Midea Group, a Chinese manufacturer of consumer appliances and HVAC systems, announced it has selected the Ayla Networks Internet of Things (IoT) platform as its preferred overseas IoT cloud partner for all its connected HVAC products.

The global smart homes market is projected to cross $60 billion by 2021, according to new report from Research and Markets. On the basis of application, the market has been segmented into HVAC control systems, energy management systems, security and access control systems, entertainment control systems, and others.

Nexia™, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has given subscribers the ability to control Nexia-certified smart home devices in their home — starting with thermostats, lighting, and plug-in wall modules — with simple voice commands through Amazon Echo. 

American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has received two Award for Design Excellence (ADEX) 2015 Platinum Awards. The AccuComfort™ Platinum 18 Air Conditioner and the Gold 824 Smart Control have both been recognized with ADEX awards, recognizing them for superior design.

The number smart homes in North America and Europe reached a total of 17.9 million in 2015, according to a new research report from Berg Insight. North America is the world’s most advanced smart home market and the region had an installed base of 12.7 million smart homes at the end of the year.

Venstar® announced that its Voyager® programmable Wi-Fi® thermostats are now compatible with Amazon® Echo, giving users voice control over thermostat functions including setting temperatures and turning on heating or air conditioning for one or multiple thermostats in their homes.

The number of North American and European homes with a smart thermostat grew by 81 percent to 5.8 million in 2015, according to a new research report from Berg Insight. The North American market recorded a 78 percent growth in the installed base of smart thermostats to 4.5 million.