Tag Archives: thermostat

June 17, 2012 · 5:40 pm

Saving Money on Energy This Summer


Our Burns & McBride Smart, Safe Home system can save you money on your energy bills this summer – and for years to come

How?

With the warmer weather on us, people are switching their thermostats from “heat” to “cool.” We all know that the air conditioner is a killer when it comes to your monthly energy bills. You could probably get away with leaving a light on, maybe a fan but when your family leaves the home with the air conditioner running the entire time, you’re going to come home from your family vacation to a HUGE monthly bill and that’s no fun! As if family vacations weren’t expensive enough, the last thing you want to worry about is if you can afford to return home.

Burns & McBride is a leader in simple, affordable Home Automation. Our Smart, Safe Home System lets you remotely control your home from your cell phone, tablet or laptop.

Imagine if you will leaving your home for work in the morning while forgetting to turn off your coffee pot, hallway light or even the TV. No problem; pull out your phone, fire up the Safe, Smart Home app and turn them all off with only your thumb while stepping into your office 20 miles away. Yes, it’s that easy!

Energy Management
Remotely control your lights, thermostat, small appliances, large appliances and more with the click of a button through your iPhone or Adroid, iPad or tablet, laptop and even your work computer. Plus every time you arm your system, you can automatically raise or lower the thermostat with our exclusive energy management rules.

Savings to Smile
Most customers report an minimum average savings of $25 a month on their energy bill. Hot weather calls for air conditioning and with our Smart, Safe Home package you get a new thermostat that works seamlessly when controlled from your smart phone, tablet or even your laptop computer. Yes, you can control your thermostat from your cell phone while away from home.

Savings in Your Hands
It’s a hot one outside and you’ve been running errands ALL day long, now you’re looking forward to getting home and sitting in the air conditioning. You pull out your phone, access your thermostat from the  app and get the cool air flowing and ready for you while you drive home.

Playing Warden
You had to work late, and the kids are at home by themselves. They’re supposed to be doing homework instead they are on the XBOX 360 with their friends. You pull out your phone, access the TV / XBOX 360 from your Safe, Smart Home app and shut it all off. Next, give them a call at home and warn them that it’s now time to start their homework.

Added Bonuses
As if you needed another reason save money, the Safe, Smart Home package includes 24 hour Home Security. So not only are you controlling your lights, small appliances and the temperature of your home but you will also be able to control the cameras, the door locks and monitor it all from your phone, tablet or even your laptop.

About Burns & McBride

Our job is to provide essential services to homeowners. one of those essential services is home security and automation. We provide affordable home automation to help protect families, allow them to use energy more wisely and simplify their lives.The Burns & McBride Smart, Safe Home system uses Z-wave technology to tie things like locks, thermostats and lights together so that you can control them whether you are home or away. Burns & McBride has been providing essential home services since 1949. To learn more about Burns & McBride’s Smart, Safe Home can help you – callus at 302-656-5110 or visit our website at www.burnsandmcbride.com

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March 18, 2012 · 5:01 pm

Home Security 101 – What is “Z-Wave”?


Z-Wave: The New Standard in Wireless Remote Control

Z-Wave makes any home a “smart home” – quickly, easily and affordably! Z-Wave is a wireless system that lets all your home electronics “talk” to each other, and to you, via remote control. It uses simple, reliable, low-power radio waves that easily travel through walls, floors and cabinets – sort of like a baby monitor. Z-Wave control can be added to almost any electronic device in your house, even devices that you wouldn’t ordinarily think of as “intelligent,” such as appliances, window shades, thermostats and home lighting.

 

Z-Wave ties all your home electronics into one integrated wireless network, with no complicated programming and no new cables to run. Any Z-Wave enabled device can be  added to this network, and many non-Z-Wave devices can be made compatible by simply plugging them into a Z-Wave accessory module. In seconds, your device gets joined to the network and can communicate wirelessly with other Z-Wave modules and controllers.

And Z-Wave lets you control these devices in ways that give you complete command even when you’re not at home yourself. You can control your Z-Wave household remotely from a PC and the Internet from anywhere in the world…even through your cell phone!

