Consumers Gain Comfort, Energy Management Control While HVAC Sales Climb
LONDON — Annual shipments of remote access and control thermostats that allow consumers to adjust temperature in homes via a smartphone or tablet will quadruple by 2017, as consumers aim for increased comfort in their residences, according to a report from IMS Research, now part of IHS.
Approximately 3 percent of the 38 million thermostats shipped globally in 2012 gave consumers the ability to remotely adjust the temperature and other comfort settings in their homes through a smartphone or tablet, the study showed. Shipments last year of thermostats with remote access and control functionality amounted to 1.3 million units, with the number projected to increase more than fourfold to 5.9 million units by 2017 (See Figure 1).