The rate of technological advancement is
increasing exponentially in every industry, so it’s understandable that the
same trend is happening in the HVAC sector. With smart gadgets making our homes
more efficient and controllable, it’s only right that our heating and air
conditioning systems also continue to become more advanced. Some of the
technologies listed below are still in development, while some can already be
purchased and installed in your home. With that said, here are 10 technologies
that will change the way people use and benefit from their home HVAC systems:

1. Air Conditioning Units with Integrated Solar

A few startups are working on alternative
air conditioning devices that use solar energy from integrated panels. Some can
be supplemented by natural gas when there’s not enough solar energy available.
Solar-powered A/C systems aren’t very popular yet, but they could provide an
interesting A/C alternative for solar-powered homes within the next decade. At
the moment, the most energy-efficient kind of A/C system would be an Energy
Star-rated A/C unit plugged into a conventional solar panel system.

“The idea of an A/C unit that’s directly
linked to an integrated solar array is interesting because it means that
homeowners who don’t already have solar panels would be able to power their A/C
with the sun,” said a representative at Semper Solaris, heating contractors. As
one of California’s leading providers of solar and HVAC installations, Semper
Solaris has played an integral role in the adoption of solar power heating and
air conditioning in major cities like Los Angeles and San Diego – you can read more about this here.

2. Motion-Activated Air Conditioning

Imagine being able to walk into your home
and the air conditioning automatically turns on?  A team of engineers at MIT created a
prototype for a design that does just that. There are rods that contain motion
sensors mounted along the roof or in the desired location. When the motion
sensor is triggered, the air conditioning turns on. There are also DIY
tutorials that can teach you how to link motion sensors to all sorts of
electronic gadgets, including thermostats. However, integrated motion sensor
capability isn’t currently a popular feature in HVAC systems, but that could
change over the next decade.

3. Ice-Powered A/C

This one sounds a bit outlandish and maybe
even teetering on the border of science fiction, but there are some
experimental ice-powered systems that have been able to cool a commercial
building for up to six hours before conventional air conditioning has to kick
in. The concept is relatively simple but may need some improvements before it
can become a commercially viable alternative. Essentially, a large tank of ice
is frozen overnight and then it cools the floor of the building until it melts.
This kind of system could eventually be used as a supplement to conventional A/C
units.

4. Smart Vents

Some companies are working on custom vents
that contain sensors and can intelligently open or close depending on the
user-controlled settings. Soon, you’ll be able to open and close the vents in
your home through an app on your smartphone. Additionally, you’ll be able to
choose the desired setting for air pressure, temperature, and other indoor air
quality factors. For example, your home could sense that there’s smoke in the
air, open all vents, and crank your HVAC system to exhaust all the air and
replace it with fresh air. Then, if you were to burn something while cooking,
you wouldn’t need to rush to open the windows to let the smoke out because your
home would do it automatically within seconds through the vents.

5. Duel-Fuel Heat Pumps

Most conventional heat pumps are powered by
either gas or electricity. Recently, a new kind of hybrid alternative called a
duel-fuel heat pump has become available. This kind of heat pump strategically
uses a combination of gas and fuel to maximize efficiency. At low temperatures,
the heat pump is powered by gas. When the temperature rises above 35 degrees,
the pump is powered by electricity. Currently, these systems are relatively
expensive and haven’t been widely adopted, but they could become the new
standard by 2030.

6. Smart Homes

Smart homes aren’t extremely new, but they aren’t
ubiquitous yet either. Analysts speculate that by 2035, more than half of all
homes will be smart homes. These houses are equipped with smart thermostats,
vents, heating and cooling systems, windows, and other components that will be
able to precisely control the home’s environment without requiring ongoing
input from the inhabitants.

7. Geothermal Heat Pumps

The first geothermal heat pumps were
invented in the 1940s, so the technology isn’t new. However, there have been
substantial enhancements in the efficiency and efficacy of geothermal heat
pumps in recent years. Additionally, many homeowners are waking up to the
movement of going green and are therefore looking for environmentally friendly
heating alternatives. As this trend continues, it’s likely that we’ll see an
increase in the number of homes that have geothermal heating.

8. 3D Printed Air Conditioners

Imagine being able to print a new air
conditioner at your home? That sounds ridiculously far-fetched, but so does
printing an entire house with a 3D printer, and yet that can be done as well.
At the moment, this has only been a niche concept, but it stands to reason that one
day people will be able to print just about any kind of device, or at least the
individual components that are needed to assemble it.

9. Hot Water Recirculators

Think about how long you have to let the
water run while you wait for it to heat up each time. Even if you have a
powerful water heater that heats the water quickly, there’s usually at least
some period of time during which you’re letting water pour down the drain while
waiting for it to heat up. Some startups have started working on recirculators
that will capture the water you would otherwise waste and recirculate it back
into your home’s hot water heater. You’d be able to control this feature
on-command, setting the amount of time it will stay active based on how long it
typically takes your heater to heat up. This might seem like a minor issue, but
experts estimate that every year, the average household wastes more than 10,000
gallons just waiting for water to heat up.

10. Capturing Heat from Electrical Devices

This won’t be very useful on a residential
level, but commercially it could become useful in large data centers or other
facilities that host many active electronic devices. Essentially, with this new
technology, the heat emitted from the electronic devices can be captured,
stored, and redistributed.

The Importance of Keeping Your HVAC System Up-to-Date

Upgrading your HVAC system and using the
technologies listed above might not seem like an urgent matter, but it’s
something you should definitely keep in mind, particularly if your HVAC system
is more than 10 years old. This kind of upgrade makes your home more
comfortable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it
makes your property more appealing to the real estate market, as many buyers
are now picky about energy efficiency in today’s eco-conscious and financially
savvy world.

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