Viconics Thermostats, Beyond Comfort

Coal fired power plants are the single largest polluters of the environment through both carbon dioxide and mercury emissions. Currently over 60% of North America’s power is derived through fossil fuel based power stations. By reducing our energy consumption, we can also reduce these emissions.

It is interesting to note that of the total energy consumed, on average heating and cooling accounts for 54% of the energy usage in residential and light commercial applications across North America.

The most common type of thermostat to control the heating/cooling systems are bimetal mercury bulb thermostats, with over 80 million installed in North America. These thermostats may contain up to 6 grams of mercury and represent 60% of household mercury sources.

Slow responding bimetal thermostats as well as some digital on-off controls, (because they are based on on-off control differentials) result in temperature over and undershoot setpoint with up to 5 % of total energy being wasted. Once the temperature drops below the setpoint the thermostat turns on or “calls for heat”. Once the temperature rises above the setpoint, the thermostat turns off. Temperature control can be improved by using thermostats with heat anticipators to reduce this temperature swing, however many of these contain mercury.

Using these thermostats for new installations only compounds the already critical environmental problem through:
1. Increased energy consumption relative to digital and setback thermostats.
2. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the environment (Global Warming).
3. Increasing the housing/building mercury concentrations
4. Increased environmental levels of toxic mercury.

It is ironic, that some new mercury-free thermostats being marketed today as “green or environmentally-friendly” solutions are in fact bimetal non-anticipator on-off types and actually contribute as much (or more) to both global warming and environmental mercury due to their poor energy efficient operation.

All Viconics dial and digital thermostats feature advanced micro controller designs with proportional and integral (PI) control. Combined with fast and precise thermistor sensing, the micro controller is able to precisely measure (to 0.1°C or better) the temperature and adjust each heating (or cooling) cycle. The cycle rate and on time in each cycle is determined by the degree of error from the control point to the actual sensed temperature. Over time, the micro controller corrects any small residual error. As a result, PI thermostat control logic provides optimum occupant space temperature control and comfort while saving energy by eliminating temperature over and undershoots. Unlike their older technology electromechanical counterparts they respond to temperature changes quickly and control the room temperature to within 0.5°F or better.

Viconics PI Electronic Thermostat versus ON/OFF Thermostats

If the occupant turns down the setpoint 1 °F (0.6°C) for 8 hours a day, savings of about 1 percent of heating energy costs can be achieved. Turn it down 10 °F (6 °C) to save about 10 %. The same applies to air-conditioning: turn the temperature up 10 °F for 8 hours a day to save approximately 10 percent on your energy bill. As a result, setting back thermostat temperatures is the single most effective way to reduce energy consumption.
Viconics PI digital setback thermostats, will accomplish optimum temperature control and comfort when you need it as well as providing increased energy/cost savings when you don’t.

Typical pay-back for an Viconics thermostat is only a few months. Optimum comfort is acheived while contributing to improving our environment by mitigating the generation of greenhouse gases and mercury pollution. Now is the time to switch!

Sources and additional information