Potomac Edison (FirstEnergy) announced that it is offering customers in Maryland a smart thermostat and heating and cooling monitoring service

For a monthly fee of $14.99, which Potomac Edison said is, "added conveniently to the customer's monthly electric bill," the Connected Home Plan includes a professionally installed ecobee smart thermostat and remote sensor.

The plan also includes HVAC Monitoring Service, which provides custom monthly reports on the efficiency of the home and text or email alerts if there may be opportunities to correct performance issues or avoid serious breakdowns.

The plan's terms of service provide that, "If either you or Provider cancels this Agreement and you have received a smart thermostat or had service performed, then you will be invoiced for the amount of the monthly fees for all unpaid months through the remainder of the initial twenty-four (24) month term"

"The Connected Home Plan offers customers greater control over the comfort and energy efficiency of their home – anytime, from anywhere – using their smartphone, tablet or computer," said Brett Reynolds, vice president, FE Products. "Through our HVAC Monitoring Service, unique energy efficiency monitoring software recognizes patterns of underperformance and provides the data and tools customers need to save energy, improve the performance of their equipment, and combat larger repair costs."

See more at www.firstenergycorp.com/homeproducts

Potomac Edison is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. and serves about 257,000 customers in seven Maryland counties