As the connected thermostat market continues to boom, this year’s gold winner in the residential controls category stands out as “one of the best Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats on the market,” according to one Dealer Design Awards judge. Designed to measure temperature and occupancy in multiple locations throughout the home, ecobee Inc.’s ecobee3 smarter Wi-Fi thermostat with remote temperature sensors increases comfort and saves energy. And, while customers enjoy the modern design and user-friendly interface, contractors are enamored with ecobee3’s ease of installation as well as its Contractor Portal, which gives contractors and installers the ability to monitor their customers’ HVAC equipment operation anytime, anywhere.
“Through the Contractor Portal, we know the customer is having an issue — whether it’s no cooling or no heating — and sometimes we know before our clients do,” said Alan Dobbin, co-owner of A&T Mechanical in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. “Sometimes, we can talk it through on the phone, or we’re already on our way to fix the problem. Having the thermostat monitor the equipment is fantastic, and customers love it.”