When iPod engineer Tony Fadell announced Nest , every other company that makes thermostats must have gotten at least a little scared. It took awhile but one of the largest thermostat makers Honeywell just announced it’s own smart thermostat with Wi-Fi.
The Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat has a touch screen display and can be controlled via smartphone app or computer from anywhere with an Internet connection.
It will send mobile and email alerts to notify homeowners when their home is too hot or cold, the humidity level is too high or too low, when the filter needs to be changed, or if the home loses power or Internet connectivity.
The thermostat learns how long it takes to heat and cool the house, so if you want the house to be 70 degrees when you sit down to watch American Idol on Wednesday night, it can do that for you.
The touchscreen is large and a homeowner can adjust colors to match a room or to fit a mood. The display shows the room’s actual temperature and humidity levels, as well as outside weather conditions. Homeowners can choose to illuminate the home display making it easy to see from anywhere in the room, or allow it to go dark.
“As home décor evolves, consumers want their thermostat to complement their décor,” said Beth Wozniak, president of Honeywell Environmental and Combustion Controls. “It puts creativity in the hands of the homeowner with our Color Match feature. Just as they pick fabrics and paint, they can choose what the Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat looks like in their home.”
Filter reminders are specific to the filter brand and amount of time the furnace is on/off, so filters are replaced only when absolutely needed to save money.
The Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat goes on sale in May for a retail price of $249.
