The expected surge in smart thermostat sales will have equipment manufacturers, many of whom have their own proprietary controls, competing with the well-known universal thermostat brands, such as Nest, Honeywell, and ecobee.

According to a recent study by Parks Associates, 13 percent of U.S. broadband households owned a smart thermostat by the end of 2017. And while that’s still under a quarter of eligible homes, that number has nearly tripled from just three years prior, influenced by factors like the ubiquity of the smartphone and the rise of in-home AI.

Thermostat Recycling Corp. has collected 2.4 million mercury-containing thermostats since its founding.

Actually finding the mercury-containing culprits can be a bit of a riddle, partly because there’s no way to know exactly how many are still out there or where they are located.

Despite the fact that there’s a lot of airtime given to smart thermostats in the media and throughout industry conferences, the reality is that only about 15 percent of households own a smart thermostat, according to Rob Munin, president at Lux Products.

These devices are being sold by the millions, and in most cases, the distribution is directly to the consumer — the sellers are avoiding the traditional manufacturer-to-wholesaler-to-contractor model that our industry has used for years.

Where DeLeo works, pushing the envelope of HVAC contracting is the way of business. He is currently working with a group of HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and construction employees in an effort to advance the home services division of the company.

A study by scientists at the University of Leeds (I Googled it … it is a thing) said it takes a minority of just 5 percent to influence a crowd. So that means that 95 percent of people can be following for no good reason. That might explain the popularity of the Kardashians.

Honeywell will license its brand to Resideo under a long-term agreement for use in its home comfort, security hardware, and software solutions for all channels. So while the name “Honeywell Home” will be kept on the box, smart home products will exist under Resideo as a separate entity.

It’s a well-known fact that HVAC — the smart thermostat — is the first point of entry into smart-home sales. And with more than half of U.S. households predicted to own a smart speaker by 2022, according to a late 2017 study by Juniper Research, it’s a prime opportunity for HVAC contractors.