90% of business costs are related to people and that comfortable, healthy employees are productive, cost-efficient employees. Additionally, ASHRAE is continually updating the ventilation standard (ASHRAE 62.1) for commercial buildings.

Honeywell’s cloud-connected Light Commercial Business Solution (LCBS Connect) brings remote monitoring, control, analytics and the associated energy savings and increased occupant comfort to local offices, schools, churches, clinics, banks, retail stores and all other light commercial businesses.

LCBS Connect offers built-in optional economizing, bringing in outside air to help optimize indoor air when temperature and humidity conditions are right. Fresh outdoor air improves occupant comfort, reduces the symptoms of inadequate ventilation such as headaches, drowsiness and fatigue and reduces building-related illness. Economizing also reduces the demands on equipment to heat or cool air as necessary, prolonging the life of HVAC systems.

Programmable wall modules also help light commercial building owners automate energy and cost savings. Schedules can be set for up to four separate periods per day, seven days a week and a schedule can be set once and automatically disseminated to multiple buildings, a great help to facilities operators and building owners managing multiple buildings.

Energy Rebates

Many utility companies in the United States offer commercial building owners rebates for the installation of energy-saving equipment. Honeywell and our distribution partners can help provide direction to service providers and building owners when it comes to applying for utilities rebates.

Noting the energy savings that LCBS Connect achieves for building owners, Jones says: “(Utilities) don’t want to build new power plants, so they love solutions that cut energy usage, especially in commercial applications.” The combination of LCBS Connect with utility rebates gives contractors a powerful one-two sales punch, but sometimes the process of understanding and applying for those rebates can be daunting. Honeywell and our channel partners have the knowledge and experience to make that process simpler. Click here to find rebates near your customers.

Teamwork

Your customers want healthy, comfortable, energy efficient buildings. Honeywell LCBS can help you provide that with smart, affordable control designed for your customer type. Learn more here.

This February has brought with it record-high snow falls and nearly record low temperatures for much of the Midwest and beyond. The Polar Vortex takes a toll on your home, and even your wellness.

In speaking with our area HVAC installers, they report that the recent frigid temperatures and piles of snow have put an enormous amount of strain on heating and ventilation equipment.

“As a result of furnaces working double time – literally, doubling the amount of heating hours this winter compared to average – we’ve received an unprecedented number of service calls relating to frozen pipes and furnaces not working,” said Scott Sherk, Co-Owner of Neighborhood Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical based in St. Cloud, Minn.

To get through the next month(s) of winter, consider a few of these high- and low-tech tips for improving your home’s comfort, and your own well-being.

Check your equipment

1. Change your furnace filter. Experts recommend we should be changing these at least once a month during these high-demand times.
2. Schedule a furnace tune up. Sherk will be proactively reaching out to its customers for discounted furnace tune-up to ensure the furnace can meet the demand next fall/winter (i.e., ignitors and flame sensors working properly).
3. Check the Humidification levels. Cold air has less moisture in it than warm air, which is why our skin tends to be drier and itchier in the colder months. When your HVAC contractor is tuning up your furnace, ask them to check the humidification systems as well. This will help ensure your home is comfortable and will prevent wood floors from drying and cracking, and will prevent general discomfort from the dry air.
4. Keep care of the roof. A winter roof can tell a lot about a home’s ventilation. To avoid ice dams and water damage when the snow melts, rake it off, if possible. Speak with your contractor or HVAC installer to determine if you have proper amounts of ventilation and installation for your home.

Stock up on Smart Home Solutions

1. Add smart lighting to your home. Caseta by Lutron or Phillips Hue offer light that can be customized based on the time of day. It’s recommended that exposure to bright light in the morning can help keep your circadian rhythms in check and it also helps address seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
2. Winter is a season for safety. States like Minnesota see an increase in carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in Dec-Feb. To ensure peace of mind, ensure your home has several CO detectors placed throughout your home – or better yet, consider combination smoke/CO detectors.
3. Get Smart about your comfort. Smart thermostats have increased in popularity since they provide energy savings when homeowners are away, and comfort when they are home. Our latest smart thermostat delivers the right temperature to the right room at the right time.

Fuel the Body

Ride on. I’m a big fan of using my Peloton bike – especially during the winter! I can even use the new T10 PRO Smart Thermostat to deliver ideal temperature to my home ‘gym’ when I start my ride, and ensures that room doesn’t get overly humid.
When the weather gives us a break, walk outside. Studies suggest spending time in nature to clear your mind and soak in some Vitamin D from sunlight can improve mood. Fresh air is also important to improve your overall mental and physical health.
Ensure your home is getting enough light. Open the blinds or even remove your screens to allow more sunlight into your home. Here in Minnesota we (actually) get a lot of sunlight along with all the snow!