Early Thermostat control, circa. 1991 Photo Courtesy of Bedrock Learning

Technology has come a long way from the early days of home automation 25+ years ago. Back then people were no different than they are today; eager to go with a new idea that will save money. In the early days, energy management was done by brute force, cobbling together wiring, a switch and two thermostats to give the homeowner options and control. Imagine two rotary dial thermostats side-by-side on the wall, one thermostat for energy savings called “Economy Mode” and the other thermostat called “Comfort Mode.” The user would set the desired temperature level for each mode and switch between the two modes by the manual push of a button. Now comes the automation: to remotely switch between the two thermostats, “Economy” or “Comfort” mode, a contact relay was used.

Fast forward to today and it’s so much cleaner and easier to make this happen. Smart thermostats are the norm and with wireless technologies like IP, Zigbee and Z-Wave no wiring is needed. Set-up is quick and programming logic is simple. Add to that the opportunity to offer remote access and control over the Internet with recurring monthly revenue (RMR), it’s a great option to add to your offerings.