When people think of smart thermostats, the Nest Learning Thermostatis what typically comes to mind. But shoppers at the hardware store now have choices as a lineup of lesser-known competitors have hit the shelf recently. When the time comes for you to buy a smart thermostat, dont overlook the Ecobee4. With an interesting array of features including a built-in speaker and mic to embed the Amazon Alexavoice assistant into your HVAC controller as well as great temperature control capabilities, this product is literally bringing the heat. Learn what it was like to live with in our Ecobee4 review.

Ecobees latest smart thermostat costs $249 and comes with one remote sensor, though there are more expensive bundles that come with more wireless satellites. You also can buy them separately. These sensors, which can measure temperature, humidity, occupancy, and proximity, may be the smartest thing about the Ecobee, and we highly recommend using more than one. Their ability to gather information in multiple rooms greatly adds to the accuracy and efficiency of this smart thermostat.

For us, installation of the Ecobee4 was relatively painless; thats partly because of our familiarity with the Ecobee3, which has a slightly different footprint on the wall but a similar wiring layout. Whether youre familiar with Ecobee products or not, this model is easy for most people to install.

There are two installation issues worth noting. First, when we originally got the Ecobee3, we opted to have a professional install it because our testing home is heated via an electric heat pump and a gas furnace. The heat pump has a reversing valve, which can complicate thermostat installs. In this instance, however, because the Ecobee3s wiring is similar to the Ecobee4s, we did the installation ourselves. Also, some peoples HVAC wiring may require them to install a Power Extender Kit, and the Ecobee4 comes with one included.

Installing the Ecobee4 included tripping the breaker for the heat pump and the furnace (which also cut the power to the thermostat), removing the old thermostat, and following the colored wire schematics to reinstall the Ecobee4s backplate. The smart thermostat also comes with a trim plate that can conceal any unsightly holes left behind by your previous thermostat. Once the backplate is wired, you simply snap the thermostat onto it, and the device begins to boot up. Software setup is quick and easy, and an app connection to Wi-Fi gets the new thermostat online.

The Ecobee4 is an Android and iOS-compatible thermostat with an integrated color LCD touch display. It has a refined, modern look, but it wouldnt be out of place in more traditional homes. The apps and the thermostats slick touchscreen interface work identically, which is nice, and theres a web dashboard for taking deeper dives on settings and system monitoring.

It has a refined, modern look, but it wouldnt be out of place in more traditional homes.

The big, new feature packed into the device is a microphone and speaker so the thermostat can access Amazons Alexa voice assistant. In repeat and prolonged testing (within earshot of an Amazon Echo speaker, no less), it did its job very well. Despite being situated in a hallway between the kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom, it heard every request sent its way and relayed the response with crisp, clear sound.

The Ecobee4 is a thermostat with a speaker stamped into its backside, but temper your expectations on cranking out high-quality-sounding music. For listening to podcasts, news updates, controlling smart home gear, or asking random questions, however, it works great with two exceptions. First, you cant change its wake word from Alexa (a bummer if youve got a family member with that name). The second is that the voice assistant, oddly, doesnt control the thermostat very well. This isnt necessarily Ecobees fault. These are early days for voice-controlled hardware in general, and asking Alexa to control the lights or other smart home devices is spotty and requires the user to know the exact string of words to ask and even then, theres no guarantees it will do the job. For instance, we can ask Alexa what the temperature is in the bedroom, and the Ecobee4 will link up with the remote sensor and relay the information without a hitch. But if we ask the same question about the kids room, the reply is Kids room doesnt support that.

The Ecobee4 is also Apple HomeKitcompatible, a feature that, in theory, we love. But the reality is that we only had our Ecobee3 connected to it for a matter of weeks before it somehow lost its connection to the home network. We honestly didnt bother connecting the Ecobee4 to it, because if it works as well as it used to (which is about how well the Alexa integration works) theres little point. However, its worth noting that Apple is making changes to HomeKit all the time, and maybe the Ecobee4s iOS compatibility will be a worthwhile feature down the line. We do like this thermostat for the ways that it is future-proofed, even if they dont work particularly well together now.

But the biggest flaw in voice controlling the thermostat is that when the system is off, weve never been able to turn on the cool air (or heat) with our voices. We dont understand why Ecobee or Apple or Amazon havent enabled this, but some of us live in a house with windows, and if the window is open, we dont want the AC on so off is the default position. Maybe someday, connected home sensors will be smart enough to block the cool air from coming on if a window is open, but we are not there yet.

