Tips to Go Green, Save Green and Stay Toasty This Winter

The 2020 Farmers’ Almanac predicts “yet another freezing, frigid, and frosty winter for two-thirds of the country.” The good news is homeowners don’t have to choose between staying cozy and eco-conscious. Today’s innovations make it easy to enjoy both with “smart” home climate control technologies and advanced heating systems created to achieve maximum energy efficiency and comfort. 

So, how do you select a home heating solution that is earth- and financially-friendly?  Following are some useful tips and practical information to guide your journey:  

Smarten Up Your Home Climate Control

When it comes to smart home tem­perature control, there are Smart HVAC Systems and Smart Thermostats. Smart HVAC systems have built-in Internet capability and can be controlled directly without additional equipment. Smart Home Thermostats create “smart” sys­tems by enabling remote temperature control via a mobile or Internet-con­nected device or voice-operated home automation system. Several leading manufacturers, including Fujitsu Gen­eral America, offer Smart Systems as well as a Thermostat Converter, which can control their single and multi-zone Halcyon and Airstage heating and cooling systems using a third-party thermostat.

Fire Up Efficiency, Cool Down Costs Up to 25 Percent

Upgrading your system and install­ing a smart home thermostat can sig­nificantly reduce your utility expense. The most energy-efficient heating and cooling products on the market, ductless mini-split systems, can save as much as 25 percent on your energy bill. Further, an efficiently controlled thermostat could save an additional 10 percent a year.

Here’s how ductless mini-split sys­tems work. Thin copper tubing is used to pump refrigerant from an outdoor compressor directly into an indoor air-handling unit, where the air is qui­etly distributed to the interior space. This eliminates the need for basement or attic evaporators and bulky, expen­sive ductwork. Mini-splits are easy to install and usually require only a 3- to 4-inch hole through a wall or ceiling to connect the indoor and outdoor units.

Heat Up Customization, Even in Extreme Cold

Take control of your comfort. Most HVAC manufacturers offer apps that enable systems to be controlled from anywhere using a mobile device. Now, voice-control capability uses digital assistants, like Amazon Alexa, to ver­bally dictate home temperatures—“Al­exa, set the living room temperature to 70 degrees.” For instance, Fujitsu offers a free FGLair app that enables Web-ac­tivated control via mobile devices and now voice-activated control via Ama­zon Alexa or Google Home.

Built for optimal customization, ductless mini-split systems let you con­trol the individual temperature in each room, so you don’t waste money cooling unused spaces such as guest bedrooms, bonus rooms, sunrooms, and basements. Ductless systems operate at much higher efficiency levels than central forced-air systems and window units, as duct losses in a central AC system can account for more than 30 percent of your energy consumption.

What’s more, the comfort continues even in extremely cold weather. Fujitsu’s Extra Low-Temperature Heating (XLTH) Series features outdoor con­densing units engineered to operate in temperatures down to -15º F, lower than any other mini-split available today.

The smart home revolution has empowered homeowners with the lat­est home cooling systems and smart technology to create the perfect storm of cost and energy efficiency and personalized comfort. The Mini-Split systems with the Energy Star rating are more than twice as efficient as the minimum standard set by the government.