Multi-thermostat management and control system

1. A method of managing a plurality of thermostats associated with an account using a computing device, the method comprising:

storing a respective heating operating schedule and a respective cooling operating schedule in a memory device of a server associated with each of the plurality of thermostats, the heating and cooling operating schedules selectable by a user, the heating and cooling operating schedules including temperature or humidity set points with respect to time used to control an operation of associated heating and cooling equipment, the plurality of thermostats capable of responsively initiating operation of the heating or cooling equipment based on the heating or cooling operating schedule when a sensed temperature at the thermostat is more than a predetermined amount above or below a set point temperature associated with the respective thermostat;

displaying, on a display device of the server, a visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats associated with the account, the visual representation including a display of a current temperature setpoint of the thermostat and a display of a current temperature sensed by the thermostat at a thermostat location;

creating a visual representation of a first group of thermostats in response to a first user selection to create a group, the first group capable of receiving visual representations of thermostats assigned to the first group and receiving the heating and cooling operating schedules including temperature or humidity set points to be assigned to thermostats in the first group;

assigning a first operating schedule to the first group in response to a user selection of a first operating schedule for the first group;

transmitting the first operating schedule over a network to thermostats included in the first group for reprogramming and storing in the memory device of the thermostats included in the first group;

after the thermostats in the first group are reprogrammed to all have the same first operating schedule associated with the first group, adding a first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats to the first group in response to the user dragging and dropping the visual representation of the first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats into the visual representation of the first group;

applying the first operating schedule to the first thermostat while maintaining the first operating schedule as assigned to the first group, such that an operating schedule of the first thermostat is changed to match the first operating schedule of the other thermostats in the first group based on the dragging and dropping the visual representation of the first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats into the visual representation of the first group; and

controlling the operation of the heating or cooling equipment associated with the first thermostat based on the temperature or humidity set points of the applied first operating schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats comprises displaying a list item.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying a visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats comprises displaying a card icon.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein displaying a card icon comprises displaying at least one of a name of the thermostat, a set-point of the thermostat, and a type of operating schedule assigned to the thermostat.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein displaying a card icon comprises displaying a color-coded card icon according to one of a heating schedule assignment, a cooling schedule assignment, an un-scheduled assignment, or an offline designation.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the operating schedule over a network to the first thermostat for reprogramming and storing in a memory of the first thermostat.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

creating a second group in response to a second user selection to create a group;

adding a second thermostat of the plurality of thermostats to the second group in response to the user dragging and dropping the visual representation of the second thermostat into the visual representation of the second group;

assigning a second operating schedule to the second group in response to a user selection of a second operating schedule for the second group; and

applying the second operating schedule to the second thermostat based on the inclusion of the second thermostat in the second group.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising transmitting the second operating schedule over a network to the second thermostat for reprogramming and storing in a memory of the second thermostat.

9. A control system for controlling operation of a plurality of thermostats, the system comprising:

a server comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a communication interface; and

a memory device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

store at least one of a respective heating operating schedule and a respective cooling operating schedule in a memory device of the server associated with each of the plurality of thermostats, the heating and cooling operating schedules including set points used to control an operation of associated heating and cooling equipment;

display, on a display device of a computing device, a visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats associated with an account, the visual representation including a display of a current temperature setpoint of the thermostat and a display of a current temperature sensed by the thermostat at a thermostat location;

create a first group in response to a first user selection to create a group;

assign a first operating schedule of the at least one of a respective heating operating schedule and a respective cooling operating schedule to the first group in response to a user selection of a first operating schedule for the first group;

transmit the first operating schedule over a network to thermostats included in the first group for reprogramming and storing in the memory device of the thermostats included in the first group;

after the thermostats in the first group are reprogrammed to all have the same first operating schedule associated with the first group, add a first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats to the first group in response to the user dragging and dropping the visual representation of the first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats into a visual representation of the first group; and

apply the first operating schedule to the first thermostat while maintaining the first operating schedule as assigned to the first group, such that an operating schedule of the first thermostat is changed to match the operating schedule of the other thermostats in the first group based on the dragging and dropping the visual representation of the first thermostat of the plurality of thermostats into the visual representation of the first group.

10. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the displayed visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats is a list item.

11. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the displayed visual representation for each thermostat of the plurality of thermostats is a card icon.

12. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the memory device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor further to:

create a second group in response to a second user selection to create a group;

add a second thermostat of the plurality of thermostats to the second group in response to the user dragging and dropping the visual representation of the second thermostat into the visual representation of the second group;

assign a second operating schedule to the second group in response to a user selection of a second operating schedule for the second group; and

apply the second operating schedule to the second thermostat based on the inclusion of the second thermostat in the second group.

13. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the memory device storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor further to display, on the display device of the computing device, thermostat data in association with the visual representation of each of the plurality of thermostats.

14. The control system of claim 13 , wherein the displayed thermostat data includes at least one of a name of the thermostat, an on/off status, a current temperature, a type of assigned operating schedule, a percent humidity, and a fan mode.