Carrier Corp. announced that it has made a minority equity investment in ecobee Inc., marking an expansion in the parties’ strategic relationship following their collaboration to create the new Wi-Fi-enabled Carrier® Côr™ thermostat.

The number of homes in North America and Europe with a smart thermostat grew by 105 percent to 3.2 million in 2014, according to a new research report from Berg Insight. The North American market recorded 107 percent growth while the European market grew by 96 percent.

After only a handful of years in existence, the market for smart thermostats is now poised for growth, says Navigant Research. This market is being driven by the advent of a range of innovative devices and software that appeal to a variety of customer segments, particularly in North America and Europe.

Carrier has introduced a new smart thermostat that the company said fuses the convenience of smart device remote access with improved HVAC system efficiency. With a 3.5-inch, full-color touch screen, the Cor™ thermostat responds automatically via its built-in proximity sensor and welcomes users with an intuitive interface, said Carrier.

TXU Energy has announced a partnership with EnergyHub that gives its TXU iThermostat™ the added capability of location-based thermostat adjustments to enable automated energy savings and comfort.

Ecovent, maker of wireless vents and sensors for home HVAC systems, announced that it will showcase its smart thermostat system at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Venstar® has announced the release of its new Firmware 3.14 update for its ColorTouch® residential and commercial color touch screen, programmable thermostats. This update delivers added automated demand response (ADR) and equipment fault detection (EFD) in compliance with California’s Title 24.

First introduced in the late 2000s, smart thermostat technology has only recently gained real traction among customers, says Navigant Research. During the last year, the market for communicating and smart thermostats has expanded rapidly, with new offerings from several high-profile providers.

The Wi-Fi-connected ecobee3 thermostat and remote sensors measure temperature and occupancy in multiple locations, resulting in increased comfort when an occupant is home and energy savings when he or she is away.