Too Hot, Too Cold, and Rarely Just Right: Survey Finds Many People Aren't Comfortable During Winter

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- When the weather outside is frightful this winter, many people may not find the environment indoors to be delightful. According to Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems' first annual Comfort Survey, 81 percent of respondents typically aren't always comfortable with the temperature indoors during winter, whether they are at home, the office or any location in between. By surveying more than 1,400 people online, Bryant explored the fine line people walk when attempting to manage their comfort.

Comfort was invaluable to a significant number of respondents. So important, in fact, that when asked to give something up in exchange for comfort in their home, many men who responded to the survey would sacrifice consuming alcohol (58 percent) or watching sports (41 percent). Many women volunteered to give up eating chocolate (56 percent) or shopping (54 percent) to be more comfortable in the home. And a majority of men and women would both forgo exercise (61 percent) to be comfortable.

Though many respondents would give up certain activities to be comfortable, there is one common interest they refused to sacrifice -- Internet access. Men and woman collectively ranked going online (87 percent) as the one activity that's worth holding onto while feeling uncomfortable in their home.

"While homeowners have a varying tolerance for being uncomfortable, we found that most people couldn't agree on one temperature as their ideal comfort level. It is a common notion that 71 or 72 degrees is just right, but homeowners have a wide range of preferences," said Kevin Dudash, Bryant brand manager. "The reality is that everyone's comfort level is completely different, and may relate to age, gender or geographic location."

Despite having control over the temperature setting at home, 38 percent of respondents reported that the temperature during the winter is not what they would prefer for their own personal comfort. Homeowners may find temperature swings as one of the reasons for their inability to find comfort. The new Evolution(TM) Plus 95s(TM) Modulating Gas Furnace from Bryant addresses that challenge by ensuring a constant temperature that is so accurate that any change in heat flow is undetectable to human skin. The temperature is always within tenths of a degree of the homeowner's thermostat setting.

"As this survey has proven, everyone's idea of comfort significantly differs," said David Spaeth, Bryant heating product manager. "The good news is that once that temperature is set with the Plus 95s, it won't noticeably deviate. It will always be just right."

The most often cited reason for keeping the temperature cooler was to save money (72 percent). And that will be common this winter with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reporting that consumers will pay 10 percent more on average to warm their homes. Homeowners can realize cost-savings with a high-efficiency system, such as the Hybrid Heat(R) Dual Fuel system by Bryant. Following the same concept as a hybrid vehicle, the combination of gas (furnace) and electricity (heat pump) heats a home in the most economical way for the conditions in the area, utilizing the heat pump under moderate conditions then switching to the gas furnace when temperatures become more extreme.

The most often cited reason for keeping the temperature warmer than a homeowner prefers was out of consideration for others. "Finding a temperature that everyone can agree on is a challenge, especially during the winter months," said Ignacio Monteros, Bryant product manager for controls. "A programmable thermostat is perhaps the best option for easy access to comfort settings."

Bryant's new series of sleek thermostats, Bryant Preferred(TM), Bryant Legacy(TM) and Bryant Base models, offer programmable and non-programmable models and a variety of features to customize home comfort by time of day or day of the week.

Homeowners interested in learning more can locate a dealer in their area online at http://www.bryant.com.

About Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems

Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems, a leading supplier of HVAC equipment, is part of Farmington, Connecticut-based Carrier Corporation, the world's largest heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions provider, with operations in over 170 countries. Carrier is a business unit of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) , a Hartford, Connecticut-based provider of a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. Bryant has been dedicated to customer comfort and satisfaction since 1904. In addition to its best-in-class network of distributors and dealers, Bryant offers exceptional reliability and energy savings through an extensive line of durable heating and cooling products. Bryant is devoted to doing "Whatever It Takes" to deliver the highest quality in HVAC products and services for consumers nationwide, which is why so many people have trusted their indoor comfort needs to Bryant. For more information, visit http://www.bryant.com.