How to Prevent a Multigenerational Home Thermostat War This Winter
By Andrew Armstrong
Multigenerational households are on the rise with a record one-in-five Americans living in homes shared by multiple adult generations, inevitably leading to various domestic conflicts – including home temperature.
Increasing home, child care, assisted living and nursing home costs, college debt, longer life expectancies, and the growth of ethnic communities are all fueling this shift. The “boomerang” and “reverse boomerang” effect are the most common causes. While adult children continue to return home, aging “Silent Generation” parents are increasingly moving in with their “Boomer” children with nearly 44 percent of these households consisting of three or more generations. It’s a widespread change across America.
Bridging the Thermostat Gap
Mom versus dad, grandmother versus grand-daughter. Facts support the home climate control generation and gender gap is real.
• Everyone has a different “thermal comfort level” or preferred room temperature based on physical, psychological and other factors including clothing and activity level.
• Women’s bodies produce less heat than men’s with women preferring a far warmer environment (77 degrees) than men (72 degrees).
• As we age, our bodies become sensitive to cold temperatures because of a decrease in the metabolic rate.
These tips can help prevent the dreaded Thermostat War this winter:
Get “Smart” About Home Temperature
Smart home tem¬perature control includes Smart HVAC Systems and Smart Thermostats. Smart HVAC systems have built-in Internet capability and can be controlled directly without additional equipment. Smart Home Thermostats create “smart” sys¬tems by enabling remote temperature control via a mobile or Internet-con¬nected device or voice-operated home automation system. Leading manufacturers, including Fujitsu Gen¬eral America, offer Smart Systems.
Increase Family Peace AND Energy Efficiency
Upgrading your system and install¬ing a smart thermostat can sig¬nificantly reduce utility expenses. The most energy-efficient heating and cooling products on the market, ductless mini-split systems, can save up to 25 percent. Further, an efficiently controlled thermostat could save an additional 10 percent a year. Ductless mini-split sys¬tems use thin copper tubing to pump refrigerant from an outdoor compressor into an indoor air-handling unit, where the air is distributed to the interior. This eliminates the need for evaporators and expensive ductwork.
Give Everyone Their Own Voice
Everyone gets to “voice” their temperature preferences. Most HVAC manufacturers offer apps that enable systems to be controlled from anywhere using a mobile device. Now, voice-control capability uses digital assistants, like Amazon Alexa, to ver¬bally dictate home temperatures. For instance, Fujitsu offers a free FGLair app that enables Web-ac¬tivated control via mobile devices and now voice-activated control via Ama¬zon Alexa.
Enjoy Customized Room-by-Room Comfort
Ending home climate conflicts, mini-splits feature custom zone control, letting homeowners connect two to eight indoor units to a single outdoor unit. Each zone has its own thermostat so occupants can adjust each room to the temperature they want. Further, only occupied areas are heated which can represent a significant savings considering the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedrooms are left unoccupied for at least 40 percent of the time in most households.
Come Together for Family Time
Don’t let conflicting temperature preferences overshadow the blessing of multigenerational family bonding. Simple adjustments and compromises can go a long way. For example, those who are cold can wear a sweater, throw on a blanket, drink a cup of tea, or even place a space heater next to them. And, there’s nothing like gathering around the fireplace to foster family time.
Promote multigenerational home harmony with the latest systems, smart technologies, and old fashioned togetherness that will keep your family warm without tempers heating up.
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Author Biography
Andrew Armstrong, vice president of sales and marketing for Fujitsu General America, a national heating and cooling system manufacturer with distributors in local communities across the country, and a 30-year industry veteran. For more information, call (888) 888-3424 or visit www.fujitsugeneral.com.
Category: Blog
