In an increasingly more eco-conscious world, plenty of home gadgets are designed to help you save energy, money, and lower your carbon footprint. Although the smart thermostat world was previously dominated by the likes of Nest, Honeywell’s not letting it take all the limelight. The company is introducing its own line of Wi-Fi Smart Thermostats, packed with a chameleon-like ability to blend into your wall or act as an accent piece.
The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat features remote control over Wi-Fi, allowing home owners to adjust room temperatures from their smartphones. The Honeywell proprietary app, available on both Android and iOS, lets you schedule desired temperatures based on how often someone is home, when the first person in the house wakes up and goes to bed. This way, the temperature is always where you want it, when you want it.
“The app allows flexibility on the fly,” Honeywell public relations manager Tammy Swanson says. “So say you planned to be home after work but have an unexpected meeting afterward – you can override your program so that you’re saving energy if your plans change.” In addition to in-home temperature, the thermostat can report current weather, humidity level, and the week’s forecast based on your zip code. You can also store multiple thermostats and their settings in the app.
With its Smart Response mode, the device also “learns” the temperature cycles so it knows how to calculate the time it takes to heat or cool each room. These are all features its sole competitor has as well, just without the color customization mode. While the Nest boasts a universally appealing design, Honeywell’s approach focuses on the individual. Say you’re moving into a home and decide to paint one wall a certain color; The Honeywell Smart Thermostat can be adjusted to match or accent that wall color, and change if you decide to repaint. The thermostat can accommodate nearly every shade available on the color wheel, and users can select desired font color that best fit their readability.
In addition to remote control and color customization functionalities, the Smart Thermostat can also send alerts for unusual temperature changes or reminders to change filters. These notifications can also be redirected to friends, family members, house sitters, or neighbors in case you go away for an extended period of time. But no worries – not just anyone can change your home thermostat. You have the option of screen locking the device so the kids can’t mess up the setting on this candy-colored machine.
The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat is the company’s top of the line device, but for those with larger homes, Honeywell also offers lower end models that feature the same Wi-Fi and ‘Smart’ functionalities so you can outfit different zones of your home with the right thermostat. “We wanted to give our consumes options that fit their budget,” Swanson says. You may want the higher end model in a place where it’s most visible, but for the attic, perhaps the colorful version is not necessary.
The Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat will be available at Home Depot in the upcoming weeks for $250, with lower end models starting at $150.
