TORONTO — ecobee Inc. announced that its ecobee3 smart Wi-Fi thermostat with room sensors is the first thermostat to be directly compatible with the Amazon Echo system, offering homeowners added convenience and comfort through Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, Alexa.

Alexa, the brain behind Amazon Echo, facilitates requests from across the room. For example, users can say, “Alexa, set my thermostat to 72,” or, “Alexa, increase the temperature in my house,” to control their ecobee3.

“We’re excited to provide ecobee3 users with added functionality and convenience through Amazon Echo,” said Stuart Lombard, president and CEO of ecobee. “Amazon has been a tremendous retailer to work with, and we are looking forward to expanding that relationship through thermostat integration with Echo, which offers complete home voice control.”

The ecobee3 uses room sensors to optimize comfort in the rooms that matter most to the user. This resolves a drawback in traditional thermostat design of only measuring temperature in one location, which contributes to hot and cold spots throughout the home.

According to the company, the ecobee3 saves homeowners an average of 23 percent on their heating and cooling bills. Compatible with 95 percent of residential heating and cooling systems in North America, the ecobee3 does not rely on batteries but receives power through a C-wire or its Power Extender Kit (PEK).

“We’re excited to launch thermostat support with ecobee,” said Charlie Kindel, director, Amazon Echo and Alexa, “and bring the magic of far-field voice control to more customers. Using only your voice to control the temperature in your house is another great way to create smarter homes.”

For more information, visit www.ecobee.com.

Publication date: 2/25/2016

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