• Z-Wave Is Simple – Z-Wave control is easily added to almost any device in minutes. Simply plug the device you want to control into a Z-Wave module, and “join” it to your Z-Wave network!

• Z-Wave Is Modular – With Z-Wave, you can add as much or as little home control as you want over time.  You can add Z-Wave to a device, a room, a floor or the entire home, according to your needs and desires.

• Z-Wave Is Affordable – Unlike costly whole-home control systems that need special wiring and professional installation, Z-Wave is accessible and easy for the do-it-yourselfer.

• Z-Wave Is Powerful – Z-Wave’s intelligent mesh networking ‘understands” the present status of any enabled device, and gives you confirmation that your devices have received the automatic or manual control commands you want.

• Z-Wave Is Versatile – Z-Wave can be added to almost anything in your home that uses electricity, and gives you the power to control or monitor them from your home or away from home.

• Z-Wave Is Intelligent – Z-Wave enabled devices can work together as a team.  Have your garage door turn on your house lights when you come home. Have your door locks notify you when your children arrive home from school. Turn your downstairs lights off from upstairs.  Create your own intelligent control “scenes” with Z-Wave!

The Burns & McBride Smart, Safe Home system uses Z-wave technology to tie things like locks, thermostats and lights together so that you can control them whether you are home or away. To learn more about Burns & McBride’s Smart, Safe Home can help you – callus at 302-656-5110 or visit our website at www.burnsandmcbride.com

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February 6, 2012 · 8:37 pm

Why Invest in a Smart, Safe Home System?


Our job here at Burns & McBride is to help homeowners save money by using energy as wisely as possible while making their home’s safe and comfortable.

Our Smart, Safe Home system can make any HVAC system better.

By taking advantage of the energy management features in the Smart, Safe Home system we can match your energy use to your active lifestyle by automatically turning the heat back every time you arm the system. We can do that for any customer – whether they have solid equipment or older equipment. If you have older equipment, we can install the Smart, Safe Home system now so that you can start saving today. The system can be transferred at no charge to most new systems when you are ready to upgrade the HVAC equipment

imageTake a look at these pie charts from the U.S. Department of Energy, the biggest chunk of energy consumption in the average U.S. home is devoted to heating and cooling systems at 43 percent. That figure represents a strong opportunity for us to effect change for our customers’ bills with smart thermostats.

Eleven percent of all electrical consumption is devoted to lighting. Obviously, lighting control can cut those bills. Finally, 7.4 percent of usage comes from electronics, so use of Energy Star components with low phantom power draws is another way to help clients.

Take a monthly energy bill of $450 – what would savings of 15 percent in lighting ($6.66/month), 10 percent in electronics ($2.96/month) and 16 percent in HVAC ($30.96/month) be over time?

In addition to the benefits of home security, fire and carbon monoxide protection and other interactive features – you can see dramatic energy savings

For more information on this exciting product call us at 302-656-5110 or visit our website at http://www.burnsandmcbride. Finally you might want to follow our blog at http://www.burnsandmcbrideblog.com. Just as Smartphones are adding applications and changing every day so to with the technology behind our Smart, Safe home system. Our blog explains some of the constantly changing things that are happening in the industry and we hope that you find it informative.

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February 4, 2012 · 9:29 pm

Home Management 101 – What is a “Smart” Thermostat?


Where does a smart thermostat fit in a home automation system?

Your thermostat: A gateway to savings.

Home energy management starts with the thermostat. In the U.S., more than 8 percent of energy consumption is controlled by the thermostat.

Most homes these days have a programmable thermostat. In fact, 40 percent of existing homes use programmable thermostats while almost 100 percent of new homes have them installed. But that doesn’t mean that people are taking advantage of them. There is one major reason for that: Programming a thermostat is easier said than done.

Program? I just turn it on and off…

For over 60 years we have providing heating and cooling service. Our experience tells us  that a majority of programmable thermostats are left in manual mode. Many homeowners tell us that they rarely or never change the program (kind of defeating the purpose of a programmable thermostat). So if you’re like most people and you’re not taking advantage of your programmable thermostat they way you could, what can you do about it?

Here at Burns & McBride Home Comfort we have a solution. It’s a Honeywell “Smart” thermostat. It’s similar to a programmable thermostat, but with one key difference: Every time you leave your home it is smart enough to turn the heat off.

