Honeywell, a company well known for its innovation and quality products, is now helping the U.S. save energy in a city-by-city program that is the first of its kind. In an effort to help cities conserve energy, avoid rolling blackouts, and for individual homeowners to save money, the company is offering wireless home thermostat controls that will monitor and reduce unnecessary energy consumption. The thermostat, which is known as the Honeywell Total Connect Comfort ADR, will be distributed throughout a number of cities at no cost to the consumer and allow them to save both money and energy.
website contributor Tess Nacelewicz notes that a June 2013 newspaper article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported the following:
Residents would receive the $150 Honeywell Total Connect Comfort with ADR thermostat for free so that utilities can link to the home devices and reduce that residence’s energy as needed. Such an approach can help avoid brownouts and blackouts on the hottest days of the year, when power-grid stability is threatened. Honeywell’s thermostat can be controlled with a Total Connect Comfort app, available in versions for Apple iOS andGoogle Android devices.”
This will be a boon to many homeowners, because the system will operate on both major platforms, so they will not have to make a switch in order to use the system.
Because blackouts occur when a city’s power grid is overtaxed, the Honeywell Total Connect Comfort with ADR will help combat this problem by reporting where energy is being wasted in a home and then take steps to connect it. The system allows homeowners to view a number of environmental conditions in their home, such as indoor temperature and humidity, control the temperature of a room, and even change these conditions with a mobile app. The thermostat’s mobile controls give homeowners control of the environment and will make it easier to reduce energy use during months when their city’s power grid drain is at the maximum. Not only will this save homeowners money, but it will also reduce the chance that the city will experience blackouts during the summer months in particular, when citizens are running their AC for longer periods of time.
While this program is only in place in a few locations thus far, Honeywell hopes to expand it in the coming months for nationwide coverage.
Kris Murphy
Author – Kris has been learning the ropes, but already has 4 years of industry experience working with us. He is in charge of researching our security system reviews and putting together new content for our site’s blog section.