Johnson Controls Crams Cortana Into GLAS OLED Smart Thermostat

There are plenty of smart thermostats on the market today with the devices from Nest being the most popular. Microsoft has announced that JCI (Johnson Controls) has launched a new smart thermostat called GLAS that uses Windows 10 IoT Core as the operating system and integrates Cortana. Smart thermostats in general are aimed at helping users save money on heating and cooling bills by giving more control over how energy is used and at what time. Microsoft notes that 40% of the energy use in a commercial building or home is due to heating and cooling.

GLAS is a very slick looking thermostat with a translucent OLED touchscreen that lets you control the temperature, monitor indoor and outdoor air quality, and check the weather. The thermostat can be connected to the internet and can adjust settings on your heating and cooling system to create a comfortable environment.

The thermostat can learn your preferred settings and your daily routine, intelligently detecting when the user is home and adjust the temperature accordingly. The integration of Cortana into the GLAS thermostat allows the adjusting of temperature using your voice. If you are across the room and snug in a warm blanket and you want the heat turned down, you can say “Hey Cortana, set the temperature to 68-degrees.”

Cortana is also able to let your thermostat give you other information to make your day easier. You can get morning traffic reports and retrieve scheduled appointments on your calendar. GLAS can be accessed via smartphones, tablets, and web browsers to control the indoor environment from wherever you are. Android and iOS apps are available now with a Windows 10 app coming soon.

Microsoft wrote, “Windows 10 IoT simplifies the process of bringing together all the pieces and technologies needed to make a full solution. JCI chose to build GLAS on Windows 10 IoT Core and utilize Azure IoT Hub device management capabilities, which was released with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Because GLAS is powered by Windows 10 IoT Core and Azure IoT, the smart thermostat keeps getting better by delivering the latest feature and security software updates.”

Pre-orders will start in March with a price tag of $319.