Written by: Peter L. Mosca
In 2009, WIRED magazine again served as the technology and automation advisor for the Smart Home, helping to identify and secure new “smart” systems and fun gadgets with a focus on energy efficiency, homeowner awareness and great design. The result is a Smart Home that is responsible, responsive, and cutting-edge—and makes life easy. ecobee, a company dedicated to helping consumers conserve energy, save money and reduce their environmental impact, announced that the ecobee Smart Thermostat was selected for use in the “Smart Home: Green +Wired 2009″ exhibit in Chicago, presented by Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in partnership with Wired Magazine.
The exhibit, which is being built as a “living exhibition,” is a fully functioning, three-story modular green home that will showcase the ways people can make ecofriendly living a part of their lives. The 2,500-square-foot home and grounds will be open to the public through guided tours from March 19, 2009 to January 4, 2010.
“The philosophy behind this exhibit dovetails with our company philosophy of ‘green made easy,’” said Stuart Lombard, ecobee’s CEO, “that we can make a positive environmental impact if we make conservation a simple and easy choice. Distribution of the new ecobee Smart Thermostat began earlier this year, and we are extremely gratified with the reception that it is already receiving.” The ecobee Smart Thermostat is an attractive, modern-looking consumer electronic device with an easy-to-read full-color LCD screen. Homeowners can program the new thermostat very easily using its touch screen, or over the Internet, from anywhere, in seconds. It connects to homeowners’ standard WiFi (wireless network), which provides them remote access to their thermostat settings from any computer. “Its ‘Wizard’ function acts as a step-by-step guide through the programming process using a series of simple statements,” added Lombard.