CHATSWORTH, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 5, 2014) - Venstar®, a leading thermostat and energy management systems supplier, today announced its Two-Wire Kit (ACC0436), which can easily and affordably convert older, two-wire heaters and boilers to accept programmable thermostats, including Venstar's ColorTouch® residential (T5800) touch screen thermostat with Wi-Fi. This gives users remote control of their thermostats via the Internet, resulting in greater control of energy usage and costs.
Homes built more than 50 years ago, as well as many coastal homes without air conditioning, typically have just two wires connecting the thermostat to the furnace, electric heater or boiler. Most of today's digital thermostats require more than four wires to operate the furnace. Venstar's Two-Wire Kit provides an easy and affordable option to allow installation of programmable thermostats, including ColorTouch with Wi-Fi.
"Having an older home no longer means you can't have a Wi-Fi thermostat. Now, with Venstar's Two-Wire Kit, you can convert heat-only systems to integrate with digital programmable thermostats, including Venstar's ColorTouch," said Steve Dushane, CEO of Venstar.
Quick, Easy Upgrade Without Changing Major Electrical Components
Typically, when an older furnace was originally installed, HVAC contractors ran just two low-voltage wires inside the wall from the thermostat to the furnace. Because these homes only have two wires in the wall, homeowners had few options for upgrading the older mechanical thermostats.
Venstar's Two-Wire Kit solves the problem of not having enough wires. This kit supplies the additional 24-volt power wires for the new digital thermostat via a small plug-in wall transformer. As long as there is an electrical outlet near the thermostat, a contractor can plug in the 24-volt transformer, and the thermostat will come to life. The existing wires that were already in the wall are isolated from the new 24-volt transformer by a small isolation relay that is included in Venstar's Two-Wire Kit. Once this relay is placed inside the wall, it will isolate the furnace's old signal from the new 24-volt power. With Venstar's Two-Wire Kit, older millivolt heating systems can easily and affordably be converted for usage with a modern digital thermostat.
Venstar's Two-Wire Kit Updates a Yosemite Vacation Home
Venstar's Two-Wire Kit enabled the installation of ColorTouch digital Wi-Fi thermostats at Fletcher Tyler's vacation home at the Yosemite National Park. The thermostat is connected to the home's Wi-Fi via the Internet router, so it will communicate information -- including current temperatures inside and outside the home, usage history, and more -- right to Tyler's laptop computer or mobile device.
Using Venstar's Skyport™ Cloud Services mobile application on his mobile device or tablet computer over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G, or over the Internet from virtually any computer, Tyler can access any of his seven ColorTouch thermostats to remotely monitor his heaters' runtimes and reduce energy costs from any location, at any time.
Using his laptop, Tyler remotely accesses all seven ColorTouch thermostats to monitor, change, or simply view thermostat information. Using Skyport also gives him the ability to control heating energy costs by establishing setpoints for his guests, so no one can set the heat too high or leave it on when they are gone. He can also program the system to send him email alerts if the indoor temperature drops below his pre-determined setpoints.
Remotely Control Thermostats at Multiple Residences, Occupied or Not
Using the Skyport mobile app on their mobile devices, users of ColorTouch residential thermostats can:
- Control up to 10 thermostats at up to 10 residences using the Skyport mobile app on their mobile devices;
- Manage energy usage at one or multiple residences by checking room temperatures and making sure the heating and cooling setpoints are set correctly for maximum energy savings;
- Manage energy usage and costs for occupied and unoccupied homes, including rental properties;
- Remotely access "Home" and "Away" buttons to instantly set ColorTouch thermostats to pre-set settings. Users simply press the "Home" button on the mobile app, and the ColorTouch instantly goes to the pre-set occupied, comfort settings. When users press the "Away" button on the mobile app, the thermostat will instantly go to the pre-set unoccupied status, which helps users save on their utility bills;
- Program high and low temperature thresholds for supply air temperatures. The Supply Air Alert feature will send an email alert to the designated user when the supply air temperature (the air coming out of the HVAC equipment) is not within the pre-set thresholds for both heating and cooling;
- Monitor thermostat information, including system run time and current usage;
- View a pictorial display of the current weather and weather forecast for all thermostat locations; and
- Send text messages from the mobile device to the thermostat display, such as reminders and notes to family members or other occupants.
For more information, visit: https://venstar.skyportcloud.com
To download the Skyport Cloud Services mobile app, visit:
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.venstar.skyport
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/venstar-skyport/id520220656?mt=8
AppWorld Blackberry Store:
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/26327872/?countrycode=US&lang=en
About ColorTouch Residential Thermostat (Models T5800 and T5900)
The ColorTouch® thermostat has won top awards for ease of programmability, its color touch screen and the ability to post up to 100 photos or graphics on the screen. Consumer Reports rated ColorTouch Number 1 in thermostats for the second year in a row in its November 2013 issue. It also includes a free mobile app for Android™, BlackBerry® and Apple® iOS® mobile devices, so contractors or homeowners can remotely access and control their ColorTouch thermostats via their Venstar Skyport Cloud online accounts. Compatible with virtually every type of heating and air conditioning system, ColorTouch can be configured to display one of three languages: English, French or Spanish. ColorTouch is the thermostat that thinks it's a digital picture frame!
For more information on updating ColorTouch firmware, visit Update the ColorTouch Firmware.
For more information on ColorTouch, visit http://www.venstar.com/Thermostats/.
For product videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8reHhhLdMQ.
About Venstar Inc.
Founded in 1992, Venstar Inc. is a leading thermostat and energy management system (EMS) supplier, known for providing value to its customers via ease of use and installation, proven cost savings, improved energy efficiency, quality and reliability. Venstar is one of the largest thermostat suppliers in the world and designs and produces Venstar-branded products, as well as OEM thermostat products for the biggest names in HVAC. Venstar's Surveyor is a leading energy management system, typically saving small-box retailers 25-35 percent of their energy costs, which translates to tens of millions of dollars in savings each year and dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. Surveyor currently controls the energy usage of more than 20,000+ retail locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Visit Venstar: www.venstar.com
Email: sales@venstar.com
Telephone: 818-341-8760
Contact Information:
PR Contacts:
Teri Sawyer
T&Co.
714-801-1687
Michele Johnsen
818-618-1314
