Well, what if we turned off the thermostat, but on our return drive an hour away from home, I use my phone to direct an Internet-enabled thermostat to turn the heat up in my home!

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Your furnace or hot water heater functions exactly as it always has coming on and going off in response to thermostat settings.

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Through the app you can lock doors, adjust your thermostat, turn on and off lights or appliances and check your security cameras.

ENGADGET

There are some points of value, such as turning off a light from afar, adjusting a thermostat or checking if you left the oven on.

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The message this time: To slow down the acceleration of global warming by unplugging cellphone chargers, turning down the thermostat by one degree, and shutting off computers at night and on the weekends.

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It was he who perfected the kettle thermostat, the bimetallic strip which ensures our kettle switches off once it has boiled merrily for a few seconds, rather than boiling dry.

BBC: Inventing the basics

Customers who don't want their thermostat on autopilot could change their habits, by keeping the thermostat higher some days and running the electricity-hogging clothes dryer when off-peak prices are in effect.

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