What good is a smart thermostat if you can’t control the temperature in a given room? Ecovent Systems has developed a clever way to remotely set per room temperature with an app-controlled vents that open and close to set temperatures on a room-by-room basis. Unlike traditional approaches, these vents, coupled with their temperature sensors, are do-it-yourself installs with no wiring required.

Although improving comfort is a major benefit of these type of devices, the energy savings could pay for these devices. Dipal Patel, Co-Founder and CEO of Ecovents, cites an example where one of their beta customers saved over 30% by installing their system and decreased room-to-room temperature variations from 15 to 2 degrees.

That Emerson Climate Technologies (a business segment of HVAC leader, Emerson) recently invested in Ecovent and that there are at least two suppliers (Ecovents and Keen Home) of product for this nascent category suggests that this is viable approach to residential climate control. Both companies expect to be shipping product in late 2015.