8. Conclusion
As technology progresses, we’ll see more and more complete home systems designed to use fewer resources for an exorbitant initial investment. Solar, wind, and other alternative power sources will inspire the most intriguing smart homes ever, sporting a sci-fi appeal that will surely illicit "ooohs" and "aahs" from conference goers and design buffs.
However, with the economy as a nagging reminder that "going green" also means reaping the financial benefits of keeping utilities under control, it only makes sense to look at solutions that the everyday homeowners can enjoy (right away and within their means). The balanced compromise of cutting-edge and budget-friendly does exist, and it can qualify as environmentally-responsible, too. Zone heating and cooling is just one way to carry this out, but it may be the smartest and easiest offered today.
"Enough heat to melt crayons"? WHAT TEMP IN *KNOWN UNITS* PLEASE??? Were these standard SI Crayons?! What colour?
Does it melt axel grease? What kind? How about the sweet secretions of the honey ant chilling for 17mins in 'the snow' from the sloping roof of a SE facing shed at 3pm GMT?
Love the way buying more heaters saves energy. Ever heard of clothes? Damned nudists. Always wasting energy on more heaters and electric personal shavers. Wear clothes. Cut energy bills. Save gas going out to buy heaters. Hide that embarassing and unsightly pant-moustache. Nice warm clothes. The solution to all your problems. They keep you warm outside too. Or do you just put lots of heaters out there?!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pump
"Enough heat to melt crayons"? WHAT TEMP IN *KNOWN UNITS* PLEASE??? Were these standard SI Crayons?! What colour?Does it melt axel grease? What kind? How about the sweet secretions of the honey ant chilling for 17mins in 'the snow' from the sloping roof of a SE facing shed at 3pm GMT?Love the way buying more heaters saves energy. Ever heard of clothes? Damned nudists. Always wasting energy on more heaters and electric personal shavers. Wear clothes. Cut energy bills. Save gas going out to buy heaters. Hide that embarassing and unsightly pant-moustache. Nice warm clothes. The solution to all your problems. They keep you warm outside too. Or do you just put lots of heaters out there?!
Hey Progress-Lover,
This article was written from the perspective of a parent with several children in a very large rural home. The heaters discussed in this article can save money and energy over central heating. Children's bodies may not regulate temperature as well as yours, so piling on extra layers of clothing is not always the solution. As for the crayon comment--in a household with children, I found this to be an amusing insight into the heat output of that particular product. We will do our best to get you actual temps, but for now, know that Crayolas melt at between 128-147 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rachel Rosmarin, Editor of Tom's Guide
how do you take the grilles off? I'm having a lot of difficulty doing so...
I cannot praise this product enough. Three winters ago, our heat went out at our summer home while I was out of town. Needless to say, pipes froze and significant damage was done. We had over 20 pipe breaks. We installed the Ecobee and it has given us such peace of mind. I am able to check the service anytime I want. We have had a few times when the heat did shut down and I received an email immediately and was able to react before any damage was done. Well worth every penny.
I purchased the Ecobee Smart Thermostat last summer for a vacation home I have 3K miles from my residence so we could control the temperature in the house remotely.
First, I have to say the folks at Ecobee are really nice and very helpful, but their service is limited by the products they sell.
ECOBEE IS THE GATEKEEPER
Controlling remotely over the internet, the smart thermostat device is a bit slow and clunky as it is runs through Ecobee’s servers, then to my house, and there is NOT an option for a direct connection using my Dynamic DNS service. This is one of the the biggest disappointments with this device that I didn’t discover until after purchased. Case in point, Ecobee had a significant outage last month and I could not control my device during the critical cold weather and snow storms that we were experiencing. I was really afraid of my pipes bursting in the house due to the cold temps. My other concern with having to depend on my connection running through Ecobee's servers is that at any point they can start charging a toll for access to my thermostat. Following their mass e-mail apology after the outage month, I inquired about a direct connection option and was advised a direct connection was not their business model. ** BE FOREWARNED OF THIS FACT BEFORE CONSIDERING PURCHASE OF THIS DEVICE **
LCD THERMOSTAT SCREEN ISSUES
In addition, the wall thermostat’s touch screen device is not ready for prime time. The touch functions on the LCD screen jump all over the place when trying to pin down the exact point where to push on the screen. Ecobee replaced the first device in an effort to resolve the issue, but the 2nd device yielded no better results.
Another issue is that the thermostat’s LCD screen touch points for each function are too small for the average adult to do by finger, thus we have to use a pencil eraser to make device changes via the touch screen.
Given my experience and knowledge, at this point I would not purchase an Ecobee device, but rather opt for a smart thermostat system that integrates into a whole-home smart system that had an option for direct connection remote control via the internet.
Great Article. We purchased three units for our house and installed in our primary living area as well as the rooms of our two children. We now can directly heat the rooms we use the most versus raising our thermostat and increasing the heat to the whole house. We too live in a rural area and had to buy online at www.cheapelectricheaters.com . Saved us a trip into town (2 hours) to try and find one at the hardware store. I noticed this manufacturer is also selling and Infrared Heater. Has anyone tried this product?