Page 58 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue

Environmental Control: Running a temperature. Smart
thermostats such as Honeywell’s
Lyric T6 Pro, Zen Ecosystems’ Zen,
At Your Fingertips Lennox iComfort M30 and
Johnson Controls’ GLAS are
“ HEY, IT’S COLD IN HERE —who making indoor environmental
control a breeze (when desired).
turned o the sonic heat?” Nothing like
hearing George Jetson complain about
H the outcome of not paying the electric
bill—just like now. And that’s not the only thing
from the television future that’s unchanged:
Thermostats in ‰ctional 2062 still needed a Žick CREDIT: HONEYWELL
of the wrist to work.
Not true in today’s real world, however.
Honeywell’s Lyric T6 Pro [https://bit.ly/2N0k8Dz]
geofencing technology lets the thermostat
adjust the temperature based on a homeowner’s
smartphone location. If, for example, the owner
arrives home late from work or leaves the house
for a few hours on the weekend, the T6 will
know and switch into savings mode, maximizing
energy efficiency. The unit also lets an owner
manage the home’s temperature directly through
smart phones, and works with nearly any HVAC
system. The unit retails for about $120.
Also taking an approach not foreseen by the CREDIT: ZEN ECOSYSTEMS
Jetsons clan is Johnson Controls’ GLAS smart
thermostat [www.johnsoncontrols.com]. The
company reports that the product is the ‰rst to use
a translucent OLED touchscreen display, monitor
indoor and outdoor air quality, track energy savings
and be controlled by voice. The latter feature is
accomplished via its integration with Amazon
Alexa, Google Assistant and Microsoft Cortana. GLAS
retails for about $320.
The simply designed, Zigbee-connected Zen
Thermostat from Zen Ecosystems [https://bit.
ly/2kzPZZ9], paired with multiple service
operator (MSO) smart home software, offers
similar temperature control and energy saving CREDIT: LENNOX
benefits. It also, during high-demand periods,
automatically adjusts temperature to reduce
energy use and strain on the grid. Zen Thermostat
sells for around $200.
Meanwhile, Lennox’s iComfort M30 Smart
Thermostat [https://bit.ly/2x393qF] includes a
“Feels Like” temperature feature, similar to a weather
report. The feature takes into account indoor and
outdoor temperature, and humidity to make the
home feel exactly like the homeowner wants it to. CREDIT: AUGUST
The “Perfect Temp” mode allows homeowners to set
the ideal temperature, and the system automatically CREDIT: JOHNSON CONTROLS
adjusts heating and cooling to maintain that level.
M30 retails for about $320.

56 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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