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New industry report identifies the top smart thermostat brands leading the market
Smart thermostats were introduced in the late 2000s, and already in 2015 a strong and fast-growing market has developed as consumers recognized that these devices could help them reduce their home energy consumption, lower their HVAC costs, and improve their comfort.
Today’s crop of smart thermostats are more advanced than ever, and top brands have been involved in a flurry of activity including partnerships, international expansion, and new product launches. For example, several brands have partnered with solar energy provider SolarCity to give their products the capability to intelligently utilize solar energy.
Recently, Navigant Research released a new Leaderboard Report ranking the top 12 smart thermostat brands based on a variety of factors believed to characterize their status as leaders or followers in the industry.
The results are:
- Honeywell
- Nest
- EnergyHub
- EcoFactor
- Schneider
- Ecobee
- Emerson
- Comverge
- Carrier
- Energate
- Tado
- RTA
Shopping for a Smart Thermostat?
If you are shopping for a smart thermostat, you would do well to start with some of these top industry-leading brands. However, bear in mind that just because a product comes from the industry leader doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best product for you.
For example, Navigant Research reported that a major part of the reason they ranked Honeywell as the #1 smart thermostat brand in the industry is that the company has been very successful in its strategy to capture the higher-end market. Nest received a #2 ranking in large part due to their international success. These achievements may not be meaningful for you if you are looking for an affordable (but not necessarily high-end) thermostat right here in the States.
When shopping for a smart thermostat, you need to be sure to consider:
- What functionalities you want
- Whether all of the thermostat’s features are compatible with your existing HVAC equipment
- Whether the price point meet your goals
Once you have selected the main contenders, then it is time to compare manufacturers and read product reviews, but you probably should not base your whole decision on a brand name.
Now you may be wondering…
What is a Smart Thermostat Anyway?
The terms “smart thermostat” and “programmable thermostat” can be confusing. Many companies and plenty of consumers use the concepts interchangeably. The difference is that a smart thermostat can actually learn from your behavior and/or communicate with other systems in your home to make or suggest its own adjustments. A programmable thermostat simply remembers the settings you program into it for different times of the day or days of the week. Depending on your needs, you may find that a programmable thermostat is actually the better choice and will bring ample energy savings.
To learn more about programmable thermostats, please visit Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing today.