Innovative HVAC Technologies: How Contractors Can Stay Ahead

What is HVAC?

HVAC technologies use various mechanical and programming technologies used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. HVAC technologies aim to alter, maintain, and control humidity, temperature, and air quality in closed or isolated spaces.

Sometimes the abbreviation used in the field is HVACR. It stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration.

The Need To Keep Up With The Technological Developments In The Field.

The demand for HVAC services has only increased over the years. Unlike some other field services, HVAC businesses receive requests for their services throughout the year. The sector has grown by 13% in the last couple of years and is expected to grow at a similar rate in the coming years.

The reason for this growth is the recent technological advancements. Changes in corporate practices, including switching from the traditional dynamic pricing structure to HVAC flat rate pricing, are another reason for the industry’s steady growth.

With changing times and recent technological advancements, the HVAC field is flooded with innovative and state-of-the-art technologies.

The business is changing and developing at an unprecedented rate. This requires businesses and contractors to keep up with technological advancements and change their business policies accordingly.

This article lists some of the new and innovative technologies available in the market that contractors should be aware of to compete in this business.

 

Sustainable Technologies For HVAC Systems

With increasing awareness about global warming and the environmental impacts of the current HVAC technologies, there is a push towards developing sustainable and eco-friendly HVAC technologies.

There is also an emphasis on eco-friendly building designs in recent years. One of their strategies is to use a minimum amount of energy to heat, cool, or ventilate the building.

Therefore innovative techniques, such as using particular building materials to maintain a constant temperature in the building naturally, are used to decrease the amount of energy used by HVAC systems.

In addition to using innovative building techniques, using innovative HVAC technologies such as solar-powered systems or geothermal pumps is necessary to decrease the environmental impact of HVAC systems.

Following are some examples of such innovative eco-friendly technologies.

• Use of software for energy analysis: Architects and HVAC contractors can use various energy analysis software to help optimize HVAC systems. This software can also help analyze which HVAC technologies have a better cost-to-benefit ratio for a particular case. They can also create models of the HVAC system being used in the building to help develop cost-effective and energy-effective systems.
• Use of sensors in vents: One of the latest technological advancements in the HVAC industry is the use of electronic sensors in air vents. These sensors record and transmit data to a central system. The software can use this data to optimize energy consumption and improve customer satisfaction. These sensors can also be controlled and monitored by a mobile app.
• Use of ice in air conditioners: Some air conditioners use ice as a heat sink. The machine freezes ice overnight and then uses this stored ice to provide cool air to the room during day time. The energy consumption of these units is less than that of traditional air conditioners.
• Use of dual fuel heat pump: This heat pump uses both electricity and natural gas as energy sources. In such heating systems, the heat pump alternates between the fuel sources depending on the environmental temperature, making the system more fuel-efficient and cost-effective.
• Use of geothermal heat pump: Geothermal heat pumps use the earth as a heat sink. With a looped pipe structure underground, the geothermal pump absorbs heat from the earth’s crust and supplies it to your house or office. The process is reversed when you want to cool the building. Though this isn’t a new technology, recent innovations and development have made geothermal pumps cheaper to install.
• Thermally driven air conditioning: It is one of the latest innovative technology available for commercial use. Thermally driven air conditioning is a green alternative to traditional air conditioning units. It uses solar energy and natural gas as fuel sources. Due to its hybrid nature, it is a very cost-effective and energy-efficient system.

Smart Thermostats

Like smartphones, smart thermostats can store or share data with the help of a local network. These thermostats can be linked to an application on your smartphone. This enables the user to access their thermostat remotely from anywhere.

These smart thermostats can connect to Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Echo, and Google Home devices. They can also be a part of the local digital ecosystem created by any other smart home device.

These thermostats can also execute a predetermined set of parameters at the scheduled time, providing a smoother customer experience. They can also have pre-programmed modes to calculate and set the parameters so that the whole HVAC system becomes more cost and energy efficient.

https://unsplash.com/photos/YO5q_7BN7kQ

Creating a Local Network for HVAC systems.

Any HVAC system has multiple individual components. These individual machines or technologies have sensors. These technologies could also connect or a central system.

This internetwork of technologies in HVAC systems creates a local digital ecosystem. It is also known as the Internet of Things (IoT) in HVAC Systems.

Integrating this local ecosystem with building systems can help with the scheduling of system maintenance. They can also perform diagnostic functions and automatically contact the HVAC service provider with a detailed report of problems.

This system can also store, transmit and receive data and help maintain air quality, temperature, etc. With the help of this recorded data, the HVAC contractor can also provide better services to the customer and increase the expected life of the HVAC system.

This recorded data can also better help control different parameters, such as heating and cooling, making the system more energy efficient and cost-effective.

https://unsplash.com/photos/nz7z0rNdvyI

Use of Virtual Reality in the HVAC Industry.

Virtual reality is one of the up-and-coming technologies in the industry. With massive developments in the field, virtual reality can now help HVAC contractors in training their employees in new and advanced machinery in a cost-effective way.

Virtual Reality is also used to train employees on how to act in case of accidents and emergencies. It can also help certify workers on how to use some of the cutting-edge technologies.

Unlike the other innovations discussed, virtual reality does not affect consumers directly. VR just helps businesses to train their employees safely and cost-effectively. This indirectly affects the consumer experience and allows contractors to finish their work without any incidents or mistakes.

https://unsplash.com/photos/ipDhOQ5gtEk

Use of Mobile-Friendly Technology in Business.

With the amount of technological development and our increasing dependence on smartphones, HVAC businesses must provide services in such a way that smartphones can easily access. It is also a necessity for HVAC businesses as many of the new technologies discussed before are accessible through a mobile phone.

With mobile-friendly technologies, HVAC Businesses can gain benefits such as easy appointment booking, faster and simpler payment methods, and better consumer experience.

You can make your business easier to access by creating your own mobile application or website. You also need to hire employees that can manage and maintain the app or website.

With a strong online presence, you can also improve your customer relationships. You can also implement customer retention policies possible because of your online presence.

Importance of Feild Service Management Software in HVAC Businesses.

In today’s technology-driven world, it is a necessity for any business to use management software. An HVAC business or contractor can stand out from its competition with dedicated management software.

HVAC field service management software can help you analyze and streamline your business and HVAC services. Some of the advantages of using management software are as follows:

• Centralized control: Management software can help you consolidate control over your business. You can address and analyze any problems in your business with just a few clicks on a computer. You can also have access to all the data about your business without any difficulties.
• Automation: The field service software can help you automize your business. With the help of automation, you can schedule appointments and services with ease. You can also easily dispatch and manage materials required to build an HVAC system. It can also decrease paperwork and minimize the manual hours required to process them. Automation also has the benefit of increasing the efficiency of your business.
• Effective communication: Management software can help with improving interdepartmental communication. You can also get real-time updates about any ongoing jobs. This can help you tackle any problems arising during a job efficiently. Management software can also help you to place redundancies to avoid miscommunication and false information from spreading.
• Reports: You can prepare well-informed reports on the performance of your business. You can also generate employee performance reports according to the parameters you set.

Conclusion

To compete in today’s market, HVAC contractors and businesses have to keep up with the technological development in the field. The article has tried to cover some of the latest technological innovations. Hope you found it informative and helpful.