Johnson Controls Introduces WTL-Series Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat

Posted May 11th 2022

In 1883, Warren Johnson invented the first pneumatic thermostat.  It used compressed air to automatically regulate the heating in large buildings. It is astonishing to think that this technology was deployed before electricity was even available in cities.

Today, 130 years later, the company founded by Johnson – Johnson Controls – is a world leader in building controls with $24 billion in annual revenue.  Incredibly, there are still tens of millions of pneumatic thermostats still working in existing buildings.  However, compared to modern digital programmable and communicating thermostats, these legacy units are incapable of executing basic energy savings strategies, and cannot report occupant discomfort or mechanical faults.  Retrofitting these thermostats to modern “DDC” thermostats is labor intensive and disruptive to occupants, and is very costly.

With the introduction of the WTL, this retrofit can be completed in only 10 minutes, at a fraction of the cost, with virtually no occupant disruption.  Using the WTL, “no building will be left behind” – even older buildings can be easily upgraded to save energy and improve occupant comfort.