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The History of Thermostats

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The History of Thermostats
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Spring Quarter 2014

THE HISTORY OF THERMOSTATS Definition of a thermostat; A thermostat is a component of a control system which senses the temperature of an area so the area's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. The name is derived from the Greek words thermos or "hot" and statos or "a standing". Cornelius Drebble (1572-1634), a Dutch engraver and glassworker, invented the first thermostat in the early 1600’s, which was the first the automatic temperature control device. The thermostat was spawned from an elaborate toy he designed which operated on the basis of changes in the atmospheric pressure and temperature. The thermostat was created for a chicken and duck egg incubator and was the first mercury device that would hold the temperature constant. Around the same time frame, Drebble also invented the first self-regulating oven damper that was also mercury controlled. As the temperature went up, the damper would be closed by a primitive mercury switch. When the temperature cooled, the mercury would contract and open the damper adding oxygen to increase the fire. Before thermostats, the only way we could control the temperature of a home was to manually open or close the fireplace damper/ flu or open a window to regulate heat.
Albert Butz, (1849-1905) was a Swiss born inventor, businessman and the father of the modern automated control industry, made a resemblance of today’s thermostat in 1885. It had an electric flap and an alarm to modulate the furnaces air supply and output. Over the years, this prototype was modified by a series of improvements and tweaks, eventually

THE HISTORY OF THERMOSTATS leading to the modern thermostat. The company Butz founded to commercialize his invention was called the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Company. Over time, it grew and was involved in a number of acquisitions and mergers resulting in the company now known as Honeywell.
The average household in Kentucky “In 2009 spent $4,052.84 on energy per person and in Indiana, $3,833.06 on energy per person.” This is why specifically regulating the amount of energy consumption in your home is so important. Especially when considering if you use nonrenewable sources like natural gas or fuel oil. A wood burning fireplace is how I heat my home so I am the thermostat!
Thermostats also help with the efficiency of your heating, cooling and freezing systems. By regulating the temperature in these environments, the hot and cold spikes don’t exist which keeps the unit regulated therefore reducing the run time and the strain of the HVAC R unit. Then, it doesn’t have to run for longer periods of time hence increasing the efficiency, run time, reducing the potential of parts failing and reducing cost.
“Data from the U.S. Department of Energy suggests that your HVAC system accounts for about half of the energy consumption in your home. For those with electric heating and air conditioning, that's half your home's electric bill, too.” Today’s DOE is promoting smart thermostats that can learn a home’s usage according to your families schedule to be reduced while you’re away to a low set point and a higher set point just before you get home. This can be very convenient while on vacation or adjusting the settings at a vacation home. These smart,
THE HISTORY OF THERMOSTATS high-end thermostats, can even be controlled by your hand held device anywhere in the world as long as internet service is available.
These types are the most efficient available and consumers can save up to 30 percent with these high tech features.
Have you ever thought of the thermostat being controlled by only using your mind? Gadgeon, a forward thinking engineering company in Kerala, India, is claiming to currently be in the final test stages of a total mind control home automation system, instead of a hand held device, which will control most any electronic device in a house including HVAC R systems. One of the best things to come from this system upon completion is that it’s geared towards people who are disabled. The system takes brain signals and translates them into commands where all the user has to do is focus on that particular icon. The system then works with an electroencephalograph (EEG) collected from the user’s brain and transforms it to meaningful data.
Carbon dioxide is the Earth’s natural thermostat. Switching the “furnace” on and off is it’s primary job because no heat is produced by carbon dioxide but the 0.03 per cent in the atmosphere traps infrared (heat) radiation that would otherwise escape from the earth into space. This thermostat’s proper function is critical for to life, as we know it to exist.
There’s a common misconception that you’ll lose money savings when you cut back the heat or air conditioning while you are away from home or at night then having to reheat or cool it back to the setpoint. Actually, when your house is below the setpoint, it will lose less energy
THE HISTORY OF THERMOSTATS with the house closer to the outside temperature. This also makes for a slower transference of the inside energy. Thermostats with mercury have become hot topics with the federal and state laws on proper disposal. Some states have banned the sale of mercury thermostats and require HVAC technicians to properly dispose of mercury thermostats at authorized Household Hazardous Waste Disposal sites which all states have. The Louisville location is at 7501 Grade lane. Mercury causes damage to the brain. Especially to the fetus and young children’s brain development. It also has an adverse affect on mostly fish because mercury is gravity led to our water ways but can affect higher on the food chain depending on who or what eats the contaminated fish. Most everyone has heard the term, “Mad as a hatter”. That’s because mercury was used in the production of hats and the milliner literally went mad due to mercury exposure over decades.
In conclusion, it really does pay to keep up with the most current history of the thermostat to reduce the over all cost of running any components of your HVAC R systems. Thermostats help reduce hot and cold spikes and the strain on the HVAC R equipment such as the compressor, metering valve and blower fans. They are available from many manufacturers with a multitude of bells and whistles ranging from the basic nonprogrammable $13 dollars to the high-end Wi-Fi programmable thermostats in excess of $300 or more. Keeping the thermostat working properly plus efficiently will reduce down times, repair costs and just the complete inconveniences to your life in general due to an unscheduled breakdowns.

THE HISTORY OF THERMOSTATS
Reference; http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi574.htm http://gadgeonlifestyle.com/home-automation-setup-mind-controllled-home/ http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tips-programmable-thermostats http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Cornelis_Jacobszoon_Drebbel.aspx http://www.ilctr.org/promoting-immigrants/immigrant-entrepreneur-hof/butz/ http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/lacis_01/ http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/thermostats http://www.epa.gov/hg/effects.htm

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