Coming home in the middle of July to find it’s like an oven is one of the few things that can put you off even stepping inside. Leaving the air conditioning on all day so it’s nice and cool when you get back might be an option, but your electricity bill wouldn’t agree.
Nowadays, virtually any air-conditioning unit can be switched on from your mobile using its own app. But however well it works, the unit is still making decisions without any information. It doesn’t know if you’ve left a window open, which room you’re in at any given moment, or that the sun has been beating down on the west-facing façade all afternoon.
Your own smart ecosystem
In a smart home, the air conditioning no longer operates in isolation; instead, it coordinates with the rest of the home (sensors, blinds, lighting, access points) and all these elements work together to maintain comfort whilst minimising energy consumption.
A smart air-conditioning unit isn’t just one you can control from your mobile. It’s one that forms part of a system that thinks for you.
How a smart home works to improve climate control
1. Detects open windows and takes appropriate action
Sensors on doors and windows alert the system when one is open. If the air conditioning is on in that room, it switches off automatically. There’s no need to remember or argue with anyone about things being left on: the house manages it all by itself.
When you close the window again, the air conditioning starts up again. It’s simple, but it’s one of those things that saves you the most money without you even noticing.
2. Blinds and air conditioning working together
Cuando el sol pega fuerte en una fachada, la temperatura interior sube y el aire tiene que trabajar el doble. En un hogar inteligente, las persianas bajan solas cuando el sol da de lleno, reduciendo la carga térmica antes de que el aire tenga que compensarla.
Enfriar una casa con las persianas subidas a las cuatro de la tarde es como llenar una bañera con el tapón abierto. Cuando persianas y clima trabajan a la vez, el ahorro es evidente.
3. Cool down only where you are
With presence sensors in every room, the system knows where activity is taking place in the house at any given moment. If the living room is empty and everyone is in the bedroom, the air conditioning adjusts to cool only where it’s needed.
It’s the difference between ‘turning on the air conditioning throughout the whole house’ and ‘each room having its own climate, managed intelligently’.
A thermostat in the hallway has no way of knowing what the temperature is in the north-facing bedroom, or in the sun-facing living room. With temperature sensors in each room, every room measures its own temperature and regulates its own climate independently.
The bedroom that’s always freezing is no longer so. The living room, which gets sweltering in the afternoon, cools down sooner. Every room is just right.
4. Scenes that set everything in motion with a single command
With just one scene, your whole home adapts to the moment:
- ‘Leaving home’ scene: switch off the air conditioning and the lights, and arm the alarm. All with a single button.
- ‘Goodnight’ scene: lower the air conditioning to sleeping temperature, switch off the lights and lower the blinds.
- ‘Coming home’ scene: turn on the air conditioning before you arrive, so you can walk into a cool house without having to run the air conditioning for hours whilst you’re out.
It’s not magic, it’s coordination. And coordination is what saves energy without compromising on comfort.
How much can you save?
Air conditioning is one of the biggest energy consumers in the home during the summer, so managing it effectively is where you’ll see the biggest savings.
According to the IDAE (Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving), every degree you turn up the thermostat in summer results in an approximate 7% saving on air conditioning and heating costs. And this is precisely where an integrated system makes the difference compared to an ‘connected’ but isolated air conditioning system: it not only controls the temperature, but also eliminates the causes of excessive energy consumption — open windows, unoccupied rooms being air-conditioned, and direct sunlight without any protection.
It’s not about falling behind the times. It’s about avoiding consumption that serves no purpose.
Without changing your look and without any renovations
A common question is whether this requires replacing the air conditioner or a complicated installation. In most cases, no: wireless technology allows you to integrate your existing air conditioner with sensors, blinds, and the rest of the house without any construction work and with no visible wires.
You can start with what’s most useful to you this summer and add more features whenever you want. At Kimbo, that’s how we work: 100% wireless systems that integrate your climate control with the rest of your home, so that each system no longer operates on its own.
FAQs
The air app only controls the air. A smart system connects the air to sensors, blinds, lights, and occupancy sensors. That way, the air conditioning doesn’t operate in isolation — it turns off if you open a window, adapts to each room, and works in coordination with the rest of the house. That’s the difference between a connected device and a smart home.
In most cases, no. There are wireless solutions that integrate with the HVAC equipment you already have, without replacing it.
Yes. The key isn't to use the air conditioner less, but to use it more efficiently: don't run it with the windows open, don't cool empty rooms, and coordinate it with the blinds to reduce the thermal load. Each of these measures saves energy without sacrificing comfort.
Yes. With temperature sensors in every room, each room measures its own temperature and adjusts the climate based on its own conditions, not on those of the hallway or the central thermostat.
If you have sensors installed, the system detects when a window is open and automatically turns off the air conditioning in that room. When you close the window, it turns back on.
Experts recommend keeping it around 24–26°C. Every degree lower results in significantly higher energy consumption, without making much of a difference in comfort.
