Original article by: Pro Builder - PRODUCTS Magazine
Ventilation products manufacturer Broan-NuTone says its latest offering, Overture, is the first whole-home monitoring and fully-integrated ventilation system on the market.
With the help of Wi-Fi, sensors, and controls, Overture monitors particulate matter, carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature, smoke, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) inside the home. Homeowners can monitor these levels through their smartphone Overture app.
“At Broan-NuTone, we are dedicated to helping consumers improve their indoor air quality and Overture provides an easy way to monitor and maintain healthy air in the home,” says Edwin Bender, vice president of marketing.
[ Read More: 14 AIR-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS IN THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION’S HEALTHY HOME ]
Broan-NuTone's Overture Smart Wall Controls
The company says studies found that Americans remain indoors 90% of the time, yet indoor air quality remains two to five times worse than the outdoors.
Once Overture finds unhealthy levels of any monitored matter, it will notify the homeowner via app, but its smart wall controls will change color depending on the level of urgency, from green to yellow to red. Then, the system connects to any Broan-NuTone ventilation fans, range hoods, and fresh air systems inside the home to return it to safe, filtered air.
The Overture system consists of smart air quality monitor room sensors, smart plugs, and smart wall controls.
[ Read More: TEXAS HOME MAKES INDOOR AIR QUALITY A PRIORITY ]
Broan-NuTone's Overture Smart Plug
Smart air-quality monitor room sensors bring air monitoring to areas of the home that do not have ventilation fans. Sensors can be plugged into an electrical socket and as it monitors the air, it will tell the smart wall controls when it should communicate with fans.
The smart plug kicks the ERV, HRV, make-up air damper, or supply fan into action when a ventilation fan around the home senses high levels of pollution and turns on. It should be installed in the home wherever the fresh air system is located.
Smart wall controls offer built-in sensors that are also connected to ventilation fans around the home, kicking range hoods or bath fans into gear when it notices pollution levels get too high or when a smart air quality monitor communicates its pollutant levels are too high.
[ Read More: 9 KITCHEN RANGE HOODS THAT BRING POWER AND STYLE ]
Broan-NuTone's Overture Smart Air Quality Monitor
Broan-NuTone’s latest system does not require purchasing any new items. Overture is meant to be a retrofit system, working with any existing Broan-NuTone ventilation fans and fresh air systems.
The Overture app allows homeowners to view their indoor air quality levels, analyze historical data about air quality in the home, add rooms, add other homes, and individually view data from carbon dioxide, humidity, TVOCs, temperature, and particulate matter.
In the home, humidity can fuel mildew and mold, says Broan-NuTone. Particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, can easily build up in living spaces and affect an occupants’ breathing. But the kitchen is the most significant contributor to poor indoor air quality, says Broan-NuTone.
WIth this new system, Broan-NuTone hopes to address consumer concerns toward safety. As evidence, the company cites Dodge Data and Analytics, which reports that impact on health is an important factor for consumers when purchasing a building product. An impact on health is more important to 65% to 70% of homeowners than comfort, performance, cost, aesthetic, and durability.