Otherwise, since the Ecobee3 and Ecobee4s interface and systems are identical, we can say in the years that weve used an Ecobee, weve had few complaints. It would be great if the Ecobee4 gave us the ability look at our HVACs performance via the app a minor complaint. Also, theres limited schedule-building capabilities in the app compared to the website. This might seem a minor point, but for those who would like comfort settings tailored to their tastes its a drag to have to go to the website to set that up.

Whether youre using the Ecobee4s schedules or geofencing to regulate your homes heating and cooling, the smart thermostat does a good job of turning systems on or off without an issue, saving energy (and money) if you configure and use it properly. Likewise, as an Alexa-connected device, it hears and responds well, rarely missing a request despite that its microphone and speakers are neatly tucked between the thermostat and the wall.

But the smartest tech baked into this system is the Ecobee4s remote sensors. These battery-operated satellites let you measure the temperature in rooms around your home. From there, you can perform a variety of heating and cooling-related fixes. For example, an obvious use is averaging the temperatures of rooms throughout your home, a function that helps ensure that one area isnt draftier than another. Also, through a follow me feature, the Ecobee4 can adjust your homes temperature based on where you go (so no need to measure the spare bedroom, if youre not spending time there). These two tricks alone make the Ecobee4 a great thermostat for older homes that may not have multi-zoned heating and cooling. With a nod to the voice assistant shortcomings and an eye towards its future maturation, we recommend Ecobee4, even if its big selling point is a bit of a bust. Due largely to its ability to connect with remote sensors, the smart thermostat performs extremely well, offering users an array of features and configurations that can make homes feel warmer and perform better.

Read the original post:
Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat hands-on review - Digital Trends

Q: How do I stop my wood-burning fireplace from smelling like smoke in humid weather? A faint smoke smell would be OK, but this is obnoxious. It seems worse when the air conditioner or even the washer and dryer are running. The smell wafts in from the chimney. We have a glass door installed, but it doesnt help.

A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. Especially in a house built to be fairly airtight, this can happen when a dryer or other exhaust fan runs or if there are leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts. To equalize the pressure, air moves down the chimney, into your house. Summer conditions add to the problem because the outdoor air is hot and humid, therefore heavier than drier, cooler indoor air.

In theory, closing the damper on your fireplace should stop the airflow where the air picks up the smell. But fireplace dampers often dont seal well. For a better seal, you could have a chimney sweep install a spring-loaded stainless-steel damper at the top of the flue. We called a company that estimated the job at $630.

Or, for $42.99 to $86.99, depending on the chimney width, you could install an inflatable device known as a Chimney Balloon, available at Amazon.com. It has mixed reviews, however, with some buyers reporting it punctures as easily as a water balloon. Filling a hefty plastic bag with insulation and stuffing that into the chimney opening at the base of the fireplace might work just as well and would cost less. Just be sure to remove it before you use the fireplace.

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If closing off the chimney doesnt stop the smell, call a heating and air-conditioning company to assess air balance in your home. It might help to pipe fresh air to combustion appliances, including the dryer if it is gas. Or you might benefit from a heat-recovery ventilator, which could introduce more fresh air in a way that its preheated or precooled so you dont waste energy. Sealing leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts or balancing the system by adding more openings might also be part of the solution.

Q: Our KitchenAid Superba garbage disposal was installed in January 2011. For the past few months, it has failed to grind up and flush vegetable matter that it previously had no problem with. The blades rotate, chopping up the waste, but the waste does not exit the unit. I called the manufacturer for guidance. I was told to fill the disposal with ice to help with grinding. That helped some, but much of the waste remained in the disposal. Any ideas about why?

A: This is a three-fourths-horsepower model thats still sold. It has a five-year limited warranty that would cover a repair visit to your home if it were still in effect. But the warranty expired about 1 1/2 years ago, a sign that its probably time to replace the unit. The current cost is $279 at Lowes and perhaps even less from other retailers.

If youre reasonably handy, you could probably install a new unit yourself. KitchenAid provides installation instructions that appear straightforward. Lowes could install it for about $120, a spokesman said.

First, you might try repeating the ice trick a couple of times. Disposals sometimes work poorly because of a buildup of grease and other debris. Ice particles whip around in the mechanism and pick up the gunk, helping to clean it.

