Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) announced it is partnering with Nest® Labs and Xfinity to offer incentives of up to $40 to the first 10,000 ComEd customers who enroll in Nest’s Rush Hour Rewards™ or Xfinity Home’s Summer Energy Management program.

Thermostats and controls are at the forefront of the connected home charge, and homeowners or facility managers may now control the climates within individual rooms from a million miles away, courtesy of their mobile devices.

Carrier announced it will provide Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) with its ComfortChoice® thermostat for the utility’s energy demand management program. The thermostats will be used by OG&E for its SmartHours® program, which is looking to reduce peak demand for electricity.

SolarCity® has announced a new partnership with Nest Labs, creator of the Nest Learning Thermostat™. The company said the first 10,000 new customers in California who sign up with SolarCity will receive a Nest thermostat installed at no additional cost.

Earth Networks, parent company of the WeatherBug brand, announced that it has promoted Amena Ali to senior vice president and general manager of its WeatherBug Home business unit.

The concept of a “connected home” has been working its way into the public consciousness for decades, and the hype and buzz surrounding that premise is now starting to reach a fever pitch as potential began giving way to reality at the 2015 AHR Expo in Chicago.

Wi-Fi thermostat advancements have been talked about by many inside and outside the HVAC industry the last couple of years. The AHR Expo was no exception as a plethora of companies showcased just how smart their thermostats have become.