Advances in Thermostat Technology

Total Control

Rheem’s new Comfort Control 2 System does not work wirelessly, but its high-tech features can eliminate a lot of guesswork and troubleshooting for installers and homeowners, thanks to smarter diagnostics and better communication.

“Diagnostics aren’t necessarily new to HVAC equipment, but with the Comfort Control 2, we’ve introduced components that offer more information for quicker fixes,” King says. Before, a diagnostic module at the HVAC unit could tell a contractor that a contact was open or that the unit was running for a long time, but wouldn’t say why. The Comfort Control 2 offers contractors a detailed display of the air handler or heat pump’s operating history and up to 37 individual fault codes for more direction when maintenance is needed.

Used in combination with Rheem’s Series 500 thermostat, the Comfort Control 2 helps homeowners gain more control over their home comfort, King says. “The trend today is that we can alert the homeowners that there’s a serviceable issue, and that’s communicated via the thermostat. Whereas before the homeowner would have to wait until they were too hot or too cold before they realized a problem existed,” he says, “now the Comfort Control 2 can tell the homeowner, through the thermostat, that a service call needs to be made.” During undesirable operating conditions, the home system will automatically shut down and the thermostat will display a “Call for Service” message. Installation contractors have the option of training homeowners on how to get more information from such an alert, so the homeowner can offer additional details and the contractor can be fully prepared for the service call.

New thermostats on the market offer a plethora of features beyond wireless capabilities and easy programmability. Honeywell’s FocusPro thermostat displays outdoor temperature and humidity information on the thermostat wirelessly via a sensor integrated into the system. “What homeowners have told us they really like about that feature is especially apparent in the ‘shoulder seasons’ when you’re not sure if you should be running your heating or cooling,” Carson says.

At Rheem, a special consideration for indoor air quality inspired an efficient motor technology that allows users to run the blower in their system more frequently without using a lot more energy. “If you’re concerned about IAQ, you’ll want to be running air across your filter more frequently,” King says. “With this system, you can program the blower to come on periodically during the day to maintain circulation. This is also helpful during milder times of year when you don’t have a demand for heating or cooling, but you still want to filter the air without driving up the electricity bill.”

Retrofit Suitability

Regardless of the thermostat that best suits your client’s home, most models available are suitable for retrofit applications. “Wireless thermostats have a place in both remodeling and new construction,” Carson says. “In new construction, it helps cut costs by eliminating wiring. This also makes installation easy in remodeling applications, and being wireless also allows installers to zone a home without running thermostat wires. The installation is really effortless.”

Rodriguez agrees. “About half of our business is retrofit, and with a downturn in the building industry, it’s becoming a bigger component of the market,” he says. “When you have to run wires in a house, the cost does increase, so wireless has really paid off for us.”

King says that even wired systems can be retrofitted easily and economically. The Comfort Control 2 System also works with thermostats other than the Series 500, making it suitable for retrofits. Additionally, “in retrofit applications, in order to do things like read temperature and humidity, you often need to use a wire at some point,” he says. “There are usually four wires going from the HVAC system’s indoor unit to the thermostat, and you can use existing wires, instead of running new ones, for an easier installation.”

The point of upgrading to a new system, Carson points out, is to “make homes feel as comfortable as they look.” And with technology making system operations and installation easier, homeowners can definitely get comfortable with that idea.