ecobee Smart Thermostat Review

In this ecobee thermostat review, we’ll discuss ecobee’s pros and cons, provide you with price ranges to help you budget, compare their smart thermostat models, and look at the warranties that come with their products.

A smart thermostat is the easiest, most convenient, and most high-tech way to control your heating and cooling systems. Moreover, smart thermostats have the technology and intelligence to save you more money on energy bills than their conventional and programmable counterparts.

If you’re considering upgrading to an ecobee smart thermostat, this brand review will cover all the information you need to make the right choice for your home.

Check out our Best Smart Thermostats Guide to see how ecobee compares to Nest and Honeywell.

ecobee at a Glance

Strong Points

ecobee is one of the best known and most trusted names in smart thermostats because they’re the ones who made the world’s first device of this kind. Because ecobee has been in the smart thermostat business the longest, they’ve had the most time to perfect their products.  

There are lots of things to love about ecobee products, and the number one is that they can reduce energy bills by analyzing your habits and maximizing the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. In fact, the company says their smart thermostats can cut your energy costs by up to 23 percent, and all of their smart thermostat models are ENERGY STAR® certified.

Beyond energy savings, ecobee thermostats also promise precise humidity and temperature control, and they allow you to set customized temperature schedules for when you’re home, away, and asleep.

Ecobee also has a lot of additional technologies, and they make it as easy as possible to access your thermostat settings through your mobile device, the thermostat console, a web browser, and through multiple virtual assistant devices.

Room for Improvement

One of the main drawbacks with ecobee smart thermostats is the price. Some models are double or even triple the price of competitor’s products. At the same time, ecobee has a lot of features and perks that other brands don’t offer, so you get a lot for the price. Moreover, ecobee does make a pared-down model that’s more economical.

Another issue is that smart thermostats—including ecobee ones—are vulnerable to hacking. Anything that’s connected to the internet can be hacked, so you do have to be aware of this and take some precautions to protect your home. That’s not to say this is a common problem, but as with any smart home device, be sure to properly secure your home’s internet connection.

Lastly, ecobee’s user interface can feel somewhat clunkier and dated compared to the sleeker and more intuitive ones offered by competitors, especially Nest’s simple temperature dial. But overall this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker and is likely more a matter of personal preference.

Bottom Line

ecobee makes some of the most advanced and most popular smart thermostats on the market. You will pay more for an ecobee model, but you’ll also get a lot more in terms of sophisticated technology and data tracking, advanced features, and customized comfort settings.

In the end, ecobee has taken the basic programmable thermostat, connected it to the internet, and perfected the art of indoor climate control. Their smart thermostats will track, record, and adjust temperature, humidity, and ventilation settings to make your home the picture of indoor comfort.

Price Range for ecobee Smart Thermostats

ecobee smart thermostats range in price from $220 to $330, depending on the model you buy and whether it comes with additional room sensors. ecobee has three models to choose from, ranging from their most budget-friendly ecobee3 lite model to their most advanced SmartThermostat with voice control. 

Comparing ecobee’s Smart Thermostat Models

In order to help you choose which model you might buy, let’s review and compare how each model stacks up to each other.

ecobee3 lite

This is the most affordable model from ecobee, and it is designed to work best with single- and two-stage furnaces and single- or two-speed air conditioners. 

The ecobee3 lite still has all the important features you would expect from the brand, and it can still save you a bundle on home heating and cooling. 

The model can be paired with all the virtual assistant devices and ecobee’s SmartSensors, is compatible with the eco+ software, and can provide you with notifications and reports about your HVAC settings and habits. 

For about $70 more, you can buy the Smart Thermostat with Whole Home Sensors, which comes with the ecobee3 lite, one SmartSensor, and an additional SmartSensor for doors/windows.

ecobee4

The ecobee4 has all the same technologies and features as the ecobee3 lite including, ENERGY STAR® certification and compatibility with SmartSensors, eco+, and virtual assistant devices. 

There are some key differences between the two models, and one is that the ecobee4 comes with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit built in—the lite is compatible with these, but they’re not built in. Moreover, the ecobee4 is larger and beefier than the ecobee3 lite, and it has a voice control option that the cheaper model doesn’t offer. 

SmartThermostat with voice control

The SmartThermostat with voice control is ecobee’s most advanced HVAC control. It has all the same perks as the other models, but it also comes with a SmartSensor, and it comes with tech like Alexa and Spotify built in. 

Furthermore, this model is equipped with sensors that detect occupancy, and the device automatically adjusts the temperature to either increase comfort or save energy.

Exclusive Features with ecobee Smart Thermostats

eco+

eco+ is a free software that ecobee developed to help their smart thermostats learn your schedule and automatically adjust temperature settings to save energy and maximize the furnace or air conditioner’s ability to keep you comfortable.

Beyond making adjustments to the temperature and humidity settings depending on your schedule, the software also saves money by accounting for real-time energy demands, determining peak and off-peak hours, and preheating/pre-cooling your home when energy is cheapest.

Technological Compatibility

Every ecobee smart thermostat is compatible with or already integrated with just about every virtual assistant device out there, including:

• Amazon Alexa
• Microsoft Cortana
• Apple HomeKit
• Google Assistant
• Logitech Harmony
• Hubitat

Plus, you can control your thermostat settings using the web, your smartphone or tablet, or the device’s built-in touchscreen console.

Home IQ

One of the things that people love about ecobee is the amount of data their devices collect and give you access to, and they accomplish this using the Home IQ analysis technology. 

Along with monitoring heating and cooling usage for several months, the technology also calculates important data like how local weather impacts your heating and cooling habits. 

Home IQ even compares your home efficiency to other ecobee users in your neighbourhood to generate report cards about your energy use.

SmartSensors

You know how the thermostat that controls the temperature for your entire house is sometimes located in an area that really isn’t indicative of the indoor climate in the rest of the house?

ecobee gets around that with their SmartSensors, remote sensors that you can place around the house—like in the rooms you use most often—to ensure the temperature is always right in the places you like to spend time.

The sensors can be especially important in homes where the thermostat is in a location that’s affected by external temperature influences, such as in a room that gets lots of sun.

ecobee Smart Thermostat Warranty

No ecobee review would be complete without analyzing the warranty coverage.

Every smart thermostat from ecobee is covered by a three-year warranty, offering you peace of mind in case of a malfunctioning or defective unit. ‘Pro’ models purchased from and installed by participating HVAC professionals, can get an additional two years of warranty coverage (for a total of 5 years).

It should be noted that ecobee smart thermostats are designed so that you can easily install them yourself if you want to save money. This process isn’t for everyone as you should be comfortable using basic tools, opening your furnace panel, connecting and disconnecting a few wires, and so on, but the step by step instructions make this relatively manageable for ordinary homeowners.

However, to keep the warranty intact, you will have to put aside some extra cash for the installation.

About ecobee

ecobee is a Canadian company. It was founded in 2007, and is headquartered in Toronto. The company came to be when the founders started connecting programmable thermostats to the internet in an effort to make them more intelligent.

The result was the world’s first smart thermostat, and since then ecobee has grown into a large smart home technology company that manufactures devices like temperature and occupancy sensors, smart cameras, and smart light switches, along with their popular smart thermostats.

Visit their website for more details about the company and their products: ecobee.com