For every household, there are temperature maintaining devices that are used to increase or decrease the temperature according to the requirement. Most people use Manual Thermostats to adjust the HVAC system in order to attain optimal temperature. When operating manually, some HVAC systems do not perform as effectively and often cost way more. DiscountsCode UK is a value-added all in one platform which provides huge discounts and a variety of deals on all top brands. We are transforming the trend of buying by offering extreme convenience and ease to our customers to get their favorite brands for more information visit the discountscode blog.

Since 2011, over 10 million Smart Thermostat devices have been sold only by Nest and this suggests the magnitude of shift which is taking place from the non-programmable to programmable and now to Smart Thermostats. The right purchase, the right installation and the right use indeed lead to controlled energy bills as well as improved comfort. This surely happens and this is the prime reason why homeowners feel fascinated towards the Wifi-Smart Thermostats. If you are one such recently fascinated homeowner, this blog is for you. Before you miss out on the amazing features of your latest Wifi Smart Thermostat, we want you to explore it to the fullest. Here are the five features you must look for in your Wifi Smart Thermostat.

Algorithm-Based Learning

Your Wifi Smart Thermostat is really Smart. So as you set the temperatures and get into a routine of setting the same temperature, it automatically learns the settings and adjusts the Thermostat at those settings even if you forget to set. Also, with the geofencing feature, the Thermostat locates where you are. As you leave home or as you arrive home, it automatically makes necessary temperature changes so that you enter into a super comfortable home.

Zoning feature for desireable comfort

Almost all the latest Wifi Thermostats support the zoning feature. Which is that different rooms can be adjusted with different temperatures. With precise heating/cooling, savings on energy bills can also be made. So if you haven't yet used this zoning feature and desperately want zoning comfort, go on man!

Remote Access

The prime fascination about Wifi Thermostats is that it can be accessed remotely. So you can forget about making the necessary changes to your Thermostat and still be able to access it from office, from a grocery store or from a far away vacation point.

Also, with the wifi feature, important notifications can be received; as of maintenance reminder, filter change reminder, etc. This allows you to schedule an HVAC tech visit even when you're sitting idle somewhere away from home.

Monthly reports

Your Wifi Thermostat records every single thing. So it records your energy consumption and provides with monthly reports for you to access if you need to make any changes to your energy consumption.

In addition to these, one of the features Wifi Smart Thermostats offer is the voice command feature. You can choose your favorite assistant; Google, Siri or Alexa to help with the voice command features.

Who should not upgrade to Wifi Smart Thermostat?

While Wifi Thmerostats is an ideal technology for people who find it easy to be in the cradle of technology and save time & energy, it is not, however, ideal for elderly homeowners who find these technologies complex or those homes where the temperature and utility bills remain moderate. And this is because Wifi Smart Thermostats are the latest and the most expensive Thermostats in the market. There is no use of upgrading to a technology that you don't look forward to making the most use of.

But yes, if you're tired of hefty energy bills, indoor discomfort and find all the features of Wifi Thermostats worth trying, you must upgrade to enjoy the blessings of technology.

Choosing an HVAC contractor could be challenging, especially when a homeowner is doing it for the first time or has shifted to a place where he doesn't know much about the local contractors. And while it might seem a not so big deal, it is, because it is ending up with the right contractor that your appliance's right installation, its efficiency, and its warranty is dependant on but above all your wallet. All too often, homeowners hook themselves with the wrong kind of contractors resulting in them wasting thousands of dollars on HVAC related things annually. It is, therefore that wise persons are concerned about who they are choosing and research thoroughly before shaking hands with a contractor.
Below we share 5 hacks to ensure that the contractor you end up is a reliable contractor.

1. Don't trust phone quotes

Reliable contractors act reliably. If on the first interaction, a contractor gives a quote only by listening to the problem without first giving a in-house visit, don't trust. Such phone quotes are often given by people who are more interested in money than in getting your issue resolved. Also, certified and professional contractors find it a must to inspect the unit as well as a the situation and prefer to give in house quotes.

2. Your contractor is suggesting the same replacement model? Beware!

HVAC appliances like Furnaces and Air Conditioners expire after a long duration of 10 to 15 years and sometimes even more. During this time, a series of new models are launched which people upgrade according to their needs. If your contractor is suggesting you to replace the existing model with the same model, he is not being honest with you and most probably is trying only to rid himself of the old models which he has at his showroom. If he doesn't begin honestly, what would he do later? Time to look for some other nearby contractor.

