ecobee, an energy management company, teamed with Macadamian, a global software consultancy, to design the first WiFi enabled full-color, touch screen home thermostat, and was recognized this week with two IDA awards. For its simple and intuitive design, ecobee received the Gold award for Energy Conservation Equipment and the Silver award for Residential Sustainable Design.



ecobee sought expert help from Macadamian to ensure that its development efforts would match the needs of its users. Completed in 2009, ecobee's WiFi-enabled Smart Thermostat features simple touch-screen programming and access to a personalized web portal allowing homeowners to control their thermostat settings from their smart phones or anywhere that they have an Internet connection. "ecobee truly cares about great design, simplicity, and usability, which is why they stand out in a field of products that are notoriously hard to use," said Matthew Hately, vice president and general manager at Macadamian. "We're delighted that they've been recognized by the design community and Macadamian is honored to have played a part in their success."

"We are honored to receive the Gold and Silver award for Energy Conservation Sustainable Design from the IDA. This international recognition of the ecobee Smart Thermostat reflects the successful working partnership between ecobee and Macadamian," said Stuart Lombard, president and CEO at ecobee. "Having a world class user experience for all of our products is a challenge we focus on each and every day."
ecobee is in good company at the IDA this year with 2011 International Design Awards also granted to products by Herman Miller, GE, Microsoft, and Jawbone.

Despite the fact that a programmable thermostat conserves energy and saves money, only 22% of people actually program their thermostat, while 85% of ecobee users program theirs. Visit the ecobee website at www.ecobee.com to see the Smart Thermostat in action.



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