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Where to begin? There’s a lot to like about an Ecobee Thermostat and that’s coming from someone who had one for many years going way back to when it was “Ecobee 2”. Then I moved and I had a….we’ll call it a competitor thermostat that a bird would call home. I thought I would like that other brand even more and maybe even find it is better, but in the end, I came back to Ecobee and it’s so nice to be back. I think any issues I used to have with my much older Ecobee are all gone now. Honestly, I don’t remember what all used to annoy me, but I can definitely list the things I missed and am glad to have back; Vacation mode, room sensors, and a web interface are just a few. Probably the most annoying thing on my old, non ecobee, smart thermostat was the limits on “hold” times and NO vacation mode options. We would leave the house for days and I couldn’t simply have the thermostat hold at X temp while I’m gone and resume my schedule right before I get home. Yeah sure, they all have “smart” options that can sort of do this, if you allow them to track, log and use your presence tracking, (even ecobee does it, and I’m sure it’s great for a lot of people) but I like having more control over what settings are at what time. If you’d rather not think about it, eco+ has a lot of great automatic settings that will save you money. I also like being able to bump the temp up 2 degrees for 2 hours and have it actually go back to my schedule after those 2 hours. The aforementioned non ecobee thermostat I had prior would never end the hold on time properly which ended up costing me tons more in energy bills because my “short bump up” became a 12 hour hike up. I had had enough at that point and knew we were going back to ecobee. Room sensors. Note the Essential model does not come with room sensors, but I bought a two pack at my local hardware store and they work great. At this price point, I wouldn’t expect the thermostat to come with a sensor, but I am really glad to see ecobee didn’t remove that optional upgrade. It’s what made ecobee so unique in the beginning, and when I used to have a multistory house, the sensors were amazing. So I knew I would want them again. It is just myself and my wife in our home, so at night, I love that I can have the heat focus on our room temperature and not worry about the other rooms. This helps keep costs down in the cold winters. And when it’s time to get up and go around the rest of the house, the ecobee has already adjusted to my daytime temps and warmed the rest of the house. Room sensors help keep the house more evenly heated and can be used as presence sensors in automated modes as well. I also am so glad to be back on Ecobee and using their web interface. This is for all of those nerds like me who love the numbers and graphs as well as adding your own custom comfort settings to really dial in your schedule day by day. It is also just easier to navigate and work on your thermostat. Not that the app is bad, but the web interface gives you even more options for those days you want to get into the weeds a little. The great thing is though, if you don’t care, you don’t have to ever use it. It’s just there for those who want it, and I will always choose a company that gives you that choice. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT: The new “Essential” model is the entry level thermostat, priced lower and with a few less options. But like I’ve hinted at above, all the basic things that make an Ecobee Thermostat so great are still included. Sensors, schedules, eco+, web interface, etc are all still there. Things like the Alexa built in, speaker, motion sensor, and extra wire ports in the back for more complicated systems are not included. This means if you have a very basic, standard HVAC, boiler, etc, the essential will probably work. If you have a ton of wires back there and a complicated heating and cooling system, maybe check before you buy this model. We have a very basic system with just a boiler for heat and no cooling, so I love the cheaper option but still all the fun. The Essential still connects to the smart home hubs, like google and homekit and it even has some sort of connection to my generac generator. I don’t know what that is YET, I plan to look into it more, or figure out why they would need to be connected, but my generator app said “add ecobee” which I thought was interesting. OVERALL I am really happy to be back in the Ecobee eco system and as we plan to upgrade our heating and cooling with zones and in floor heating and AC, I know I will be buying more ecobee’s for each room and will never wonder off again. The ability to schedule, set vacation holds, see the weather, set hold times, use room sensors and see stats online and so much more is worth every penny. Other smart thermostats have a lot of the same features, and I used to think they’re all basically the same so just get one, but now that I’ve used others, I know there’s a difference, and for me, I prefer Ecobee. The company is great, they care about their products and the environment, they put out good products and they listen to their customers. I’d gladly recommend Ecobee to anyone looking for a budget friendly smart thermostat so simple it’s easy to use, but loaded with extras if you feel the need to dive in more.
