A new smart thermostat from Apple and Schneider Electric could soon use your iPhone to figure out when you’re home – and help move heating and cooling to times when electricity is cleaner and/or cheaper.
Schneider Electric has unveiled a thermostat co-developed with Apple for the new Apple Home Collection (pictured above left). It debuts in the US and Canada in early 2027, alongside optional room sensors (pictured above right). Schneider lists suggested prices of $199.99 and $39.99, respectively; Apple’s announced prices are four cents lower for each. (For comparative purposes, an ecobee smart thermostat costs between $139.99 and $259.99, and a Google Nest smart thermostat costs between $99 and $280.)
The thermostat works through the Apple Home app, with no separate app or account required. You can adjust the temperature using Siri, but the distinguishing feature of this product is Apple’s Adaptive Temperature feature. It uses your iPhone’s intelligence to adjust heating and cooling based on whether you’re home, away, or settling down for the night, without you having to manually program a schedule.
There’s also an electricity-bill savings angle – otherwise, what’s the point? Apple says its Clean Energy Guidance feature can shift heating and cooling to cleaner, lower-cost periods for customers with compatible utility plans in the contiguous US. The Home app shows energy-use insights and peak and off-peak rate information.
The optional sensors measure temperature and humidity in different rooms. Apple’s thermostats can also use sensors built into HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini.
Schneider’s thermostat supports Matter – a unifying, IP-based connectivity protocol – and Thread, which keeps it connected to the home network during an internet outage.
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