GERMANTOWN, Md. — WeatherBug® and Honeywell announced they will be helping Texas homeowners save energy and money this summer, while staying comfortable, regardless of the weather. Consumers using one of Honeywell’s Wi-Fi thermostats with the Total Connect Comfort app can sign up for the WeatherBug Home software update. The upgrade optimizes the Honeywell thermostats based on the latest weather conditions.
On average, the weather drives approximately 50 percent of a home’s energy use. By integrating WeatherBug Home’s real-time, hyper-local data and patent-pending algorithms, Texas homeowners with Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats can automatically adjust their thermostat set points to a maximized blend of comfort and savings. They will also be able to access free Home Energy Insight ScoreCards and help local energy utilities boost efficiency, better allocate resources, and keep the power on during peak demand times.
Program components include:
• Automatic Thermostat Optimization: WeatherBug Home combines real-time weather data with energy usage information from Honeywell’s Wi-Fi thermostats with the Total Connect Comfort app to create a thermodynamic profile of each home, and automatically optimize thermostat settings. Connected thermostat pilots in Texas and Massachusetts consistently demonstrated an average of 4 percent savings of whole home energy efficiency, or 8 percent of their HVAC costs, totaling about $75 per year.
• Energy Insight ScoreCard: Every month, homeowners in the program receive a monthly WeatherBug Home ScoreCard. The ScoreCard helps explain why a house “behaves” the way it does in relation to the weather, and reveals the biggest drains on energy use compared to neighbors’ homes. Homeowners also receive forecasted energy usage for the next month, and an energy efficiency audit with customized tips for savings.
• Home Energy Meter: The Home Energy Meter shows how hard a home’s HVAC system needs to work to keep occupants comfortable. Simply sliding the thermostat temperature bar will display projected monthly HVAC costs, energy use, and a home’s carbon footprint.
• Managing Peak Demand: During peak energy demand times, WeatherBug Home utilizes each home’s thermodynamic model to help balance overall grid demand and keep power flowing by raising temperatures modestly while keeping the customer as comfortable as possible. For utilities, the Honeywell-WeatherBug Home partnership offers a consumer-friendly approach to reduce peak load and smooth out demand.
“Honeywell has long worked with contractors, utilities, and other partners to ensure home is where consumers can feel comfortable, safe, and secure,” said Jeremy Eaton, president, Honeywell Connected Home. “The weather plays a major role in how a home’s HVAC system, and the larger energy grid, cope and adjust. When linking our Wi-Fi thermostats with the WeatherBug Home software, consumers can save even more, while staying comfortable and maximizing their area’s energy supply.”
“The rapid expansion of connected thermostats, plus real-time data from the WeatherBug network, and our ability to understand the energy ‘footprint’ of each home make it possible for WeatherBug Home to work behind the scenes to intelligently adjust your thermostat and hit your comfort settings, so you can stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter,” said Amena Ali, senior vice president and general manager, WeatherBug Home.
Homeowners in Texas can find out if their Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat is compatible with the WeatherBug Home upgrade by visiting www.weatherbughome.com/honeywellpartner/. Honeywell and WeatherBug said other states and regions across the country will be able to utilize the update in the future.
Publication date: 6/22/2015
Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!
