With Summer finally upon us, the heat is on. It’s only June in Minnesota, and we’ve hit 90 degrees three days already. I have my usual chest of tricks for staying cool as a quad — water spray bottles, a handheld fan — but this year I’m going high tech. That’s right, I’m taking it up a notch with an app controlled thermostat. You may have heard of them before.

I am a fan of Nest, one of the better known versions of this exciting new technology. Like other similar thermostats, I can adjust it from anywhere in the world, from my own bed to the shores of Mexico — but it was the “from my own bed” ability that sold me. It costs a bit more, around $250, but it is well-reviewed.

And if the Nest is too expensive, check out Honeywell’s cheaper version — Wi-Fi 7. It is only $100 and can do exactly what the Nest can.

All you need to do with these apps is input the temperature you would like your thermostat to be, and it will adjust it for you. We truly are living in the future, my friends. Technology like this is completely life-changing for someone with a severe spinal cord injury. Not only are many of us unable to adjust our thermostats independently from our own bed, we have a hard time adjusting our internal body temperatures. It can be a living hell dealing with this, but these thermostats make it easier.

Have you tried an app-controlled thermostat yet?