Setting the right smart thermostat settings will help the environment. For instance, if we can save the energy on raising or lowering the average home or office temperature by even 1 degree on average over a period of time, we lowered our energy usage and as a result will help the environment.
With Global Warming a known fact and Climate Change an inevitable consequence. It is for sure beneficial for us to do at the very least, small things at our capacity to help the environment. In this article we will look at how we can better set our smart thermostat and carry out small HVAC improvements to help the environment, and finally talk about an example of city lead environment movements.
Quick Disclaimer: All the information on this post is for your reference only. For professional advices do seek the nearest professionals near you.
Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik
Smart thermostat settings that can help the environment
The below are some ways you can utilize your smart thermostat to save energy. Some settings will need more sophisticated devices and specific hardware setup. The following will give you a general idea of how it can be done.
- Set schedules – Setting the smart thermostat active schedule based on your home or office availability can help very much. For example, if we know that we are usually away from home Monday to Friday from 7am-7pm, we can set an away schedule by keeping the air conditioning at a relatively mild settings.
- Preset profiles – Most smart thermostats come with preset profiles like ECO and Away modes. These gives you quick setting you can work with without having to get into the fine details of your device.
- Use zone/ location specific setting – Utilizing your smart thermostat and hardware setup (such as the software, how you install it and how many sensors you have), you can identify various zones and control precisely which room you need the air-conditioning. This method might be more advanced and requires more hardware setup and settings.
- Adjust to the weather – Some smart thermostat has build in logics that adjust based on the weather. Ecobee is one of such and it retrieve your local weather status from the internet and apply the needed settings.
Other hardware improvements that can help the environment
Improvements of connected devices and hardware such as the below, can help save energy and put less burden on the energy usage.
- Check and insulate your pipes and water cylinder as applicable – Most of the time, the adequate were done during construction of your home/ office. You may further do that either by yourself or via contractors. Also, most materials are easily bought and do from local home improvement stores.
- Carryout Air Duct Cleaning – Various companies can help as this requires certain equipment to thoroughly do the job. Thus, do check your local resources. Normally, It is recommended to do such every 3-5 years.
- Check for Energy Star certified products – Consider to check and replace older and less efficient water heaters and boilers with more efficient ones. Look for these labels and check which one is the best suited price and efficiency wise.
Background & example of the environment movements
Global warming is already a scientific fact and many countries already started to work out ways to help the environment.
For example, Canada ranked 14th from the 34 high-income OECD countries in Environmental Performance, according to Fraser Institute. One of the key matrix is how to better utilize resources by carrying out sustainable practices such as using less and producing less waste, thus to achieve using less than the environment can produce. Although Canada has one of the biggest and best natural environments in the world, with natural assets it has such as oil and gas, spending less and less reliance matters most.2
Furthermore, a current example is in Vancouver, Canada where they target to achieve zero-waste emissions as a community by 2040 simply by planting more trees and using less energy. And they are doing quite well as the city of Vancouver is already one of the lowest emission cities in North America.3
Final thoughts
Smart thermostat is about efficiency, better control, automation, energy saving and bill saving. Coincidently, it aligns well with helping the environment by using less. And that’s something we all welcome. There are for sure more ways than the above mentioned that can better set the smart thermostat, or making your home’s HVAC more efficient. And that’s up to us the user to find out more. What are your thoughts?
References
- Wiser. (Jan 24, 2023). How to Be Greener With a Smart Thermostat. Drayton by Schneider Electric. Retrieved Sep 22, 2023, from https://wiser.draytoncontrols.co.uk/blog/how-to-be-greener-with-a-smart-thermostat/
- Elmira Aliakbari & Julio Mejía. (Apr 20, 2023). Environmental Ranking for Canada and the OECD, 3rd Edition. Fraser Institute. Retrieved Sep 22, 2023, from https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/environmental-ranking-for-canada-and-the-oecd-3rd-edition/
- University Canada West. (Jan 14, 2021). Vancouver Ranked One of The World’s Most Sustainable Cities. University Canada West Homepage. Retrieved Sep 22, 2023, from https://www.ucanwest.ca/blog/media-communication/vancouver-ranked-one-of-the-worlds-most-sustainable-cities/
Written by Louis Ng for Intelligence of Care, Sep 27, 2023