While thermostats have never been the nicest-looking equipment, they are starting to look better, with products like Honeywell’s Lyric and Google’s Nest really stepping it up in the aesthetics department. This year, you can add the JCI GLAS to the mix.
Instead of the round form factor of the two aforementioned products, the smart thermostat combines a wall-mounted bar with a transluscent OLED panel sitting on top. Yes, it’s not quite as efficient as the round minimalist shape of those units, but it does allow the thermostat to display a lot more information. Plus, the darn thing looks pretty, with a styling that resembles a really sleek bedside alarm clock. You know, if bedside alarm clocks were designed for mounting somewhere in the living room.
Like any thermostat, you can use the JCI GLAS to monitor and adjust air temperature using the touchscreen panel, so you can quickly lower temperature during hot days and raise it when the prevailing air is chilly. It can also monitor air quality both indoors and outdoors, check the weather, and perform a host of other functions directly from the built-in display, as well as create heating and cooling schedules according to your preferences. Because of the large display, it can show a lot of information – the kind that will normally require a smartphone app with other smart thermostats.
Aside from the touchscreen panel, you can control the same things using voice commands, so you just tell it to bring the temperature to a desired level to trigger the adjustment and ask it today’s weather to get the latest forecast. As with other smart thermostats, it can perform all the adjustments and monitoring on its own, adopting to your preferred schedules and settings over time. It can also detect when you get home and when you leave, powering up and down accordingly, so it doesn’t use up more power than it needs to.
Like many modern connected devices, the JCI GLAS also comes with intelligent assistant functions courtesy of Microsoft’s Cortana. That means, you can use it to manage your calendar, ask queries, and perform other virtual assistant functions. You can even tailor the display to show all your desired information in one screen, so it can serve as a single place to get all your details before leaving the door.
Don’t want to walk near the thermostat every time you want to do make some adjustments? Not a problem, as it also comes with a companion app that supports both onscreen and voice controls. As of now, apps are currently available for iOS and Android, with a Windows 10 version slated to show up around the time of the device’s release. There’s also a web app for controlling it directly from other platforms.
Want one? The JCI GLAS will be available for preorder this March, priced at $319. We know, that sounds steep, especially considering you can get a Nest for $169, but if you really like the aesthetics it can lend to your home, it could be worth it.