Airzone, ecobee Announce Partnership

In an effort to continue carving its path into the custom integration channel, Airzone Control—the smart HVAC control solutions provider—announced a new partnership with ecobee, one of the leading smart thermostat makers, in addition to a range of other connected security and sensor solutions. The integration of Airzone’s Inverter (VRF/mini-split) HVAC units into the ecobee ecosystem will unlock another avenue for energy savings for consumers in the booming category.

As we’ve explored in conversations with Airzone here on ResTech, their product solves the challenge of inverter units, such as heat pumps, VRF units, and mini-splits, not being able communicate directly with a smart thermostat. The Airzone Aidoo Pro control gateway acts as the bridge between those products, leveraging its exclusive library of manufacturer protocols.

“This integration makes a seamless HVAC experience possible, allowing contractors to offer customers an upgraded home experience that you can control right from your smart thermostat,” Adam Welton, Sr. Director Channel Marketing for ecobee, said in a statement announcing the partnership.

Together, Airzone and ecobee will enable consumers to seamlessly automate and optimize their HVAC systems. Homeowners with an ecobee Smart Thermostat are already able to automate temperature setpoints that align with their schedules. By layering in additional ecobee SmartSensors, that automation can deepen, giving the user control over whether a room in the house gets heat (or air conditioning) based on if it’s occupied or not. Add in an ecobee Smart Security subscription, and the system can do things like recognize if a door is left open and cut off the HVAC system to avoid wasting energy—no more screams from Dad about heating the whole neighborhood in the winter!

When the Airzone Aidoo Pro is factored into the equation, it can translate those commands from the ecobee system and ensure precise temperature control is in place without any hiccups in functionality.

“Aidoo works with ecobee to enable next-generation features like demand response on VRF, heat pumps, mini-splits, and other Inverter HVAC units,” Victoria Garcia Massimo, Director of Operations for Airzone North America, said in the statement. “This responsible energy usage keeps the grid stable, and homeowners don’t notice any difference except a lower energy bill.”

Taking another step deeper into the partnership, homeowners with an ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium are already able to take advantage of features like eco+, which includes demand response capabilities. This means the system is capable of preventing blackouts while lowering homeowners’ energy bills. Utility companies generally charge more for energy during peak demand periods. With demand response, rooms and homes can be pre-heated or pre-cooled during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest.

For integrators, the Aidoo Pro hooks into the ecobee Smart Thermostat via a wired connection. It gives them and the homeowner the ability to remotely monitor and manage the HVAC system through the Airzone Cloud app. Both Airzone and ecobee also feature support across a broad range of smart home systems, including Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and more.