Also try another cleaning method that the manufacturer suggests in its care manual: With the unit off, place a stopper over the opening and fill the sink halfway with warm water. Mix one-fourth cup baking soda with water and dump it in. Turn on the disposal as you remove the stopper. If youre lucky, the force of the water, plus the bubbling action and grease-cutting properties of baking soda, will help restore the units performance, and eliminate any foul odors. After the sink drains, remove the sink baffle and clean it by hand or in the dishwasher. Replace it before you operate the disposal again.

Continued here:
Stop the fireplace smell from invading your home - The Oakland Press

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Controlling the temperature of the home is an important part of daily comfort. Outdated and inefficient units can leave the home uncomfortable during the dog days of summer. T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley, offers advice for homeowners to determine if a ductless air conditioning system would make a good fit for the home.

"We are often asked by homeowners if we think the ductless air conditioning system is right for their home or transforming their garages into a living space," said Tommy Webber, owner of T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. "There are many benefits to having a ductless mini-split system; it will not only save on energy costs, but it can assist with peace in the home when it comes to individual desired room temperature."

Webber offers the top five benefits of installing a ductless mini-split air conditioning system:

For Hudson Valley-area residents who would like more information on the ductless mini-split air conditioning systems, the professionals at T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning are ready to assist. For more information visit http://twebber.com/ or call 1-845-265-1400.

About T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air ConditioningT. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning is a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley area, including Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Orange and Ulster counties. A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, T. Webber has been the company of choice for commercial and residential repairs and services for nearly 30 years. Tom Webber founded the company in 1989 with the vision to exceed customer expectations and provide exceptional service with integrity, competence and objectivity with every service call. T. Webber provides timely, same-day service for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, well system, water quality, bathroom remodeling, and sewer and septic repairs. For more information, call 1-845-265-1400 or visit http://twebber.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT: Heather RipleyRipley PR865-977-1973rel="nofollow">hripley@ripleypr.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5-reasons-to-install-a-ductless-heating-and-cooling-system-300492257.html

SOURCE T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

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5 Reasons to Install a Ductless Heating and Cooling System - Markets Insider

July 28, 2017

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As heat and humidity grip many parts of the nation, controlling the temperature of the home, be it a single or multi-family structure, is an important part of daily comfort. But outdated and inefficient units may leave thehome uncomfortable during the dog days of summer. The desire to keep cool can be lose tothe desire to avoid a huge utility bill next month.

But there may be a solution that lowers your energy bills while keeping homes comfortable.T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley in New York, offers adviceto determine if a ductless air conditioning system would make a good fit.

Owner Tommy Webber offers the top five benefits of installing a ductless mini-split air conditioning system:

Topics: Architectural Firms, Automation and Controls, Building Owners and Managers, Construction Firms, Consulting - Green & Sustainable Strategies and Solutions, Energy Saving Products, HVAC - Heating & Cooling & Ventilation, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Interiors, Technology, Ventilation

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5 reasons to install a ductless heating, cooling system - Proud Green Building (press release) (registration) (blog)

Sacramento homebuilders are trying to deal with a severe shortage of construction workers by training high school students in summer internships. They want the teens and their parents to consider the possibility that a construction career might be a good alternative to college, though that can require some convincing.

Theres a negative stereotype about dirty jobs, said Rick Larkey, executive director of the North State Building Industry Foundation. The group is leading the effort to recruit 5,000 new workers over five years in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties. A big part of that is the outreach to high-school students through internships and after-school programs.

The foundations pitch on its website is that a four-year college degree isnt the guarantee of financial success it used to be. The American workforce is in desperate need of skilled technicians, and incomes for construction work can rival jobs requiring four-year degrees without the expense of college.

Were trying to give them an opportunity to have a successful and meaningful career that pays well, especially for those that like to work with their hands, Larkey said.

After last decades housing crash, thousands of Sacramento-area construction workers left the industry. Many retrained for new careers or moved away. Now that home construction is on the upswing, builders are finding they cant keep up with demand because they lack skilled laborers. Plumbers, electricians and many other tradespeople are in short supply.

The builders are looking to teenagers, such as Karina Records, to help fill those jobs.

Records, 17, spent part of Thursday morning in the attic of a half-built home learning to install heating and air conditioning ducts. She carefully stepped from rafter to rafter with the sun beating down on the roof above her on a 100-degree day.