3. Ensure the contractor is licensed

You will make a seriously bad deal if you choose an unlicensed contractor. The first thing, in this case, will be the voiding of HVAC warranty. Issues like faulty installation, overcharging, etc may as well arise. Licenced contractors have their licences displayed on their websites, social media pages or mention of them on their business cards.

4. Avoid one-brand contractors

These contractors want to make the most sales of the brand they are a dealer of. For example, a York dealer will not mention the latest Lennox models to you even if they are better, cheaper and more efficient. In this case, contractors intentionally make you choose not the best model. Hence recommended that when choosing a contractor, avoid those who are dealers of one particular brand.

5. Low-bidders are mostly the wrong people

Practically speaking, a company who has to pay salaries to its technicians, has to keep up with routine expenses and run the company, cannot afford to bid very low on the maintenance, tune-up, repair or installation costs. To keep up the quality, they have to charge for it. And here comes another sign; if the contractor is bidding very low and doing so very happily, he is either not licenced or at least not experienced enough. Pay for reliable and licenced services even if they are a little costlier. This will save you the pain later.

Have you ever had a bad experience with a trapper contractor? Were you able to identify him in time? If not, how did you get out of the mess?

On a winter morning, have you ever experienced lots of moisture on the windows? And not on the outside surface which is dew; this moisture is found on the inner side of the window and is called interior window condensation. Since this phenomenon has the potential to cause unease for the homeowners and also often leads to damaging the interior very badly, we have decided to educate you about it and share the possible prevention and solutions. So friends, let's begin.

Why does interior condensation occur? 

So why does interior condensation take place? It happens when the warm indoor air goes to the window panes and condenses there because of the low temperature of the window surface. The warm air has lots of moisture. And this is why this gaseous air molecules turn into liquid as soon as they hit the window.
In many situations, the condensation is so intense that the water drips heavily from the window pane and accumulates on the floor. The presence of too much moisture produces mould and spores near the windows and on the nearest walls. This damage can further spread to the rest of the home if necessary action is not taken.

Now that we know, interior condensation happens as a result of excessive moisture, it is the time to learn where this moisture comes from and how to reduce it?

How to reduce indoor moisture to reduce interior condensation? 

Do something with the Humidifier

Many homeowners use a humidifier in winter to combat the low levels of humidity in winter. But only a few monitor what level of moisture exactly is needed. As a result, the indoor humidity level is often more than required which is one of the causes of interior window condensation.

Be efficient with bathroom and kitchen fans

The kitchen and bathroom both produce plentiful of moisture; the hot water bath, the cooking and boiling in the kitchen. Ideally, this moisture should be expelled from the indoor by immediately turning the exhaust fan. It is better to keep the fan of kitchen and bathroom turned on when you're cooking or bathing. This way the moisture will not spread in the indoor.

Relocate your plants

Other than bathroom and kitchen, there are also some plants that release excessive moisture. If you don't know whether or not your plants are excessive moisture producers, you can google to find out. In any case, relocate your plants and take them a little away from the windows.

Ensure ventilation 

Ventilation is crucial regardless of what the season is. Preferably in the noon when it is not very cold, consider opening the windows so that the warm air can be replaced by fresh outdoor air.

Use ceiling fan

This is one crazy but effective solution. Run the ceiling fan in clockwise direction. This will let the moisture from the windows off on the floor.

Purchase a window insulation kit 

To resolve the issue once and forever, you can consider purchasing a window insulation kit. This when used from the inside prevents the issue of interior window condensation.

Do not take interior window condensation lightly. This can have drastic consequences on your interior and the side effects of excessive indoor moisture on the health should not as well be neglected.

Technology, as the time is passing, is offering us with more and more ease when it comes to routine stuff. Remember the times of creating warmth with woods and then dealing with all that smoke which would emit? Although the crackling sound of wood is such a nostalgia but we indeed feel relieved enough on getting rid of smoke and the mess that the wood or cool had caused. Ours is the time of vent free fireplace. The idea is to burn gases instead of wood or coal. This way the smoke is not produced and the heat caused by the fire remains in the indoor keeping it warm. But it is not as simple as that. While the usual mess and smoke is not produced, the by products of this gas burning produces some other gases which necessitate care and ventilation, after all. And there are clear dangers associated with vent free burning which the homeowners often ignore. Consider the following;

Dangerous by-products

The sulpher dioxide, carbon dioxide and most importantly carbon monoxide are the by-products of gas burning. When there is no venting at all, the only place these places are left with to go is your lungs. Although the manufactures of this technology defend that these vent free units have inbuilt censor to maintain safe levels of these gases, you must still be wise enough to find out that even low levels of these dangerous gases could be lethal. Pregnant women, infants and elderly get more affected. Interestingly, even the vent free product manufacturers themselves suggest homeowners to keep a window open when the unit is in use.

