Amazon unveils its first smart thermostat

Amazon’s invite-only product showcase is underway, and the first product to be unveiled is the company’s first ever smart thermostat, priced at a surprisingly competitive $60 — or around £44 in a direct currency conversion.

That’s already a low price, significantly cheaper than Nest’s cheapest thermostat (the £200 Nest Thermostat E) but Amazon reckons US customers will be able to grab one for less — maybe as little as $10 — thanks to a number of energy provider rebates, which will be visible on the Amazon.com website.
 
The company isn’t going it alone, and has apparently enlisted the help of Resideo, the firm behind Honeywell Home thermostats to help build the product, which is compatible with “most” 24V HVAC systems. Simplicity is the order of the day, with a clean design, featuring just the temperature and up/down buttons. 
 
As you might imagine, it works with Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa on your nearby Echo devices, and while that’s not entirely new in the space, the company is keen to stress that this doesn’t begin and end with voice controls. 
 
Alexa will, apparently, intelligently set schedules based on something called “Hunches”. If the virtual assistant has a ‘hunch’ that you’re out and about or have gone to bed, the heating will be turned down, ensuring you theoretically save money and avoid wasting energy without having to program it yourself. 
 
The thermostat is available in the US from today, but Amazon hasn’t yet said anything about UK pricing, if it is indeed coming over here. We’ll update this piece as and when we hear more, but hopefully we’ll be seeing a new addition to our list of the best smart thermostats very soon.