Amazon recently expanded Alexa’s capabilities, adding support for thermostats. Thanks to the Alexa Skills Kit, you can now control the temperature of your home, as well as a few heating and cooling extras.
Carrier Infinity Joins the List
Joining the Alexa line-up which includes: Nest Learning Thermostat, Honeywell Lyric Thermostat, Honeywell Total Connect Comfort Thermostats, and Ecobee3 Smarter WiFi Thermostat, Alexa is now compatible with the Carrier Infinity Touch control. The enhancement is part of Carrier’s on-going effort to improve customer experience in the rapidly expanding smart home category.
Once the skill is enabled, homeowners that have a compatible Wi-Fi thermostat can verbally manage their thermostat control via Alexa-enabled devices such as Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap and more. The integrations keep coming, at such a pace that it can be hard to know exactly which products work with Alexa.
Matthew Pine, vice president, Carrier, Residential said, “The smart home environment is undergoing a major shift as brands like Amazon change the way homeowners think about being connected to their home and its major appliances.”
Example Alexa smart thermostat commands
“Alexa, set the bedroom temperature to 65 degrees”
“Alexa, raise the temperature by 4 degrees.”
“Alexa, set the ‘thermostat name’ to 75 degrees”
Why Get a Wifi Thermostat
We know that programmable thermostats save us money by reducing energy usage, so you waste less and spend less. Wireless thermostats, however, go the extra mile by giving you even more control over your energy usage by allowing you to control it remotely through your laptop, smartphone or other devices connected to the internet.
5 Top Reasons to Add a Wireless Thermostat
First, let’s clear up a bit of confusion. Wireless thermostats are called wireless because you can access the controls from a WiFi device, not because the installation of one does not require wiring. You still need a bit of wiring knowledge to properly connect a wireless thermostat to your HVAC system. Once installed, however you can access the controls from almost anywhere.
Some of the best reasons to replace your old thermostat with a new WiFi (and possibly Alexa-friendly) device are:
- Save more money with more control while you are away from your home.
- Set temperature alerts through the app so you know when your home is too hot or too cold from almost anywhere.
- Get reports on energy usage so you can see where you can save even more money.
- Extend the lifetime of your HVAC system by receiving alerts that tell you when to perform important maintenance.
- Arrive home to a perfect temperature, but save money all day while you are away.
Choosing the Right Wifi Thermostat
Most people love the idea of having a wireless thermostat in their home. They just don’t know which model to choose. If you need help choosing the right WiFi thermostat for your home, give the helpful experts at Presidential Heating & Air Conditioning a call at 301-900-5559 to speak with one of our HVAC experts.