Production of Water Vapors 

Burning as little as 4 hours a day, a vent free product release up to 6 gallons of water in the indoor. Such high level of moisture can damage wood works, walls, other decoration and also promotes the production of mold and mildew.

Distinct odor causing headaches

Burning gases have a distinct odour. Some people find environments of vent free products very challenging since they complain of headache and flu like symptoms.

Stains on walls and soot 

The wood burning fireplaces are often rejected for their disadvantages of leaving black stains on walls. The gas burning appliances are no different. There are many so called vent free units, which cause stains and produce soot.

Not maintenance free either!

Another misinformation common among homeowners regarding vent-free products is that they are almost maintenance free. The truth is, a very careful installation, careful use and very routine maintenance is essential to keep the potential threats of such products minimum. Else, emergency situations and costly repair are the consequence.

Do you still want to use a vent free Fireplace? Okay! Then follow these 

- If you are bent to use a vent free fireplace, do not make it your sole heating source
- Get it installed, maintained by a professional
- Install CO monitors on every floor and regularly change their batteries
- Remember that ceiling fan, candels, drafts and a fully packed house can impact the proper functioning of the vent free products. So yes, keep a window slightly open!

Ever heard that employee performance gets better with air conditioned workplace? You've heard this because a lot of research has been done regarding this subject. While employees and their performances has long been a matter of research interest, little has been done regarding children performance in school and how air conditioned classrooms can impact the course of learning. It is only recently that researches in kids learning patterns have been linked with the level of cooling comfort provided.

Research outcomes on correlation between hot temperature and classroom performance

A recent study conducted by Western Sydney University reveals that there is a correlation between less or difficult learning and hot classrooms. And this raises a serious concern. Around the world, only a handful of schools offer air conditioned classrooms. This suggests that a major compromise on kids learning is being made by not providing them with ample cooling comfort.

The only study conducted in Australia on kids leaning and air conditioning also brought to light the fact that children prefer relatively lower temperature than adults which imply that they are more responsive to thermal discomfort. Australian kids preferred a temperature of 22.5 degree celsius which is less than what adults find comfortable. Since a teacher controls the indoor temperature in classrooms, it will not be surprising to know that most kids would be compromising with what the teacher finds comfortable while they feel discomforted with it.

"High School Students did not perform well during a relatively hot year", Research says

Another study by Harvard Kennedy School Associate Professor Joshua Goodman says that students performed relatively lower on a hot year than on a year with normal temperatures. Millions of American high school students were examined as part of the study and the revelation was as mentioned above; there was a significant difference in performance as the temperature changed. For every one degree increase in temperature, achievement of a pupil fell by around one percent.

What to do? 

Suggestions;

Improvement in cooling facilities at school 

The Harvard study as well as the Western Sydney University study concluded that there is a need to improve cooling facilities at schools be they by employing Air Conditioning or by the use of air coolers. The Harvard School study estimates that providing Air Conditioning to classrooms would cost roughly $25,000 per classroom annually. But also says that the investment will be worth the benefit that will be reaped by offering a comfortable classroom environment to kids thereby improving their learning.

Providing kids with sufficient cooling at home 

As a mother or father, you are certainly not in a position to bring changes to your kid's school infrastructure. However, what you can do is to ensure that your kid is in a sufficiently cool room at home as he is engaged in a learning activity, busy doing his homework or playing some mind games. Ensuring a comfortable temperature at home may not fully compensate for a hot classrooms but can certainly do enough good to your child's learning abilities. Keep kids cool when they are home by;
- Keeping a 22.5 degree temperature in the indoor or whatever your kids find comfortable
- Providing them enough liquids to maintain a stable bodily temperature
- Limit outdoor activity. Let them play games or do learning activities within the indoor.

Bottom Line: 

If you wish your child to grow sharp and smart, this is the time to be careful about everything that can hinder his learning and we have told what one of those things is; insufficient thermal comfort.