Honeywell Intl. Inc., manufacturer of the original round thermostat and long-standing manufacturer of both nonprogrammable and programmable thermostats, recently challenged certain advertising claims made by newcomer and rival Nest Labs Inc., which first began selling its Nest Learning Thermostat™ in late 2011.
In June, the National Advertising Division (NAD), an advertising industry investigative unit administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, examined Honeywell’s claims against Nest and issued a decision recommending Nest modify or discontinue certain advertising claims about its product. Nest, though it disagreed with the ruling, agreed to comply.