As technology is becoming increasingly accessible and interconnected, consumer demand is fueling the rise of intelligent products in the HVAC marketplace.
Nest Labs Inc. has announced plans to begin working with developers on new ways to connect with the Nest Learning Thermostat through integrations such as home appliances and home automation.
Home automation technologies that offer energy efficiency are the most popular type of installed home technologies among consumers in the United States, according to a study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.
Honeywell has introduced its new Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control. The company said the new voice technology allows consumers to simply say, “Hello, thermostat,” to activate and control their home’s temperature.
Currently valued at $1.5 billion, but with only 1.5 to 2.5 percent penetration in most states, the home energy management systems (HEMS) market is poised for significant growth, according to a report by GTM Research. The firm forecasts that the U.S. HEMS market will be worth over $4 billion by 2017.
EnTouch Controls, a leading provider of energy management systems (EMS) for small businesses and light commercial facilities, has announced its new EnTouch Pro, a commercial thermostat tailored to restaurants, retail stores, and other small business and facility owners.
ecobee Inc., the makers of Wi-Fi connected Energy Management System Si (EMS Si), recently announced a new partnership with Electricity Maine and Thayer Corp. to execute a pilot project as part of the Efficiency Maine Innovation Program.
Utilities already have many commercial and industrial (C&I) customers on demand response programs, curtailing power usage during peak times to balance the load over the course of a day. Smart thermostats offer the opportunity to get more residential customers on board with energy efficiency.
Despite recent advances in technology, industry leaders agree that only time will tell what features and services might become standard on future generations of high-end thermostats and controls.
Honeywell has announced an application programming interface (API) program that enables development partners to build application software that interfaces with numerous Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats including the color-customizable Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat.