Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 07:02 pm

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic in the last couple of years, with discussions and applications of this technology ramping sharply every month. Make no mistake—AI will infiltrate the industrial world and processes that require heating. There are discussions as to how AI will be implemented for heating applications, one of which may be the replacement of standard temperature controls.

AI applications in heating

HVAC systems are becoming increasingly efficient and knowledgeable with smart capabilities. Many of the systems being implemented use AI to learn as they work so they know which parameters to set before an occupant sets them. These systems will use data from the past (occupant preferences, temperature trends, and weather conditions) to make heating and cooling changes on their own.

Experiments have shown that AI technology for temperature controls in HVAC systems will act faster having foreseen temperature fluctuations. This means that whatever the set parameters are, for example, a maximum temperature of 25° Celsius and a minimum temperature of 22° Celsius, the temperature control panels will adjust ahead of time to stay within those numbers. 

On the other hand, HVAC systems without AI support, or simply occupants turning on a fan, won’t achieve the desired results until the temperatures have already reached very high or very low degrees. AI gets ahead of temperature changes and manages to maintain the temperature without kicking into overdrive when it’s too late.

When the sun is shining through a window heating up a room, the AI temperature controls will already have been cooling the room to counteract the heat. Other heating and cooling systems won’t kick into action until the temperature has already changed drastically.

Temperature control panels using smart technology continuously adjust temperatures based on the data they receive from humidity levels, occupant trends, exterior temperatures, predictions based on historical patterns, and the weather forecast.

Potential benefits

As technology advances, AI temperature controls become more intuitive and smaller to address energy efficiency, performance, and size. While these systems aren’t as common in the everyday household yet, they’ve proven to be incredibly effective in large campuses, buildings, boiler rooms, and industrial settings. It can address heating and cooling problems not only in residential buildings but in workplaces where thermodynamics must be closely monitored.

More accuracy in temperature control

Since AI applications in temperature control panels draw from what the occupant has done in the past, what the historical temperature behaviors have been, and what weather conditions might impact the desired temperature in the future, they can address these changes before a human needs to change the temperature. This is especially helpful if pipelines, gases, liquids, or solids need to stay at a certain temperature to achieve their respective reactions or phases.

Increased safety

The safety concern doesn’t apply to residential uses as much as it does to industrial settings. In industrial settings, temperature controls can easily be accessed in hazardous situations whether that be a leak, extreme heat, risk of radiation, or combustion. Not only does AI prevent humans from entering dangerous situations, but it also helps prevent those situations in the first place since many problems arise when chemicals reach the wrong temperature.

Higher energy efficiency

Wireless sensors and AI analytics can flag when maintenance is needed or when something isn’t performing as it should and take measures to lower energy use in those cases. When the system is performing well, its ability to stick so closely to the parameters set in the temperature controls means it uses 25 percent less energy than other systems.

Reduced costs

The implementation of AI temperature control panels can result in savings of 15 to 20 percent. With smart technology, energy consumption lowers which saves on cost. This also creates buildings or environments that are less expensive to operate.

Get in touch with us at Wattco for more information on temperature control panels.