FAQs - General
Ryan Fant avatar
Written by Ryan Fant
Updated over a week ago

Why does Ecovent exist?

Ecovent exists because we believe that every family has the right to be healthy and comfortable in their own homes.

We are more health and energy conscious than ever before, yet we still lack the basic comfort, health and control in our own homes. We are on a mission to solve this once and for all.

What do you mean when you say that a customer is for life?

We believe that our Digital Zoning system is only the starting point for a lifetime relationship.

A lifetime view means that we operate differently. It drives a transparent approach to our pursuits. For example, lifetime software upgrades mean our customers benefit in real time from our ongoing innovation.

We have solved the “this room is too hot or cold” problem, but we are just getting started on our quest to optimize health, comfort, and savings in the home.

What is Ecovent’s Digital Zoning and how does it work?

Ecovent’s Digital Zoning is an integrated system of Sensor Enabled Vents, Room Climate Sensors, a connected thermostat, and our Smart Hub that provides unprecedented room by room climate control.

Our system is optimized to safely manage the airflow within your home HVAC system while maintaining home wide comfort.

All you do is set your preferences for each room using a virtual thermostat on our mobile app, and we do the rest!

Will this work in any home? What are the requirements?

Ecovent is compatible with over 90 million homes in the US, but is not compatible in every home...yet! Ecovent is compatible with 98% of residential HVAC units currently installed in the US. The only exceptions are the highest end systems such as Carrier Infinity and systems with Constant Volume Flow fans.

Minimum requirements:

  1. Forced (central) air conditioning and/or heating in your home

  2. Grounded wall outlets

  3. An internet connection and wireless router

How do you size the system to my home?

This is why we developed our scoping tool! If you click Get A Quote, you will see it in action!

The tool will help you verify that your home is compatible and assure optimal system configuration.

We strongly recommend replacing EVERY vent, and never less than 80% of all vents in the home. If the system is not installed into the entire home, then the system will not be able to provide sufficient protection to you HVAC and comfort to each room. The system must have at least 5 Room Climate Sensors to be effective.

What do you mean by “HVAC Contractor Approved?” My contractor says this may be dangerous to my HVAC unit.

Ecovent has passed multiple independent tests by HVAC professionals. Our technology has been proven to safely manage the static pressure and airflow in ducts.

The concern that your contractor has is that if you close off vents, it causes a rise in static pressure, which can result in burning out your furnace or freezing the coils in your AC. We solved this issue, and ensure the safety of the HVAC by effectively managing the airflow and pressure. We have a plethora of sensors measuring pressure, temperature and humidity. This core science has been validated by HVAC contractors, independent studies, and utility programs.

What does this system compare to?

The closest competitor or comparison is traditional wired damper zoning systems.

These are systems that involve installing dampers into the ductwork along with control panels. These systems only split your home into 2 or 3 “zones” with a separate physical thermostat for each.

These 40 year old solutions are:

  1. Invasive: They involve multiple days of workers in your home.

  2. Outdated: These systems are hardwired and can not adapt as new technology is created as part of the IoT and smart home movements.

  3. Limited: These system only typically provide 2-3 zones for costs ranging from $6,000-$15,000+.

By comparison, Ecovent’s Digital Zoning system is:

  1. Non-invasive: An installation typically takes just 90 minutes, and can be done yourself.

  2. Smart: Ecovent provides lifetime software updates to ensure your home remains up to date and compatible with the latest technology.

  3. Unlimited: Ecovent provides 10+ zones for ~$4,995

Can I just buy a few smart vents to get started?

To be effective in providing room by room climate control Ecovent needs to have control of every vent in the system. This is what allows us to provide climate control in each room of your home while keeping your HVAC safe.

We only sell systems that we know will be effective as our priority is making sure our customers receive the value they deserve. That is why we don’t sell single vents/sensors, and why we put the tools in place to assure it is simple for you to get your system right the first time.

I thought this was a smart vent company?

Ecovent's Digital Zoning system utilizes our proprietary smart vents as part of our complete system.

Ecovent is often compared to smart vent companies, but this is like comparing a Tesla Model S to a Battery.

One is a component, and one is a system that provides unprecedented performance. The Tesla controls and makes use of the battery to perform as a complete vehicle, at a level never before imagined.

Similarly, Ecovent's Digital Zoning system makes use of smart vents to give you control of the temperature in each room in your home at a level never before imagined...and we keep getting better!

With a smart vent product, you get to open and close the vents. Maybe even with a mobile app. This is a nice feature, but is also dangerous to your HVAC system - just ask any HVAC professional!

With Ecovent, the vents are an integral part of our room-by-room Digital Zoning system that includes the Room Climate Sensors, the virtual room-by-room thermostats, and our Smart Hub to safely manage the airflow, pressure, and climate of every room in your home - HVAC Pro approved!

How much energy can I save?

Typical homes save 15%, but the average is closer to 25%. It all depends on how you use the system! The amount of energy you’ll save depends on where you live, the type of home you have, and how many people are utilizing different rooms throughout the day.

What about Return on Investment (ROI)?

What is the ROI for a happy, comfortable, and healthy family? Children? Elderly parents? Wife or Husband? Priceless!!

In terms of energy savings, if you optimize for energy efficiency and consider the extension to the life of your HVAC; payback could be in less than 3 years.

What is the Ideal HVAC unit that works with Ecovent?

Ecovent will be compatible with all HVAC units, except for the highest end systems - in Carrier's case, this would be the Infinity Zoning system for example.

The Ideal System is a Single speed (Typically called PSC) or Dual speed fan that is appropriately sized for your ducting (do not oversize the system!). We are compliant with all of them except the constant airflow variable speed systems. (X13 is okay). These systems will increase the fan speed as the pressure builds in the duct (to maintain airflow over the heat exchanger and AC coils) and effectively fight our algorithm, which can also cause some noise issues.

We also suggest doing what you can to make your supply vents match our sizes of 4x10, 4x12, 6x10 or 6x12 in Wall, Ceiling and/or Floor. As long as your supply vent's match our sizes, a simple HVAC system enabled with Ecovent will out-perform the more complicated higher-end systems.

Other than that, if the HVAC communicates with a Sensi or Zen thermostat, we can implement our room by room climate control system.

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