KONOse is an Energy Star® certified smart thermostat from the Johnson Controls brand of LUX® Products. Designed to address the senior care market, it features increased visibility, focused ease of use, and adjustment assurance to create the best experience for residents of senior living facilities. The introduction of the KONOse also marks the start of a new collaboration between Johnson Controls and K4Connect, a technology partner for senior living communities.
“The KONOse enhances senior comfort through an easy-to-understand display and improved control for those with limited fine motor skills,” said Justin Pasquale, product management, thermostats and sensors at Johnson Controls. “It also provides connectivity, energy efficiency, and cost savings for facility managers.”
The KONOse is an extension of the KONO smart suite of products for commercial facilities. To increase visibility, Johnson Controls designed it with larger primary and secondary digits as well as enhanced backlight options for ideal viewing in all environments.
When it comes to ease of use, large icons on the KONOse like a flame and snowflake call out heating and cooling functions, while an “emergency heat” function visible only to facility managers allows for passive monitoring. Users can rotate the thermostat’s dial to adjust the set temperature or push the dial to change HVAC modes. While adjusting the set temperature, the KONOse displays the new temperature as well as the current HVAC mode to ensure the user is setting the temperature in the right direction. These intuitive settings and tactile feedback are specifically tuned to users who have limited fine motor skills.
And on the connectivity front, the KONOse offers a host of features to help facility managers and residents alike control comfort and savings. It leverages the power of the Z-wave smart home technology hub, allowing managers to connect all smart devices throughout the facility. The smart thermostat is also compatible with the LUX app so users can make temperature and scheduling adjustments from any device.
The KONOse features Heat, Cool, and Heat & Cool modes along with universal compatibility with forced air, gas, oil, and electric furnaces; heat pump systems with or without aux/emergency heat; and hydronic (hot water) zone valves (two wire). The smart thermostat has a True White cover with trim plate (décor snap covers are available separately) and measures 4½” H x 4½” W x 1″ D. It is powered by four AA alkaline batteries, c-wire (included and provides up to two year battery life), or LUX Power Bridge (sold separately).
Through Johnson Controls design partnership with K4Connect, the LUX KONOse is now part of an advanced enterprise technology solution in senior living. Built specifically for residents, staff, and operators, K4Connect helps deliver a great experience for residents while providing insights to help operators improve their overall business health.
“Our K4Labs team tests hundreds of IoT devices for older adult-friendly design and functionality to ultimately determine the devices we prefer to integrate with,” said Derek Holt, executive vice president of development and chief operating officer at K4Connect. “It was exciting to work with Johnson Controls to design the KONOse and we look forward to bringing it to senior living communities across the nation.”
The LUX KONOse is available now through K4Connect dealers.
