Patent ID: 7744008

Claim:
A system for reducing energy consumption, comprising: a hot water heater having a storage tank, a heating element and an electronic controller operable to regulate a temperature of water within the storage tank; and an intelligent thermostat remotely located from the hot water heater for controlling a dwelling's heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the intelligent thermostat operably coupled to the electronic controller of the hot water heater for communications therewith to control a temperature set point thereof; wherein the intelligent thermostat is configured to provide a user selectable HVAC vacation mode setting for the HVAC system, and wherein the intelligent thermostat transmits a hot water heater vacation mode control signal to the electronic controller of the hot water heater when the user selectable HVAC vacation mode has been selected to initiate a hot water heater vacation mode within the electronic controller.