What Should You Know About HVAC Control Systems?

An HVAC control system for residential heating and cooling equipment is most often the thermostat that turns the system on when it needs warmed or cooled air. These control systems are fairly simple, but without a functioning thermostat, your HVAC system won’t work.

Thermostats

Thermostats from decades ago are about the same as they are today, with the exception of programmable and smart thermostats. These devices do so much more than just turn the system on and off. A smart thermostat can do everything from monitoring room occupancy to managing the humidity to letting you know that your system needs attention.

Programmable thermostats aren’t as versatile, but they do keep track of the date and time and maintain the temperatures to those you’ve set for that period. Most give you four settings to use for weekends, work times, active at-home times, and sleeping. They have a long, proven record for saving energy.

Home Zoning Systems

Another type of HVAC control system for residential use includes those that manage zoned systems. Zoning a home involves breaking it into separate sections that can be heated or cooled independently. Instead of heating the whole house at once when only one area needs to be warmer, the zoning system lets you heat one area at a time.

Each zone requires its own thermostat that connects to the central control panel. When that thermostat calls for conditioned air, the HVAC system will send it to that space only.

Mechanical Controls

The most fundamental part of a control system for an air conditioner or heat pump is its contractor. This part sits in the outdoor condenser. When the thermostat calls cooling, the contractor receives electricity that tells it to supply electricity to all the other parts. Over time, the contractor can wear out, but the part is usually easy to access and replace.

An HVAC control system can be as simple as a thermostat or as complicated as a zoning control panel. To learn more, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions, providing HVAC services for Orlando-area homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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