Worried about sky-high gas prices? Amazon launches a very cheap solution

Gas and electric prices are rocketing with consumers facing sky-high costs to heat their homes.  It’s thought those on a default dual fuel tariff, paying by direct debit will see an average annual increase of £139 from £1,138 to £1,277. That’s a huge rise but it seems Amazon may have a cheap way of cutting down the monthly utility bills with the launch of an all-new smart thermostat.

This device, which will be powered by the firm’s Alexa smart assistant, has the ability to pump up the temperature when you walk in but then turn things down when you head out for the day or go to bed. This feature, called Hunches, uses clever AI to help save energy and lower consumption.

Along with Alexa getting involved with your daily heating, you can also set your own routines and even use voice control to get your home toasty or lower things if it all gets too hot.

Now, smart thermostats aren’t anything new with Google’s Nest and Hive already launching similar devices but Amazon says that its new option will make this tech more mainstream thanks to a much lower price.

In fact, this device only costs $59.99 (£40) – that’s around half the price of its rivals.

Of course, Amazon isn’t famed for its heating credentials so it’s joined forces with Honeywell Home to create this device.

Right now it’s only available in the US but hopefully that will change in the future with more countries getting access to this tech.

Speaking about the device, Amazon’s Rachel Praetorius, said: “We believe that to create a sustainable future, our vision must be broader than individual features or devices. Our aim is to create experiences that use AI to help customers live more sustainably without even having to think about it. Amazon Smart Thermostat is a new smart, ENERGY STAR-certified thermostat that works with Alexa to give customers a simple way to keep their home comfortable and energy-efficient for only $59.99—and it’s a great example of this vision.”

Along with this new thermostat, Amazon has also launched a new Echo called the Show 15.

This device snaps to your wall and features a 15.6-inch, 1080p Full HD display for an easy way to see the weekly diary, check the weather or even watch TV.

It’s powered by Amazon’s new AZ2 Neural Edge processor and also includes a redesigned home screen with more customization options, new personalisation features with visual ID, and all-new Alexa experiences.