With the increased adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), everything is becoming smarter. Homeowners are expecting this same level of ease and access from their HVAC contractor and system. Homeowners want everything in their home to be smart and work efficiently.

What does this mean for HVAC contractors? It means that they should be offering homeowners systems that not only work hard, but also work smart.

Smart Thermostat Connectivity

For the HVAC system (and it is a system), the thermostat is the hub. It is the product that homeowners interact with the most. Ask a homeowner who the manufacturer of their air conditioner is, and a lot of times they will simply tell you the name that is on the thermostat.

It is important for HVAC contractors to install a smart thermostat that links them to the customer. A perfect example is the Trane Link UX360 that utilizes Trane Link connectivity. This means homeowners can easily access and control their smart thermostat from their smartphone, tablet, or computer, putting comfort into the homeowners’ hands through the Trane Home App.

“The key is the customizable comfort aspect of the homeowner app,” said Caitlin Butler, Thermostat and Home App Product Manager at Trane. “Homeowners can create customized schedules to fit their lifestyle and automate comfort settings with geofencing, allowing their HVAC system to respond based on their location. Our systems also integrate with indoor air quality monitors, enabling smart automation that helps maintain a healthier home environment.

Trane smart systems provide customizable comfort, while also driving energy efficiency. “HVAC is usually the largest consumption of energy use in a home. Traditional thermostats with a single setpoint maintain the same temperature all day, which can lead to unnecessary energy use or discomfort due to insufficient heating/cooling. Trane smart thermostats offer features and advanced comfort algorithms that can optimize both energy efficiency and comfort,' Butler said. "Our refreshed 24V non-communicating thermostats, set to launch next year, will also feature occupancy sensing technology to complement our geo-fencing capabilities, further enhancing customizable scheduling and energy efficiency for the homeowner."

Connectivity means more than just Wi-Fi control. It is a system that communicates within itself, allowing for constant adjustments and remote control.

Trane App Connection

For HVAC dealers to properly serve the homeowner, they must look at overall home comfort and convey that message to the customer. Contractors should think more about the holistic experience for homeowners, and how they can improve their day to day, rather than thinking about the products individually. What this means is packaging the heating and cooling equipment with the smart thermostat, and with Trane’s smart thermostat offerings, homeowners can connect to third-party integrations. The goal is to create a comfortable and seamless space for the homeowner, whether they use the Trane Home App or not.

"Homeowners do not necessarily have to use the Trane Home App for remote system control,” Butler said. “Once they enroll their smart thermostat with a Trane Home account, they can then integrate it with their preferred smart home ecosystem, such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This allows them to control their thermostat through those apps or via voice controls.”

Proactive Diagnostic

The smart home comfort system from Trane allows HVAC dealers to stay on top of system maintenance while also creating a preventative touch point with the consumer to make sure they don’t lose them to a competitor.

After the Trane dealer installs and sets up the thermostat for the homeowner, the customer can provide access to the contractor so that both parties can work together to make sure the homeowner has the most energy-efficient product to cool and heat their home.

“We can provide a lot of diagnostic functionality for our dealers through our smart thermostats and our communicating systems — even our 24-volt systems. We have a whole team that focuses just on algorithms development for our 24-volt smart thermostats so that we can provide additional value that you would not be able to get with a competitor's 24-volt thermostat. And our smart thermostats are compatible with any other brands equipment,” Butler said. “If you are a trained Trane dealer, you can still put our 24-volt, non-communicating smart thermostat on a system and take advantage of those smart diagnostics.”

Trane Dealers can receive alert notifications at the same time as homeowners by using Trane Diagnostics. As most HVAC contractors know, homeowners do not always respond to alerts they receive on their thermostat or through apps. When these small problems are ignored, they can often turn into larger and more expensive problems down the line. Trane smart thermostats paired with Trane Diagnostics provide an opportunity for HVAC contractors to have a better understanding of what is happening with a homeowner’s system and identify the best course of action.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Trane is on a mission to help HVAC dispatchers and, in turn, contractors, work just as efficiently as their HVAC units. The time of a technician is valuable, specifically highly trained senior techs. By identifying the problem before arriving at the residence, contractors can be strategic and thoughtful about if someone needs to go address the problem and who they will send based on the specific issue.

It starts with ensuring the relationship between the homeowner and their HVAC dealer. Trane smart thermostats allow a dealer to save their company information onto the home screen of the thermostat, meaning the homeowner will see their dealer’s information whenever they interact with their thermostat.

“The dealer's contact information is showing up right there on the home screen of the smart thermostat. It is like their digital calling card. It really allows the dealer to build that relationship with the homeowner. From there, Trane dealers can use Trane Diagnostics to remotely monitor a system, which provides them the ability to proactively reach out to the homeowner and tell them that they see the system has a problem and that they can send a technician to take care of it for the homeowner. It really creates this cool, white glove experience that the dealers can provide the homeowners,” Butler said. “Our smart thermostats also provide 30 days of detailed runtime history in Trane Diagnostics, so a technician doesn’t even have to be on site at the moment when the customer experiences an issue. It’s also extremely useful for identifying system behavior that isn’t easily recreated on site. Technicians can often solve a portion of the problem from a distance or at least show up to the home having a good idea of what the problem is.”

It's not just dealers and technicians who benefit from this ability to get diagnostics from a system – homeowners recognize the value and the peace of mind it brings. Over 90% of homeowners who enroll their thermostat in a Trane Home account choose to share their system data with their Trane dealers.

A smart, connected HVAC system is key to true home comfort. Trane systems are built for flexibility and personalization, allowing dealers to offer customers comfort that fits their lifestyle.

To learn more about these features, visit www.trane.com/residential.