✔Smartphone

✔Tablet

✔Laptop

✔Bluetooth speakers

✔Fitbit

✔Alexa

The checklist seems complete, so what else can you buy for the tech-savvy person on your shopping list? How about a gift that gives money back? The latest Wi-Fi Thermostat. Kotz carries several brands including Honeywell, White Rodgers, Trane, and Emerson programmable thermostats.

Let’s be clear what we’re talking about. The new generation of programmable Wi-Fi thermostats bears little resemblance to what was sold a few short years ago. Many of the new thermostats can be controlled using Amazon’s Alexa or Google home. In other words, changing the settings is as simple as saying, “Alexa, turn the heat up to 72.” It’s a great tool to make HVAC cool and exciting for the geek on your shopping list.

Some models can even “learn” your behavior and create a schedule based on your activities. In other words, you don’t have to program a schedule into the thermostat. It “learns” when you are away from home each day and when you return. The thermostat then adjusts the temperature in the house. If you want to override it, you can do it easily with your smartphone, computer, or again with voice control. If that’s not enough, consider this: There are even thermostats on the market that will track energy usage and send a report to your mobile device showing how much money it’s saving for you.

What we’re talking about is the future, and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Home automation and system control through the internet are dominating the consumer electronics industry. Market experts predict the smart home market share will be worth tens-of-billions of dollars in the next few years. Along with Google and Amazon, big names like Apple, GE, and Microsoft are all heavily involved.

Kotz can also talk with you about some other great gift ideas to make your home a better and more comfortable place to live. Here are a few other ideas to consider:

• Carbon monoxide detector
  • Is there a better gift than one that could save a life? Kotz can install one or more carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Don’t take a chance on tragedy striking your home.
• Indoor air quality
  • Indoor air quality is a critical for people who suffer from asthma or allergies. What better gift than healthier air for the entire household? Kotz features several filtration and purification products from leading manufacturers.
• Surge protection
  • Give the gift of protection. Protect your home’s heating and cooling systems with a surge protection system to guard against blackouts and voltage surges.

You may not think about Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing when you think about Christmas shopping, but just call us to learn more about some of the cool things we have available.