SAN RAMON, Calif. - In order to establish a common communication infrastructure for HVAC and smart energy devices, the ClimateTalk™ Alliance has been launched by Consert Inc., Embedded Electronic Design Solutions (EDC), Emerson Climate Technologies, E-Senza, EWC Controls Inc., Microchip Technology Inc., Rheem Manufacturing Co., and Watsco Inc. According to the companies, the alliance will drive the future of ClimateTalk, an open standards communication framework to enable simple connectivity among diverse HVAC and smart energy devices.

With HVAC equipment consuming 40-45 percent of the energy in the home and new regional efficiency legislation on the horizon, the companies said this alliance has been formed to drive collaboration on standards that address fragmentation in the HVAC communications market by providing simple, cost effective solutions and provide interoperability for applications in the smart energy arena. This unified approach is said to offer benefits to utilities, OEMs, contractors, and homeowners alike.

“The ClimateTalk Alliance will help answer the growing need for a common communications protocol geared toward the residential HVAC industry,” said Kelvin Kleman, engineering manager electronics & controls, Rheem Manufacturing Co. “With the flexibility and adaptability of the ClimateTalk standardized protocol model, the alliance will support expanding this concept to control applications outside of HVAC, including air quality equipment and energy management systems, as well as a number of other applications.”

The ClimateTalk framework is designed to allow various components, including increasingly important smart energy devices, to send messages in the same language, no matter what brand of equipment is being used. The alliance said it offers an easy-to-use solution for homeowners as well as installation and diagnostic simplicity for contractors, which is of growing importance as the number of certified technicians for advanced systems continues to decrease. It can also expand message sets and applications, allowing for the addition of new components without upgrading the user interface, which offers ease of integration and flexibility for the OEM and allows for OEM customization and differentiation within a common framework.

The ClimateTalk Alliance noted that it is open to companies committed to providing long-term interoperability of communicating devices that provide reduction in energy consumption while improving comfort and end user experience. For more information, visit www.climatetalk.org.

Publication date: 11/16/2009