Posted by bTobin
I have owned several ecobee thermostats and I love them. The easy to use app, straight forward controls, service alerts/reminders, and the ability to add remote sensors make any ecobee a good choice. I am excited that they managed to make this awesome product even more affordable, with the ecobee Essential model (the last 2 ecobees I purchased were both the old ecobee3 lite models because they were the cheapest; the ecobee Essential is now my new go-to). -----Pros----- 1. Easy installation. With a helpful guide in the app, wire labels, push terminals (no small screws), and a built-in level in the wall plate. Once powered on the thermostat confirms the wires you have connected on the display and ask a few questions to finish setup. 2. Easy to read color display that is well laid out. I have an older family member who lives with me and she has hated every other "smart" thermostat we have tried. She likes the large temperature read out, the easy up/down layout of the temperature adjustment, and clear mode indicator. 3. The ecobee app is quick, reliable, and very easy to use. Commands are sent quickly and reliably to the thermostat. Most controls are replicated exactly as they are on the thermostat, meaning you don't have to learn a different set of steps when accessing the thermostat remotely in the app. You can also change or see almost every setting (except Wi-Fi and restricted access control), including the detailed comfort setting schedules and remaining time on reminders you have set. 3. Auto heat/cool mode. I live in Texas, where there are days that start off really cold and end up in the 80s by mid-afternoon. Auto mode let's you set both a heat and cool temperature and toggles between them to keep your house in that range. 4. Built-in humdity sensor that allows you to monitor indoor humdity and can also be used by the thermostat to adjust run times to control humidity to make you feel more comfortable. Being from Texas, I can tell you that humidity can make you feel hot, even when the temperatures are mild. 5. Reminders/alerts. Changing your furnace filter is pretty easy, but remembering when to change it is hard for me. I love that ecobee can track the number of run hours and send you a reminder to change based on a limit you select (letting you adjust it if you find your filter is too dirty or still clean). ecobee can also sends alerts if the temperature is too low/high, humidity gets too high (really useful in the south), or if your system is running for a long time with no change in temperature (this has alerted me to an issue with one of my outside AC units more than once). 6. Energy saving settings that let you really tailor what you want the thermostat to do. You can disable everything and just have it hold the same temperature until you change it, but there are alot of options to get your desired balance. You can set a normal schedule for different days or times for each "comfort setting" (very easy in the app). You get to choose if the schedule you set auto resumes or waits for you to turn it back on after a manual change. You can have multiple "comfort settings" which allow you to set different temperatures, fan modes, and optional remote sensors with a simple toggle or using the schedule you set. Then there is another menu called eco+ which has things to let the ecobee learn your behavior and adjust the thermostat automatically with a slider that lets you choose mild to max efficiency (this can be disabled). eco+ also allows your utility provider to change your settings to meet demand (if you give them permission), some like mine in Texas will even give you a bill credit for helping out during these periods. 7. Access control allows you to configure a passcode to change important settings, which is really useful for thermostats in public areas or in rental properties. Users can still change normal settings like mode and temperature, but can't change input limits or disable alerts. -----Things to Consider---- 1. The ecobee Essential lacks one important feature compared to the more expensive models. It does not have an occupancy sensor (think motion sensor) built-in to tell it to switch between away and home comfort settings automatically to save energy. You can buy additional smart sensors to gain this feature and also help get temperature readings in different rooms, but they add to the overall cost. If you are like me and have a few older ecobees that use the "room sensors", these don't work with this ecobee and you will need the newer "smart sensors". My thermostat is in an infrequently used hallway, so it makes senses to save the money over the more expensive model with the built-in motion sensor and use it to buy additional sensors I can place where I will actually be. 2. If you aren't comfortable with installing this yourself that does add to the cost. It can be easy, but make sure you turn the power off at the breaker or furnace service switch (tip - the furnace breaker is normally a seperate smaller breaker, not the same as the larger breaker normally labled AC). Take a picture of the old thermostat wire positions before you start; this helps if you have to reconnect the old one and also helps make sure you have the wire lables correct for each color. You also need to confirm you have a blue 'C' wire for power before you invest in any smart thermostat (if you don't you should contact ecobee support to get more info). Expect that the screws hole will probably not line up and you will need a basic drill to make some new holes. I got lucky, but if there is mismatched paint or a big hole behind your current thermostat you don't want to deal with, you might need an additional larger wall base plate that ecobee sells.