What makes a Smart Thermostat smart?

Simplicity

Your Honeywell “Smart” thermostat is connected to the Internet through your Burns & McBride Go!Control. Having your thermostat connected to the Internet through our interactive website keeps things simple.

Through Internet access or your smart phone, you can control your heating and cooling whether you are at home or away. It only takes a few seconds to set up a schedule based on government-approved Energy Star heating and cooling programs. And you can do it all through your Burns & McBride Home Comfort online account.

  • The smart thermostat communicates with your Burns & McBride Home Comfort home security system. When you arm that system, the smart thermostat can automatically raise or lower the temperature. The thermostat adjusts to your schedule; not the other way around.
  • Every time you leave home and arm your system, it will turn the thermostat back! When you return and disarm the system, it returns to the original settings.
  • You will even receive a text or email notification if the temperature in your home crosses a high or low temperature threshold. In’t it better to know that you have a problem with the heater at 10 in the morning rather than finding out at 6 in the evening when you get home from work?

Affordability

Having a simple way to manage your energy saves you money.

  • Simply using a smart thermostat will save energy and save you money. Reducing the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees when you are sleeping or away will save money over time.
  • When using government-recommended Energy Star heating and cooling schedules, you can expect to save around $30 a month.

Smart thermostats may seem like a small thing, but at the end of the day, they make a huge difference. They are one of the simplest ways to manage your energy consumption and save money.

Burns & McBride Home Comfort’s Energy Management Package

Do you have a Smart Thermostat? The Honeywell “Smart” Thermostat is a standard feature on our Smart, Safe Home System. Call us today at 302-656-5110 or visit our website at http://www.burnsandmcbride.com to learn more.

For more information on this exciting product call us at 302-656-5110 or visit our website at http://www.burnsandmcbride. Finally you might want to follow our blog at http://www.burnsandmcbrideblog.com. Just as Smartphones are adding applications and changing every day so to with the technology behind our Smart, Safe home system. Our blog explains some of the constantly changing things that are happening in the industry and we hope that you find it informative.

Honeywell Model TH8320ZW Thermostat Specifications and Features

  • Automatic Heating/Cooling Changeover : Y
  • Backlit : Yes
  • Batteries Included : No
  • Battery Back-Up : Yes
  • Battery Operated : No
  • Color Family : Whites
  • Daylight Savings Time Ready : Yes
  • Display height (in.) : 2.5
  • Display width (in.) : 3.75
  • ETL Listed : No
  • Energy Star Compliant : No
  • Lockable : Yes
  • Manufacturer Warranty : 1 year limited warranty
  • Number of HVAC Zones : 1
  • Periods per Programmable Day : 4
  • Product Depth (in.) : 1.25
  • Product Height (ft.) : 4.5
  • Product Width (in.) : 6
  • Removable Interface : Yes
  • Returnable : 90-Day
  • Shape : Rectangle
  • Thermostat Type : Heating and Cooling
  • Touch Screen : Yes
  • UL Listed : N-No UL Code Rating
  • Vacation Mode : Yes
  • Voltage Rating : 24
  • Remotely monitor and control your thermostat from anywhere
  • Universal scheduling – can be configured to meet virtually any scheduling requirement: selectable 7-day programmable, four daily periods, cancel unneeded periods, selectable non-programmable
  • Universal application – works on virtually any heating or cooling system type
  • Heating and cooling energy savings set points allows the homeowner to put the thermostat into an energy savings mode from other Z-Wave devices
  • Easily integrates with other Z-Wave enabled home automation devices
  • Large, easy-to-read backlit display
  • Includes wire saver module – allows for installation in homes that do not have a common wire (typically connected to the “C” terminal)
  • Automatic change from heat to cool option
  • Menu driven programming – guides the user through the programming process only showing necessary information and choices on each screen
  • Smart response technology for maximum comfort control
  • Battery and filter change/check reminders
  • Real time clock – Keeps time during a power failure and will automatically update the time for daylight savings
  • No batteries required
  • MFG Brand Name : Honeywell
  • MFG Model # : TH8320ZW
  • MFG Part # : YTH8320ZW1007/U

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