This story is part of our Tech of the Week series
Mini-split air conditioners are often overlooked in favor of central air conditioning systems, as most homes are prebuilt with ducts — making it easy to install an A/C unit and furnace to heat or cool all your rooms. Quilt is looking to change that, however, as the company (founded by former Google employees) has created a ductless HVAC system that looks great, works in all climates, and can be personalized to fit nearly every type of home.
Unlike central air conditioning systems, Quilt is a ductless mini-split system. That means you don’t need a system of air ducts installed throughout your home to use Quilt. Instead, an outdoor unit is connected to up to two indoor Quilt units, which are wall-mounted and push either cool or warm air through the room. Quilt comes with a control unit known as a Dial, which functions much like a smart thermostat, allowing you to set temperatures for individual rooms and optimize performance.
Along with the Dial, you can use a companion mobile app to control Quilt remotely. As you’d expect, you can automate Quilt’s performance by setting schedules or routines, ensuring each room hits the proper temperature throughout the day. Best of all, a system known as Quilt Intelligence will help reduce your electric bills by detecting when rooms are empty and automatically turning down power.
Unlike most mini-split systems, Quilt is shockingly easy on the eyes. Its indoor and outdoor units are modern and compact, and they look much more premium than the competition.
There are a few drawbacks to the unit, however, as it won’t launch with support for smart home platforms like Alexa or Google Home. The hardware can support Matter, though Quilt notes Matter won’t be available when the products launch this summer. Quilt’s launch will also be limited to select California markets, with future markets joining based on location and the quantity of reservations.
The biggest obstacle for Quilt to overcome will be its price, as it clocks in at $6,500 per room. That means a single-family home with multiple bedrooms will quickly see prices rise above $30,000. But because it’s so eco-friendly, is more stylish than most other products on the market, and helps reduce electric bills, it could be a worthwhile investment.
To learn more about Quilt, visit its official website.
Source: www.digitaltrends.com