An intro to HVACs and their role in the energy transition
HVACs – heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems – have a crucial role to play in the transition to a more sustainable energy system.
Historically, HVACs have consumed a lot of energy – often much more than they need to. But now, smart, 4G-enabled HVACs are coming to market to help change that, and make the way we heat and cool our home more efficient. Because they can be optimized with software, HVACs can also help stabilize the grid in times of peak demand, and accelerate the integration of renewable energy sources.
While HVAC adoption is growing, high upfront costs are putting some consumers off – and that means they’re not making as much impact as they could be. Managing them more intelligently helps reduce the lifetime cost of ownership and increase value for consumers.
The result? More uptake, and a more sustainable energy system.
What are HVACs?
HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.
HVAC systems help keep indoor climates comfortable by heating and cooling buildings, as well as improving air quality and managing humidity.
While air conditioning (AC) falls under the HVAC umbrella, they’re not exactly the same thing. HVAC encompasses a much wider range of technologies, of which AC for cooling homes is only one part.
HVAC systems can also include heat pumps, thermostats, solar heating and more.
How can HVACs help the energy transition?
HVACs make up a large proportion of residential energy consumption. In fact, HVAC systems can be responsible for up to 50% of the total energy load of a home.
That’s partly because they’re not being used efficiently. Typically, homeowners ‘set and forget’ their HVACs, resulting in a lot of energy waste and driving up energy bills.
It’s important that we solve this problem before it gets any bigger – especially as the number of HVAC installations is growing every year.
Fortunately, we can. Smart, connected HVACs can be programmed to behave more efficiently, without requiring any extra effort from homeowners. They can respond to customer preferences and grid conditions at the same time, automatically finding the cheapest, greenest hours to operate, while maintaining comfort levels within the home.
Not only does this cut energy consumption and costs for individuals, it also helps us improve the energy system overall. Optimizing HVACs in this way relieves pressure on the grid. It keeps supply and demand in balance, and means we can continue to integrate renewable sources, rather than fall back on fossil fuels to meet peaks in demand.
How does Enode enable HVAC optimization?
In order to optimize HVACs, we first need to be able to connect to and communicate with them. By accessing their data and sending commands, HVACs can be automatically controlled to behave more efficiently, without disturbing homeowners.
Enode’s API makes it easy to connect users’ HVACs to energy management apps. It provides access to a wide range of HVAC data and commands, without the need for additional hardware.
This makes it possible to build and launch a whole range of use cases that add value for consumers by reducing the lifetime cost of HVACs, and cutting carbon emissions. These range from the simple to the more sophisticated:
Read
Access real-time data from HVAC units for insights on current temperature, consumption and more.
Control
Send commands to HVAC units to adjust temperature or turn on and off remotely.
Enrich
Use data and controls to build custom schedules for commands.
Optimize
Execute on smart schedules in response to signals from the grid.
For a deeper dive on why HVAC optimization matters, and how to build experiences that deliver on what HVAC users really value, check our guide on How DERMS providers can build better HVAC experiences.
