The question of curating a home that's as practical as it is aesthetic will seemingly always divide design lovers. However, Drew Scott has found a solution to one of the trickiest (and, we confess, most daunting) problems of all: controlling our house temperature.
It's no secret that the appliances used to cool (or warm) our homes can be on the wrong side of unsightly, but this isn't an issue in the Property Brother's abode. Realtor Scott joined the team at Quilt, the design-forward home climate system that is the smartest way to heat and cool your home – crucially without fossil fuels. Alongside its sustainable qualities, it's conveniently aesthetic, meaning we can, at last, keep a room cool without sacrificing its style.
'Not only is it using cleaner energy to heat and cool your home, but there are so many other benefits – there are multiple cherries on top,' Scott says in an exclusive interview with H&G.
'Firstly, it's aesthetically pleasing in a room. Some of these old ductless heat pumps that you put on the wall can be an eye sore, no matter how beautifully designed the room may be. However, with Quilt, we have something that’s absolutely stunning. It's low profile; it has a light underneath, and you can swap out the face plate on it, whether you want to tie it to the color of the wall or have some sort of a mural.'
As a property renovation expert, it is perhaps unsurprising that Scott is affiliated with a good-looking climate system. After days of work on a home, adding an 'eyesore' air conditioning unit would be one of the last things he and his brother would want to do. However, as Scott suggests, there is even more to this unit than its aesthetic value.
'It’s one of the most frustrating things in the industry. Jonathan and I have renovated almost 1000 houses for our show, and we deal with trades, contractors, and designers day in and day out, but I find HVAC systems the most annoying. It's still the wild, wild west where people will just charge whatever they want. If you get an electric heat pump, there are rebates that can help to make it more cost-effective, but you have a lot of people who will just charge everything. With Quilt, the numbers are all there; you know exactly what you are paying,' he says.
'You could call me a design snob in some ways, but nothing is worse than having a beautifully curated space and then adding an eyesore, like an old bulky heat pump that doesn't fit the aesthetic. With Quilt, you enjoy a good design along with function, flow, and style.'
The Scott-approved home heating system also encourages a greener, healthier home for us and our families. Alongside Quilt, he recommends these smart plugs from Amazon, which are designed to reduce standby power waste. Similarly, these solar-powered outdoor lighting and indoor charging stations (also from Amazon) will contribute to a more sustainable, cost-efficient home.
'If you really think about it, heating and cooling your home is pretty much the biggest draw for most families in America. The statute is that 20% of global warming emissions come from home, specifically heating and cooling – there's a lot of opportunity there to clean up our act.'
These plugs support Bluetooth or WiFi connections. With no disconnection worries, we can control all our home appliances and devices anytime and anywhere.
These lights feature independently adjustable light and panel, so we can adjust the solar panel up and down at 90° to capture sunlight efficiently.
Featuring four premium panels, this can produce a 1.2A Max current to recharge the power bank. It has 7X higher solar charging efficiency than the normal single-panel solar battery pack.
'Decarbonizing the home has been an important thing for me; a heat pump system, an electric heat pump, instead of fossil fuel-driven HVAC systems, is just a smarter way to go. It's a cleaner way for the future,' Scott explains.
It's more about families; it's more about what creates a healthier environment for your family. If you have a gas-powered appliance, such as a gas range for cooking, that is pumping emissions into your house, it's not healthy. Do you want to circulate air through your house with a system that's run on gas? This is why changes like Quilt can make all the difference.'
