Vivint, a subsidiary of US-based energy and home services company NRG, has launched Comfort IQ, an AI-powered energy management solution that uses data from connected devices to control household heating and cooling.
Sensors, security devices and thermostats inform the system whether a home is occupied. Comfort IQ learns household routines and adjusts the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system based on whether residents are at home, away or asleep.
The solution works with existing gas or electric HVAC equipment via a Vivint Smart Thermostat. Customers set their preferred temperatures in the Vivint app when activating Comfort IQ. It then operates without a fixed schedule, though users can adjust the settings manually.
Comfort IQ uses information from across the home
Vivint previously offered related controls under the Smart Comfort name. These could adjust temperatures using learning algorithms and location-based virtual boundaries known as geofencing, and could also adjust the security system, such as a resident setting it to “Away” mode.
Comfort IQ uses data from several connected devices to identify and predict occupancy patterns. It also monitors how long the HVAC equipment runs and bases air-filter replacement reminders on actual usage rather than on a fixed calendar.
NRG reported 2.52 million Vivint Smart Home customers at the end of June 2026. Its latest annual filing stated that Vivint’s platform supported more than 37 million connected household devices at the end of 2025, averaging about 16 per household.
Study reports lower HVAC runtime
Vivint said that a year-long independent study by Tierra Resource Consultants covered 50,000 Vivint households across five major US climate zones.
The study found that average HVAC runtime fell by 13%. Cooling runtime declined by almost 16%, while heating runtime fell by almost 12%.
Vivint estimates that the reductions could save a household an average of $210 per year in energy costs across the US, rising to as much as $300 in some regions with higher heating or cooling demand. These figures are estimates, and savings are not guaranteed. Results will depend on climate, energy prices, the property, HVAC performance, occupancy and users’ temperature settings.
The company also said that homes using Comfort IQ achieved three times the energy savings of an average ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat. ENERGY STAR is a US government-backed certification for energy-efficient products. The comparison and cost estimates are based on the study and calculations Vivint cited.
A fixed thermostat schedule can keep an empty home heated or cooled if residents’ plans change. Comfort IQ responds to activity detected by other Vivint devices, reducing HVAC operation when nobody is home.
Comfort IQ can connect with grid programmes
Comfort IQ can link directly to virtual power plants and demand-response programmes. These programmes coordinate temporary changes in electricity use across participating properties during periods of high grid demand.
The solution is available at no additional charge to Vivint Smart Thermostat users across the US via the Vivint app. Customers need the thermostat and compatible Vivint devices for Comfort IQ to use occupancy information from around the home.
Reliant, another NRG company, had previously introduced a package that included a Vivint thermostat and displayed personalised energy information alongside smart home controls in the app. Existing and new Reliant and NRG customers in selected markets can combine Vivint technology with an energy plan. Vivint plans to add further HVAC functions and improve its scheduling, user-preference and occupancy models.