My helmet is filled with sweat, she said as she climbed down a ladder to learn how to install a dryer vent. Despite the heat, she said she enjoyed the detailed work of connecting ducts and other tasks involved in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, a field where skilled workers are in high demand.

Records is an incoming senior at Sheldon High School in the Vineyard area of Sacramento County, about 2 miles from the construction site where shes worked this summer. She and 14 or 15 high school juniors from the Elk Grove Unified School District made $10.50 an hour interning with national homebuilder Lennar at its subdivisions near Bradshaw Road and Gerber Road.

Under the instruction and guidance of Lennar mentors, the interns have gotten hands-on experience in nearly every step of home construction. They poured foundations, framed houses and put in plumbing. They hung cabinets, laid carpet and installed wiring. They painted homes, built fences and set up solar panels.

I try to expose them to everything we can so they can make choices, said Sandy Wills,senior construction manager with Lennar at its Vineyard location.

About 30 interns worked at Lennar job sites around the Sacramento region this summer. More than 30 others took part in Mayor Darrell Steinbergs Thousand Strong initiative, learning construction skills, or another program run through the Placer County Office of Education, the Building Industry Foundation reported.

The Lennar interns at the Vineyard project said their exposure to different trades was key to learning what work they found satisfying.

Nick Carlson, 17 and a Sheldon High student, said hed like to be an electrician. The work is challenging, and journeyman electricians make about $35 an hour, or $70,000 a year, he said. Carlson said he sees trade school as a potentially more direct route to a career than college.

A number of interns said they intended to go to college to pursue a degree in construction management or engineering before going back to work in the homebuilding industry. Others said they were still weighing their options but hadnt ruled out going right into a skilled trade.

Chris Rhodes, 17, said he learned about the construction internships as a student in Cosumnes Oaks High Schools Architectural Design and Engineering Academy. He said hell probably go to college to study mechanical engineering but liked knowing he had options.

Construction is a fast-growing industry, Rhodes said. If doors get closed to you, this door is always open.

Jason Kolvoord, 17, said he wants to work in construction for a while before going to college, and Miriam Bell, 17, said she plans to go to trade school but hasnt decided on a trade yet. Both teens attend Laguna Creek High School.

Lennars Sacramento-area vice president for operations, Jeff Panasiti, said there are plenty of jobs for interns who want them after graduation.

You guys are on the other side of the recession, Panasiti told a group of teens in a newly built garage. Seventy percent of construction workers lost their jobs and scattered. Now there are ample opportunities for new workers, he said. The skys the limit.

View original post here:
Homebuilders want high school students for construction jobs - Sacramento Bee

Q: How do I stop my wood-burning fireplace from smelling like smoke in humid weather? A faint smoke smell would be OK, but this is obnoxious. It seems worse when the air conditioner or even the washer and dryer are running. The smell just wafts on in from the chimney. We have a glass door installed, but it doesnt help.

A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. Especially in a house that was built to be fairly airtight, this can happen when a dryer or other exhaust fan runs or if there are leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts. To equalize the pressure, air moves down the chimney, making your house stink. Summer conditions add to the problem because the outdoor air is hot and humid and therefore heavier than the drier, cooler indoor air.

In theory, closing the damper on your fireplace should stop the airflow where the air picks up the smell. But fireplace dampers often dont seal very well. For a better seal, you could have a chimney sweep install a spring-loaded stainless-steel damper at the top of the fireplace flue. We called a local company that estimated the job at $630.

Or, for $42.99 to $86.99, depending on the chimney width, you could install an inflatable device known as a Chimney Balloon, available at Amazon.com. It has mixed reviews, however, with some buyers reporting that it punctures easily. Filling a hefty plastic bag with insulation and stuffing that into the chimney opening at the base of the fireplace might work just as well and would surely cost less. Just be sure to remove the plug before you use the fireplace.

If closing off the chimney doesnt stop the smell, call a heating and air-conditioning company to assess air balance in your home. It might help to pipe fresh air directly to combustion appliances (which would include the dryer if yours is a gas model). Or you might benefit from a heat-recovery ventilator, which could introduce more fresh air but in a way that uses the temperature of indoor air to preheat or precool it so you dont waste energy. Sealing leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts or balancing the system by adding more openings might also be part of the solution.

