by Colleen Anderson
As the Internet of Things continues to expand, it’s become increasingly clear that some of its broadest impact will be in people’s homes. This is something we’ve examined before regarding plumbing specifically, in our piece entitled ‘8 Ways IoT Will Affect Plumbing Business’ — and to be sure, everything from monitoring water usage to reacting to weather patterns is in play. To fully understand the impact of IoT on modern homes though, it can be helpful to look at other applications also. To that end, we took some time to look into how IoT stands to transform heating systems in homes both today and in the near future.
Better PCBs for Sensors & Devices
When we’re discussing how IoT can transform heating systems, it makes sense to start at the most fundamental level — which in this case means the creation of better and more adaptable printed circuit boards that can fit in small sensors and devices optimized for certain purposes. Generally speaking, ordinary PCBs work well in conventional electronics, which are designed with space for them in mind. With IoT however — not just in HVAC systems but in general — comes a whole new category of tiny sensors and minimalist devices that have to be connected to each other. For these new devices, rigid-flex and multi-board PCBs can offer more design flexibility, and are thus helping to drive smart systems forward. These more advanced PCB designs can be fitted into tighter spaces and less conventional designs without sacrificing power or capability, ultimately allowing manufacturers to make devices just the way they want to, with confidence that the PCBs will work.
Improved Monitoring & Maintenance
Now that we’ve established some of the underlying technology helping to enable the sensors and devices needed to build up an IoT environment in a home, we’ll turn to how this sort of setup can transform a heating system every bit as much as a plumbing one. And one concept that, again, speaks to the broader benefits of IoT systems, is that of automated monitoring and preventative maintenance. IoT-based preventative maintenance is essentially the idea that machines and devices can now monitor their own performance and send signals when repairs or upkeep are necessary (or about to become necessary). In a home heating system this can mean any number of specific things: A heating unit can alert a supplier company when it requires maintenance; a smart sensor can send a signal when it’s time to change out filters; a thermostat can send an alert to an app if it needs new batteries or isn’t adjusting properly. All of these examples can contribute, ultimately, to a “smarter” and more efficient heating system based on IoT technology.
Adaptation
Where heating is concerned specifically, perhaps the greatest perk of IoT-based systems is their ability to adapt to conditions and adjust performance accordingly. Using the Nest Thermostat as an example — quite possibly the most popular or well-known consumer IoT device of any kind at this time — the idea is automatic adaptation. This particular thermostat creates a climate schedule for its users, such that it directs the heating (or cooling) of a home only as needed according to factors such as what the outside temperature is or whether anyone is home. This sort of adaptive performance is possible only because of devices’ capacity to learn habits and maintain an awareness of their surroundings, which of course is only possible because of IoT.
Efficiency & Savings
Here we’re speaking more to the overarching benefits of IoT-backed heating systems, resulting from some of the specific changes and capabilities outlined above. Typically, people tend to zero in on one aspect or another of IoT functions — say, the comfort of a thermostat that learns your preferred temperature, or the convenience of being told when to change air filters automatically. Considering the notion of an IoT-based heating system in a more comprehensive manner though, you can begin to get a feel for the significant savings that can be generated both in energy and money. Through all of the changes and functions described above, as well as other similar ones not discussed in detail here, an automated, IoT heating system can maximize the effectiveness of energy consumed, and reduce expenses that would typically go toward energy that isn’t needed. Not to mention it can simply make monitoring heating less of a headache for the homeowner!
As of this writing, we’re actually seeing a number of these changes put into place. Smart thermostats were among the first consumer IoT devices to gain popularity, and from there the capabilities of smart home systems have only expanded in the HVAC department. That said, we’d expect to see even more evolution and improvement in this category in the years to come. The result will likely be highly intelligent heating systems that reduce energy waste and generate meaningful savings for homeowners.
Colleen Anderson is a freelance writer based in Florida. She writes primarily about technology and business, and hopes to find a role covering one or both subjects for an online magazine or journal in the near future.