Venstar®, a leading thermostat and energy management systems (EMS) manufacturer, today announced that its Explorer® Mini residential programmable Wi-Fi® thermostat has been named one of “The Best Smart Home Products of 2018” by Electronic House Magazine. The most affordable programmable Wi-Fi thermostat on the market, Venstar’s Explorer Mini is available throughout North America from Venstar’s exclusive network of Wholesale HVAC Distributors.

“We are very honored to win an Electronic House ‘Best Smart Home Products’ award for our Explorer Mini thermostat,” said Steve Dushane, president and CEO of Venstar Inc. “Good things come in small packages. With its small footprint, Explorer Mini packs a punch, delivering the programmability and Wi-Fi features of conventionally sized thermostats, including the ability to be remotely controlled with Venstar’s free Skyport Mobile App.”

Explorer Mini thermostats pack big features into a small footprint, helping homeowners save energy and improve indoor comfort. At just 3.2 inches wide by 3.2 inches high and less than an inch deep, it takes up less wall space than most thermostats.

Venstar’s Explorer Mini features include:

• Built-in Wi-Fi, enabling remote access to monitor and control;
• Seven-day programmability and multi-stage control;
• Small, compact size and simple installation;
• Two heat, two cool multi-stage
• Large, easy-to-read display with bi-color LED Heat/Cool indicator;
• Compatible with Amazon® Alexa and Google® Assistant
• Remote control with Skyport® Cloud Services;
• Compatibility with Venstar’s free Skyport Mobile App;
• Compatibility with Venstar’s Wireless Temperature Sensor (Model ACC-TSENWIFI) to remotely measure air temperatures such as indoor, outdoor, return air or supply air;
• Dry contact equipped;
• Local API for third-party monitor and control;
• Title 24 compliance and Open ADR 2.0b certified;
• Keypad lock to avoid tampering, ensuring control of energy usage; and
• An optional locking cover (ACC-0630) for commercial installations.

With Venstar’s free Skyport Mobile App, users can access and control Explorer Mini thermostats with their Apple® iOS and Android™ mobile devices. From the mobile app, users can:

• Remotely view thermostat information such as current weather and forecast and equipment status (heating, cooling, off);
• Control thermostat settings, such as change heat and cool setpoints or thermostat modes and set “Home” or “Away” at the touch of a button;
• Enable or disable the Time Period Schedule;
• View thermostat alerts such as supply air temperature*, air filter replacement and time for service;
• View current system temperatures with high and low values for the day; and
• View heating and cooling runtimes for the day, current week and previous week.

On the Skyport Cloud website, users have access to more advanced programming options, including global changes to temperature, mode, time period schedules, Holidays and vacations.

Explorer Mini thermostats are available for residential (Model T2000) and commercial (Model T2050) use and are compatible with virtually every type of heating and cooling system.

For additional integrations, Venstar’s Application Programming Interface (API) enables developers and installers to integrate the thermostats with other third-party systems, including most home automation systems.

About Venstar Inc.

Venstar Inc. is a leading thermostat and energy management system (EMS) manufacturer, known for providing value to its customers via ease of use and installation, proven cost savings, improved energy efficiency, quality and reliability. Founded in 1992, Venstar is one of the largest thermostat suppliers in the world and designs and produces Venstar-branded products, as well as OEM thermostat products for the biggest names in HVAC.  Venstar’s Surveyor is a leading energy management system, typically saving small-box retailers 20–35 percent of their energy costs, which translates to tens of millions of dollars in savings each year and dramatic reductions in CO₂ emissions. Surveyor currently controls the energy usage of 30,000+ retail locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.