Quilt Makes a Smart HVAC System
While Smart Thermostats are owned in millions of US households, the monitors connect to a variety of climate control systems, from centralized heat pumps to older oil and gas powered furnaces. Start up Quilt is seeking to redesign the concept of smart climate control by releasing a trio of new products (Quilt Outdoor Unit, Quilt Indoor Unit, and Quilt Dial) designed to provide maximum cooling and heating comfort in individual rooms in the home. The outdoor unit is a traditional heat pump that works in tandem with Quilt’s Indoor heating and cooling units, providing precise climate control in every room of the house. Quilt’s Dial acts as a room specific smart thermostat that complements the Indoor units. The entire system is connected and controllable via Quilt’s mobile app.
The Circana Take:
- Climate control in the home continues to be a driver of smart home device sales and Quilt’s focus on energy efficiency targets the primary reason many users invest in smart thermostats.
- Recent news surrounding the efficiency benefits of heat pumps compared to other climate control systems and the added advantages of connectivity in these systems indicate a growing opportunity.
Google Adds Smart Home Functionality
Google has announced that it will expand its Matter structure and allow Google TVs and Chromecasts to be used as Google Home hubs and Matter controllers. With timing to happen later this year, Chromecasts and select Google TVs running Android 14 or higher (as well as some LG TVs) will be upgraded to become Google Home Hubs. Further, devices with Thread chips built in will be able to act as Thread border routers. This development comes as Google plans to upgrade all of its Home hubs (including Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, and Google Wi-Fi devices) to support local control of Matter devices.
The Circana Take:
- The addition of Matter functionality to the millions of installed Google TV and Chromecast devices will help drive adoption of the technology standard.
- Increased awareness of the benefits of Matter and now greater availability and control of smart home devices will continue to drive engagement with Google’s platform.