Smart devices help people breathe cleaner indoor air
Summary
Bad indoor air and uneven heating or cooling are key problems existing HVAC devices can’t fully solve.
Alea Labs launched a smart home ventilation system that enables users to control the temperature in each room individually.
Foobot developed an air-monitoring device that tracks temperature, humidity, chemical pollutants, and particular matter.
Engineers at MIT are testing sensor-based activation of cooling systems.
And companies such as Cool Blew speculate that in the future, each part of a HVAC device could be equipped with sensors informing technicians about malfunctions.
Smart home technology makes our lives easier, one task at a time. Smart devices can now turn on the TV, adjust the thermostat, or even order dishwasher detergent. They’re able to help us sleep better, keep our coffee warm, and protect our homes. It’s no wonder that the worldwide revenue in this market is expected to reach $121 billion by 2022. And in the next four years, every fifth home will own at least one smart device. But HVAC systems didn’t get the smart makeover other devices did – until now.
As we spend almost 90 per cent of our lives indoors, we rely heavily on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technology. While existing HVAC devices provide basic services, they lack the sophistication of smart home tech. They waste energy and water, heat homes unevenly, and cause health problems due to poor air quality. For example, space cooling and heating accounts for 21 per cent of total electricity consumption in the US, while certain pollutants are more concentrated in our homes than outdoors. This is a clear warning sign.
Several companies took notice of this and have launched devices that provide users with clean and cool air, and even lower utility bills. Some of them are built upon existing tech, while others are creative innovations. The future looks even more exciting as researchers test new products that will ensure the HVAC sector isn’t lagging behind in the smart home revolution.
Alea Labs helps you control the temperature of each room individually
One of the latest products to hit the market is a smart ventilation system produced by the Silicon Valley startup Alea Labs. This product enables you to control the temperature in each room individually. For example, you could cool down the living room, warm up the baby’s room, and block air flow in other rooms. Not only will your home be a more pleasant place to live in, but you’ll also save on electricity bills. The company’s founder, Hamid Farzaneh, claims a home’s energy expense will drop by at least 20 per cent.
And even though this product looks similar to the Nest thermostat, Farzaneh explains that the similarity ends at the aesthetic level, because “Alea Air is like installing a separate Nest in every single room of your house,” giving you the option to control air flow in each room separately. Apart from that, this device is equipped with 11 sensors, but comes with a major flaw – it doesn’t monitor air quality. Luckily for consumers, that gap is filled by another device.
Analysing the air we breathe
Foobot developed an air-monitoring device that can tell if the air quality in your home is closer to a park or a busy highway. The device is filled with sensors that track temperature, humidity, chemical pollutants from home products such as sprays and cleansers, and particulate matter such as dust, smoke, soot, pollen, and soil particles. It answers the question of should you open the window right now. At the same time, the accompanying app will instruct you to close the window if outdoor pollution increases. And once connected to the Nest thermostat, it can regulate the airflow in your home based on pollution data. Foobot claims that this way, users “experience 53% less exposure to air polluted by particles”.
This is an important function, as health problems caused by bad indoor air are well known. The US Environmental Protection Agency warns that chemicals emitted from cleaning, cosmetic, disinfecting, and many other home products can damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, irritate the eyes and nose, and cause headaches or even cancers. And as professor Neal Patwari from the University of Utah explains, “For someone with asthma, an exacerbation can be triggered by poor air in the home, particularly for children.” Fresh air and smart ventilation systems could potentially prevent these problems.
A brave new world
While clean air is important, entrepreneurs across the world are working on other products, too. For instance, a group of MIT engineers developed sensors that activate cooling only when a person enters the room, Ice Energy in California produced an ice-powered cooling technology, while the Australia-based Chromasun developed an air conditioning system that runs on solar energy. But that’s not all.
Companies such as Cool Blew are speculating that the next step in connecting HVAC devices to the IoT could be related to malfunction reporting. Imagine if each part of your HVAC device is equipped with a sensor. When a certain part breaks or is due for replacement, it would send a signal to the service provider. You’d then get a call to schedule an appointment, and the technician sent to fix it would know in advance which parts to bring. This saves money and time for everyone. On top of that, your HVAC device could send signals when its seasonal tune-up is due.
Making our lives healthier
It’s clear that our lives are becoming easier as the smart home revolution unfolds. Instead of dealing with mundane tasks, we simply delegate them to smart devices. But people don’t want just to live more easily – they want to live a healthy life as well. And as companies have realised this, new products designed to improve indoor air quality have hit the shelves. They’ll prevent serious health problems and ensure kids grow up in a safe environment. At the same time, engineers developed devices that heat or cool individual rooms instead of the entire house, which reduces utility bills and ensures a pleasant living environment. And as the race to produce the next big thing in the smart HVAC market intensifies, consumers can rejoice, as they’ll be the ultimate winners of that race.
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Meaning of trend
While the smart home revolution has transformed many devices, it left HVAC systems almost untouched. But that’s about to change, as several startups have developed exciting products. They help people to heat and cool each room individually and breathe cleaner air. And it’s evident that people want not only to have easier, but also healthier lives.
Expert Opinion
Professor Neal Patwari from the University of Utah explains that, “For someone with asthma, an exacerbation can be triggered by poor air in the home, particularly for children.”
"The Alea Air system leverages leading-edge technology, big data, and advanced analytics in order to offer comfort, cleaner air, and a smaller environmental footprint through more efficient heating and cooling," says Hamid Farzaneh, the CEO and co-founder of Alea Labs.
This article was originally published in 2018 on Diynxt.com.