Specifications

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Figure 1 Residential Energy Use (Permission Pending from National
Academy of Sciences)
As the cost of energy increases, the need for a low power, energy efficient HVAC
system becomes a more prominent concern. An intelligent HVAC control and
monitoring system would allow the user to track their energy costs throughout the
month and the year. Month to month cost tracking will allow the user to
determine their optimal climate settings based on how much they are willing to
spend on electric. The user should also be informed by the system as to how
much of their equipment is running at a specific time so they can adjust the
settings to reduce the number of units running and use less energy, or allow the
system to use more resources to keep the condition inside as close to ideal as
possible.
HVAC systems should be environmentally friendly to provide good indoor air
quality, have excellent ventilation, filter stagnant air out of the building, and also
give sufficient comfort to the consumer. Introducing fresh air into the residential
or commercial environment provides many benefits for the occupants of the
building. It will allow the air inside to be fresh air while moving the old air out of
the building.
Another drawback to current HVAC systems is maintenance. The average
consumer does not have the background knowledge to identify the problem when
something in the system malfunctions and therefore is forced to call a technician
to come to the building and find the problem. This is expensive and inconvenient