Home Free: Control Your HVAC from Anywhere with a Programmable Thermostat iPhone App

What if you got an email when you were on vacation that said "Hey Jack, your pipes are going to freeze!"

With new thermostat technology called an IP Thermostat, you can now remotely control your home thermostat over the internet. "IP" is short for Internet Protocol meaning these new thermostats can be controlled from the internet via a secure website control panel. So you control your home thermostat remotely from a computer or even your iPhone!

The IP Thermostat looks like a regular electronic thermostat. It has a back-lit graphic LCD control screen and integrates into your existing heating system. The thermostat installs on your Local Area Network (LAN) and is controlled by a web browser on your networked computer.

It also allows you to get real time email alarm notifications of critical information such as low temperatures, danger of freezing pipes and other alerts so you may respond quickly to avert major damage to your home when high or low temperature alarms are triggered.

These IP thermostats works like just about any other electronic thermostat and are compatible with:

• Gas furnace
• Gas or oil fired boiler / hydronic (hot water) heating
• Electric heat pump system with auxiliary heat
• Central air conditioning

As for the iPhone, a company called Proliphix^TM makes an Energy Star compliant IP Thermostat that can even be controlled from an iPhone^TM--which is the ultimate in cool. The iPhone or iPad Touch feature from Proliphix allows you to perform the following tasks via the IP Thermostat app:

• Set temperature for a specific period of time
• Set thermostat to HOME, AWAY or OUT
• Remotely check zone temperature
• Remotely adjust heat/cool settings
• Display temperature / zone information

So check out the next generation in thermostat technology and "chat with your 'stat!" (Ouch).

Bob Formisano is an architect and builder with over 25 years experience in home renovation, architectural design and construction and writes on home repair for About.com as their Home Repair Guide (author). In 2004 Bob also founded Home-Cost.com, a website providing on-line new home building construction cost estimating.