Google Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs Inc., manufacturer of the Nest Learning Thermostat, for $3.2 billion in cash. 

IP thermostats UP32H-IP and UP32H-WIFI offer an intuitive interface and powerful Web engine that puts the right amount of control at the right location, said the company. 

We asked the contractors on our editorial advisory board to share which products they believe truly deserve to be called smart — and why.

Instead of just reading the literature or talking to their distributor about the product, some contractors are literally bringing their work home with them by installing these products inside their own residences.

As technology is becoming increasingly accessible and interconnected, consumer demand is fueling the rise of intelligent products in the HVAC marketplace.

A highly intelligent thermostat with over 125 configurable settings to control the efficiency of HVAC systems, the EcoInsight™ calculates room comfort by aggregating data like time of day, solar load, brightness, humidity, and occupancy patterns.