Rinnai Corp. is the first tankless water heater manufacturer to feature Amazon Alexa integration with its products.

This groundbreaking innovation allows users to ask Alexa, “Alexa, ask Rinnai to start circulation” or say, “Alexa, tell Rinnai I want to take a shower,” and the Rinnai tankless water heater will spring into action.

The enhanced Control-R 2.0 module with Amazon Alexa integration showcases an improved, more user-friendly interface – featuring more than 20 voice commands – that allows on-demand voice activation of the recirculation system.

The enhanced Control-R 2.0 mobile app has built in timers and schedules allowing for multiple on/off periods throughout the day, with the schedule stored locally on the Control-R module.  The app also allows users to remotely put the system into vacation mode when they are away, and a user can even stop a scheduled recirculation event from starting.

“At Rinnai, we have a cultural belief and a commitment to product innovation and industry leadership. As the market leader in tankless technology, we’re happy to be the first to market with this innovative product solution,” said Mark Buss, vice president of Marketing for Rinnai.

Rinnai’s wireless module maintains all of its original features, quickly connects via a two-wire interface and can be utilized with a new Rinnai tankless water heater or installed on existing Rinnai models manufactured since 2006. Once connected, the module pairs with the free Rinnai mobile app. Homeowners can continue to enable maintenance alerts and communications with a Rinnai independent dealer easily, right from the app. Additionally, users can control their tankless water heater from a smartphone or tablet to turn the system on and off, change the water temperature, monitor status and, on select models, activate the recirculation system.

The Control-R module continues to communicate directly with dealers, serving as a remote diagnostics tool and increasing their connectivity to their customer. The Control-R module pushes system codes and other service information automatically to dealers, enabling them to proactively contact their customers and arrive at a customer’s location with the right equipment and parts. Dealers are also able to reference diagnostic codes, product information and step-by-step instructions, with links to manuals, training, videos and more through the app.