Q: Our KitchenAid Superba garbage disposal was installed in January 2011. For the past few months, it has failed to grind up and flush vegetable matter that it previously had no problem with. The blades rotate, chopping up the waste, but the waste does not exit the unit. I called the manufacturer for guidance. I was told to fill the disposal with ice to help with grinding. Although some relief was obtained, much of the waste remained in the disposal. Any ideas about why it is failing?

A: This is a three-fourths-horsepower model thats still sold. It has a five-year limited warranty that would cover a repair visit to your home if it were still in effect. But the warranty expired about 1 years ago, a sign that its probably time to replace the unit. The current cost is $279 at Lowes and perhaps even less from other retailers if you shop around online.

If youre reasonably handy, you could probably install a new unit yourself. KitchenAid provides installation instructions that appear straightforward. Lowes could install it for about $120, a local spokesman said.

You might try repeating the ice trick a couple of times. Disposals sometimes work poorly because of a buildup of grease and other debris. Ice particles whip around in the mechanism and pick up the gunk, helping to clean it.

Also try another cleaning method that the manufacturer suggests in its care manual: With the unit off, place a stopper over the opening and fill the sink halfway with warm water. Mix one-fourth cup baking soda with water and dump it in. Turn on the disposal as you remove the stopper. If youre lucky, the force of the water, plus the bubbling action and grease-cutting properties of baking soda, will help restore the units performance, as well as eliminate any foul odors. After the sink drains, remove the sink baffle and clean it by hand or in the dishwasher. Replace it before you operate the disposal again.

See original here:
How to stop fireplace smoke smells during summer - Daily Herald

The House of Bread soup kitchen fields a crowd every morning for breakfast, but Tuesday's group had a few new faces. And they came bearing gifts.

Workers from Marec Heating and Cooling and Neal Sign and Crane Service oversaw the installation of three new air conditioning units at House of Bread. The day shelter on Chestnut Street was full of hot air for nearly a month after burglars destroyed three of the industrial units, causing $30,000 worth of damage for scrap metal.

News headlines from the theft sparked an impromptu funding drive for House of Bread, which saw thousands in donations from various groups, according to Sister Theresa Fonti, the shelter's co-founder.

"It's a good feeling, getting so much support from the community," Fonti said Tuesday as a crane slowly lowered the shredded units onto a flatbed truck for disposal. "We're happy to be able to get our air back and continue our ministry."

The donated money helped close the funding gap for replacing the units about 80 percent of the cost was covered by the shelter's insurance policy.

And the new cooling system couldn't have come at a better time.

The two remaining air conditioners were working overtime, according to Matt Beard, the shelter's director. One blew a fuse last week, causing a brief panic in a kitchen that turns out about 200 meals a day for the city's homeless.

But the worrying is over. Now, Beard is focused on securing the units. He's already installed surveillance cameras on the building's roof and will be placing cages around the units to prevent similar thefts.

Meanwhile, city police are continuing their investigation into the thieves responsible.

Originally posted here:
New A/C Units Installed At House Of Bread After Burglars Struck Last Month - Hartford Courant

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By Jason D'Aprile

Freelance contributor, TechHive | Jul 11, 2017 3:00 AM PT

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A smart thermostat will have an outsize impact not only how comfortable you are in your home, but also on your household budget. Heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of the average homes utility bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

A programmable thermostat can help reduce those costs by turning your HVAC system on when you anticipate being home, and off when you dont think youll need indoor climate control. A smart thermostat goes far beyond relying on a simple schedule. It will not only enable you to create more sophisticated schedules for every day of the week, and give you complete control over your HVAC system, even when youre away from home. Weve spent several months testing and evaluating a wide variety of smart thermostats, and now were ready to help you find the right one for your home.

The Ecobee3s unique use of remote sensors means it can monitor the temperature well beyond the actual thermostat, which makes it an excellent choice. Read TechHive's full review

Nest usually gets all the attentionand the company deserves credit for shaking up a once sleepy marketplacebut we think the Ecobee3 is the best choice when it comes to smart thermostats. Where the competition relies on measuring a homes temperature in just one spot: Where the thermostat is located, which is almost never in a room that you spend any time in. The Ecobee3 lets you place sensors in multiple rooms in your home, so youll always be comfortable where you do spend most of your time. The Ecobee3 is also compatible with just about every other smart home device you can imagine, including Apples HomeKit ecosystem and Amazons Echo. Could Google Home compatibility be in the works?

