There are several smart appliances available on the market today which can be operated through your smartphone, and such devices have indubitably increased accessibility for individuals with disabilities in a myriad of ways. However, many of these products remain terrifically expensive making them less attainable to the average consumer. The Quirky + GE Aros Smart Air Conditioner offers both smart features and a reasonable asking price.
As the outside temperature spikes this summer, I try to remain cool indoors. I do run into one major predicament though: I cannot reach my thermostat as it’s too inaccessible for me to reach, so I must rely on someone to adjust the temperature for me. No biggie, right? If you reside in the Midwest, you know very well how unpredictable the weather can be and how often it fluctuates; there are days you wake up to leave for work and it’s only 50 degrees out so you adjust the air accordingly, likely turning it off altogether; but when you return home for lunch, it’s pushing 90 and your home is comparable to the inside of an Easy Bake Oven (minus the yummy baked treat of course.) I often just choose to leave my air on in the summer, but to do so 1) is expensive, and 2) can turn my home into an igloo upon dropping outside temperatures. The Quirky Aros Smart Air Conditioner aims to be energy efficient and accessible while users are both in or outside the home, providing them full control of their air. Aros is aesthetically pleasing with its sleek, futuristic design, which is only an added bonus to its other features:
- It is smartphone savvy so users are able to control the unit on the go or from inside their home. It connects via Wi-Fi and can be monitored, programmed, and controlled from anywhere with the easy-to-use Wink app.
- Aros keeps a constant eye on how much you’ve spent on cooling each month and offers suggested settings based on your budget and the upcoming weather report so you can better save on energy costs.
- With its intuitive scheduling, Aros learns to cool when you need it, not when you don’t. It predicts the temperatures you like when you wake up, lounge on weekends, leave for work or return home.
- Anticipates your movements by responding to your smartphone’s GPS settings and turns off when you leave and creates the perfect temperature by the time you get back home.
Specs:
- Cools 350 square feet
- Fits double-hung windows 24.5″ to 40.5″ W x 13.5″ H
- Three cooling modes and three fan speeds
- 8000 BTSU, 115 volt, 6.3 amps