Yes. Setpoint offers all the functions of a standard wall-mounted thermostat like heating, cooling, auto and can connect to most furnaces, heat pumps, air handlers and auxiliary heating and cooling units. In addition Setpoint provides features found in smart thermostats like schedules, presence detection and remote control . Installing Setpoint is a good way to start upgrading your HVAC system, it is possible to use Setpoint as a regular smart thermostat without the motorized dampers and add those later.

We recommend working with a HVAC professional when modifying your HVAC system. It is in some cases possible for a DIYer to install the system depending on the complexity of the existing installation. Installing motorized dampers can be a bit challenging if you have never done HVAC work before. Setpoint provides a detailed installation manual as well as email support whether you are a DIYer or a Pro.

Motorized dampers will change the static pressure in your duct system. In order to make sure the system operates in nominal condition, multiple options are available. The first option is to install a bypass or pressure relief valve on your duct system if none already exist. Alternatively, it is possible to connect an optional static pressure measurement kit to Setpoint, this set of sensor monitors the static pressure inside the air handler and controls the dampers as needed in order to make sure your system operates near its nominal static pressure.

Setpoint supports two system configurations. The first configuration is the simplest, a single temperature is configured for the whole home, the temperatures sensors and motorized dampers located in each each zone work together to ensure the target temperature is the same everywhere. The second configuration allows each zone to have its own desired temperature, in this configuration the system will try its best to fulfill the set temperature in each zone independently.

Setpoint works with its own sensors. Temperature, humidity and occupancy informations are provided by these sensor to the main controller unit. The sensors and the main control unit are connected together via your home WiFi network. A usual installation should have one sensor per zone, each sensor can be associated with one or multiple motorized dampers during the configuration of the system.

Yes, overall Setpoint will decrease your energy consumption and increase your comfort. By monitoring the temperature in each zone, Setpoint can detect situations where a section of the home is too hot while another is much cooler, this temperature difference is common in multi-story homes. By simply moving air from one zone to another, the section that needs cooling can get air from the cooler section, this mechanism called balancing can significantly reduce energy consumption since it only uses the fan of the HVAC unit.

Once Setpoint is installed we recommend leaving the manual registers fully open, Setpoint will dynamically adjust the airflow based on the desired temperature using the motorized dampers instead.

If your home is already equipped with a central HVAC unit it will likely be much more cost-effective to use the current duct system and motorize the current dampers or install new motorized dampers. If there is no duct system already installed, mini-split are a viable option with the following drawbacks. They are usually more visible than traditional registers. Electric line, copper pipes to the outdoor unit and drain line for the condensates are required for each mini-split. In addition, functions such as balancing are not possible with a mini-split which can result in higher energy consumption for the same comfort level as a central HVAC with a dynamic airflow regulation.

Other zoning systems usually control the motorized dampers as fully open or fully closed whereas Setpoint has 100 possible settings per dampers, such fine grained control allows synchronization between all the zones such that the target temperature is reached at the same time in all zones. This synchronization results in less heating/cooling cycles, less power consumption and a more stable temperature in the home. In addition, Setpoint does not require expensive wiring of a thermostat in each room, each sensor is plugged on existing outlets and acts as a virtual thermostat which makes the overall system very cost effective.