Dont count Nest out of the thermostat game. The Google division has worked harder than anyone to build out a comprehensive smart home ecosystem with its own productsthe Nest Cam security camera series and the Nest Protect smoke and carbon-monoxide detectorsas well as a wide array of third-party products: Everything from ceiling fans to lighting controls and even smart appliances. So why does it garner runner-up status here? Nest counts on your buying other Nest products to help determine when youre home and away, for starters. And anyone investingor planning to investin Apples up-and-coming HomeKit ecosystem should steer clear of Nest products.

C-wire requirement Most smart thermostats require more electrical power than a set of batteries can provide. Fortunately, they dont require so much power than they need to be plugged into the wall. They rely instead on low-voltage power provided by your HVAC system. Many smart thermostats require the presence of a dedicated C (common) wire for this purpose, while others can siphon electricity from another source, typically the R (power) wire. But the latter practice is known to cause problems with some HVAC systems, including permanent damage. If you pull out your existing thermostat to install a smart model and find no C wire connected to it, look inside the wall to see if theres one that hasnt been connected. If theres no C wire, our advice is to have one installed. Only a couple of the thermostats reviewed here require a C wire, but all the manufacturers highly recommend using one.

Ease of installation A thermostat shouldnt be difficult to install, even if youre only moderately handy. The manufacturer should provide comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand instructions with plenty of photographs or illustrations to guide you through the process. The thermostat itself should be clearly indicate which wires go where, and most companies provide labels that you can attach to the wires coming out of the wall as you disconnect and remove your old model. The wires themselves should be color coded, but a good practice is to photograph your old thermostat for reference before you take it down.

Geofencing This feature uses the thermostats app and your smartphones GPS chip to establish a perimeter around your home. When you leave the perimeter, you presumably no longer need to heat and cool your home, or you can at least have the thermostat adjust the temperature so that its not running unnecessarily. When you cross the perimeter again as you come home, your HVAC system can kick into action so your house is comfortable when you walk in the door.

Remote Access Remote access enables you to control your thermostat from afar, so that you can check in and adjust the temperature from wherever you have a connection to the internet.

System complexity Each of the thermostats we tested support multi-stage heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as heat pump systems. If your home is divided into zones that are heated and cooled independently of each other, youll probably need one thermostat for each zone. A single app should be able to control multiple zones.

Sensors Geofencing is greatprovided everyone who lives in the home has a smartphone. Motion and proximity sensors offer an alternative means of determining if your home is occupied and therefor in need of climate control. The original Nest thermostat was often criticized for relying too much on its motion sensor. If no one walked past it often enough, it would decide that the house was empty and it would stop heating or cooling. Some smart thermostats can also tap into door and window sensors as well as the motion sensors for your home security system. And proximity sensors on the thermostat itself can trigger a thermostats display to turn on when you walk past it, making the screens a handy feature in their own right, even if for no other reason than providing a nighttime pathway light.

Smart-home system integration Every smart thermostat comes with an app so you can control it with your smartphone or tablet, but the best models can also be integrated with other smart-home devices and broader smart-home systems. This can range from being able to adjust the temperature with a voice command via an Amazon Echo or Google Home digital assistant to linking to you smoke detector so that your fan automatically turns off when fire is detected, preventing smoke from being circulated throughout your home. Other options to consider include IFTTT and Stringify support, Apple HomeKit compatibility, smart-vent connectivity, and tie-ins with home security systems.

User interface Long gone are the days when a thermostats user interface consisted of numbers on a dial. The more sophisticated a device becomes, the more difficult it can be to learn to use. The last thing you want to be doing is staring at inscrutable hieroglyphics on the wall when all you really want is to be warmer or cooler. A smart thermostat should convey important information at a glance and should easily adapt to your specific needs.

We installed these thermostats in a single-family home with a conventional HVAC system and used each one for a week or more to determine how effective it was at maintaining a comfortable environment. The homes existing thermostat was wired with G, R, W, and Y wires. There was also a C wire in the wall that was connected to the furnace, but that had not been previously used.

While there is no regulated standard for color-coding HVAC wires, industry practice has the G wire connecting the thermostat to the fan. This wire is typically green. The R wire, typically red, is for power. Some systems have separate power wires for heating and cooling and are labeled RH and RC respectively. The typically white W wire is for auxiliary heat; i.e., a second source of heat. The Y wire, which is typically yellow, connects the thermostat to your air conditioner. Finally, the C or common wire is used to carry power and is typically blue (think cerulean if you need a mnemonic).