Posted by MGoose
What got me excited Ecobee makes a lot of technology goods, but for some odd reason their smart thermostats always piqued my interest. My house is a bit older so the C-wire necessity always scared me off trying to install one. Luckily, Best Buy helped me get the power extender kit through Ecobee. So thank you to both Best Buy and Ecobee for the extra kit. What I’m expecting I’m expecting this to be an easy install, but I’ve been horribly wrong before, so we’ll see. What’s included in the packaging? Out of the box you get the smart thermostat, wire ID stickers, the back plate, and drywall anchors and screws to mount the back plate. Let’s try it out So before I could even try anything out, I had to get my home up to code with the use of the power extender kit. (Let me say that this review is for the thermostat, but since I was provided the power extender kit, I will explain how it allowed me to use the thermostat despite not having the C-wire preinstalled in my HVAC system). First thing is first, install the app. The app is very straight forward and easy to use. You will create an account, then choose what you want to add; which in this case is the thermostat. You will be asked a series of questions to determine what you’ll need to continue. After following the prompts, it did indeed determine that I would need the power extender kit to continue. A nice feature is that it reminds you to take a photo of your existing thermostat wiring configuration as well as the main unit wiring configuration just in case you mess up somewhere and need to see where all the wires should go. So turn off your main breaker that powers the HVAC, or a switch, or whatever will keep you from catastrophe. The app reminds you as well. Once the four primary wires were removed from my main unit and installed into the power extender kit, it’s now time to install the wires from the kit onto the unit. That’s actually the hard part if you don’t have a C-wire. If you have a C-wire, lucky you, you can skip these steps. Once you mount your new thermostat where your old one used to be, it’s time to go through more steps. The thermostat will link with the app, so you don’t have to add info all over again. You simply connect the thermostat to your existing wi-fi network, after some calibrating and reboot, it’s good to go. My first impressions I like how nice and elegant it looks. It protrudes out a bit, but that’s me just nitpicking. The face is a touchscreen so you can change the temp anytime you want, check the weather, set a schedule, and other settings to your liking. I just set a schedule in preparation for the summer heat. You can also control the thermostat from the app which is the best part. You can be away for a few hours with the AC off, and then turn it on when you’re on your way back so your house isn’t an oven. What stood out that was positive The app is easily one of the standouts. It’s easy to use and navigate, doesn’t have a lot of fluff, and it isn’t a marketplace to sell you more stuff… except for the sensor. What stood out that was negative I really do wish that Ecobee included a larger back plate. My old thermostat was larger, and the backplate was a rectangle. Sure I could remove the old drywall anchors and paint over the old area… but with a larger back plate for the new shiny Ecobee thermostat, it would have saved me some time and energy. Some things I wish (What can be included in the next version and what I would take out) I really do hope they include the larger back plate as mentioned above, as well as at least one sensor so you can try it out. If people see that it works well, they’re sure to buy one for the other floors since the average temperate on each floor is slightly different. Who is this targeted at? This is targeted at anybody who has not jumped onto the smart thermostat scene or is terrified by the thought of installing something that requires a C-wire but really would like to have the benefits of having a smart thermostat. All in all This is a great unit, somewhat easy to install, much easier if you have a c-wire kit. Both the thermostat and app are easy to use and navigate.
Posted by EthanH