Control your A/C from your smartphone this summer

Brooklynites are going to be hot this summer, just like everyone else. You’re also going to kick yourself if you leave your home air conditioner on accidentally after going to work. Think of all the money you’re wasting.

It turns out that ConEd feels the same way, and that’s why they are offering a free device that allows you to control a window-mounted A/C unit (or central air, but who has that in New York?) via your smartphone. Basically, it connects to the cloud and shuts off power to the A/C if you realize you accidentally left it on. It also measures how much energy you are using, and lets you track that on your computer.

We don’t normally cover citywide things, but this seems like a worthy exception.

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ConEd will give you one of these things for each window unit you have. Plus, it will even give you incentives to let them turn up your thermostat a few degrees if the load on the grid is too heavy.

(h/t Quartz)