Well update this story with new product reviews as they come in.

The Ecobee3s unique use of remote sensors means it can monitor the temperature well beyond the actual thermostat, which makes it an excellent choice. Read the full review

The Nest is still the best for users who dont want to think about their thermostat, but it's no longer our top pick. Read the full review

Although not perfect, the Lyric Round is a commendably smart and functional thermostat.

Not technically smart, but a very solid middle ground between dumb and smart thermostats. Read the full review

MSRP $114.01

on Amazon

The Sensi is like your old thermostat with the addition of some excellent Wi-Fi features. Read the full review

Jason D'Aprile has been writing about technology and entertainment since the early 90s from his secluded home in West Virginia.

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Best smart thermostats of 2017 - TechHive - TechHive

Replace your heating and AC energy bills with a $20,000 geothermal system buried in your yard.

Part of the Alphabet (formerly Google) empire is the moonshot factory simply called X. X focuses on inventing and launching "moonshot" technologies to make the world a better place. The latest of those technologies just became an independent company called Dandelion.

Dandelion was an internal project at X for several years with a focus on using geothermal energy to cut down on carbon emissions in the home. This isn't a new idea, but it is an expensive one, which Dandelion aimed to solve. And solve it they have if Kathy Hannun, CEO of Dandelion is to be believed.

Rather than using fuel oil, propane, and lots of electricity to heat and cool your home during the different seasons, it's possible to do the same thing using geothermal systems. For home owners, that means taking advantage of the ground under their yard.

That ground stays at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit all year round. A geothermal system for heating/cooling works by drilling and installing U-shaped plastic pipes and running water through them. In the winter the water takes up the heat in the ground and a geothermal heat pump turns that into warm air pumped into your home. In the summer, the system works in reverse and pumps the warm air out of your home to cool it and deposits the extracted heat in the ground.

The expensive part of such a system is the installation and in particular the drilling, which is what Dandelion focused on solving. What they created was a brand new drill capable of drilling very deep holes with very little waste and completing the required ground loop piping in less than a day. Existing systems requires large machines, create a lot of mess, and take up to four days to complete the work.

According to CNN, existing geothermal system installations cost $60,000 to install. Dandelion cut that price down to just $20,000, which is still a lot of money until you factor in the energy cost savings each year.

Dandelion is now open for business and will initially be offering its system in New York. It wants to partner with local heating and cooling installers to help roll out the service and there will be a financing program through Collaborative Fund in the near future to help with the cost.

Matthew is PCMag's UK-based editor and news reporter. Prior to joining the team, he spent 14 years writing and editing content on our sister site Geek.com and has covered most areas of technology, but is especially passionate about games tech. Alongside PCMag, he's a freelance video game designer. Matthew holds a BSc degree in Computer Science from Birmingham University and a Masters in Computer Games Development from Abertay University. More

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Alphabet's Dandelion Wants to Water Cool/Heat Your Home - PCMag

Dive Brief: Dive Insight:

Heating and cooling buildings accounts for almost 40% of carbon emissions in the United States, and so Alphabet's engineers have spent years developing ways to make geothermal systems more affordable and less intrusive to install.

Dandelion CEO Kathy Hannun said the project was started "because we realized millions of homeowners are using expensive, truck-delivered fuels because they dont have access to better options today." But the key to signing on customers, particularly residential, would be in reducing cost and time to install.

Along with Hannun, Dandelion will be run by James Quazi, who will lead the company's technology development.

Over at the Google X blog, Hannun gives some background on developing the new geothermal installation process, including modifying drills and and considering liquid nitrogen to install a system of underground pipes.

"After months of testing, we hit upon a design for a fast, slender drill that hit our objectives," the new CEO writes. "It could drill just one or two deep holes just a few inches wide, and compared to typical installation rigs, it produced less waste and took up much less space as it operated."

While installing the tubes typically takes up to four days, the new process could be done in one day and "left a typical suburban backyard relatively undisturbed."

Dandelion is now operating in the New York Hudson Valley and Capital Region, and the company says its systems can provide renewable heating, cooling, and hot water and include monitoring and a smart thermostat.

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Alphabet lab turns out new geothermal company for residential heating and cooling - Utility Dive