BOULDER, Colo. — Although the market for smart thermostats has struggled to gain traction, recent developments — particularly the purchase of smart thermostat maker Nest Labs by Google for a reported $3.2 billion — indicate that growth is likely to accelerate, according to Navigant Research. The firm forecasts that worldwide revenue from smart thermostats will grow from $86 million in 2013 to almost $1.4 billion in 2020.

“Large retailers, including Lowe’s and The Home Depot in the United States and B&Q in Europe, have begun selling smart thermostats, signaling that sales of these devices could grow in coming years,” said Bob Lockhart, research director with Navigant Research. “It remains to be seen, though, whether marketing efforts on behalf of these retailers will raise the interest of a large pool of customers who are not already planning to replace an existing thermostat.”