GE has a new HomeKit-enabled single-room air conditioner available for purchase, which is the first HomeKit-compatible GE product that's launched so far.
The GE Energy Star 115 Volt Electronic Room Air Conditioner (model number AHP08LX) can be purchased exclusively from Lowe's for $319. Though Lowe's is charging $319, the GE site says the MSRP for the device is $269, so it may be prudent to wait for a sale.
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According to GE, the Window Air Conditioner offers 8,000 BTUs sufficient for cooling medium-sized rooms of 250 to 350 square feet. It comes equipped with a WiFi Connect feature, designed to allow the unit to be controlled via a smartphone.
WiFi Connect supports HomeKit, allowing the device to be monitored and accessed through the dedicated Apple Home app and through Siri commands. HomeKit compatibility also lets it be incorporated into scenes and automations.
There are few HomeKit-enabled air conditioning units on the market at this point in time, with the only other HomeKit air conditioner available from Haier in a limited number of markets.
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2 Pictures from Lowe’s main product page and then their spec page. Then 2 from ge main produce page, then spec sheet
Unless you need to to be able to actually adjust the temperature remotely then it’s still a lot of money. If you are just concerned with schedules and turning it on and off you could get a non-smart AC and a HomeKit compatible outlet for way cheaper.
Controlling fan speed and temp are going to go a long way to saving energy. Finding a HomeKit compatible plug that'll support 15A and the wattage an AC pulls is going to be a challenge.Or save even more, skip the HomeKit compatibility and get a TP-Link outlet when they’re on sale, which is frequent, and control it from the TP-Link app.
In the end, as I said before, you'll easily make up the price difference in a single summer compared to a conventional unit and won't have to go through the hassle of finding a HomeKit plug and losing remote control of temp and fan speed. Often it's worth spending a bit more money to get a better solution and one that's easier to use.
A top quality 8000 BTU AC goes for about $200. No way I’d pay anywhere’s near $320 for this.
Being able to remotely control it could EASILY save you the difference in price in a single summer of use from the saved electricity.I am amazed you still have these AC units in the states, cheap but fugly.
If you rent an apartment you can’t just drill a hole in your exterior wall and install a split unit, not to mention the cost is exponentially more.Here most are split AC units or the movable AC units with a tube to the outside.
Seems expensive.
Everything with more technology in it gets more expensive as time goes by, get over it. If you want cheap, don't buy into the latest technology, wrap a cold towel around your head.Never got the obsession with America and ice cold temperatures and a million ice cubes in a drink for that matter lol
It's not an obsession with America, it's something that happens in more developed countries in general. If you can afford air conditioning to feel comfortable indoors, why should you have to suffer?One simply should not come back home from a Miami summer with a cold!
Is it really Home-Kit Compatible? Looks like Lowe’s just made a mistake. Maybe I’m wrong but a little research before posting an article like this. People may buy just to be let down and then not trust this news source.
I did look into this pretty thoroughly before posting. From what I can tell, GE is more heavily promoting the Alexa integration, but it does appear to be HomeKit compatible. In the manual for the machine, there's a specific HomeKit section that confirms that it comes with the HomeKit code to add it to a HomeKit setup.2 Pictures from Lowe’s main product page and then their spec page. Then 2 from ge main produce page, then spec sheet
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The GE appliances brand has been owned by Haier since June 2016.
Yeah, but the brands are separate.