Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced

[Kung]

Moved into our 'new' house in August of last year (2023 - I know, I know) and it had an old Honeywell thermostat. I'm not opposed to Honeywell at all - in fact, they're fantastic - but I wanted something that at the very least would allow me to monitor stuff remotely, adjust temperature & settings remotely, etc. I'm familiar with Nest thermostats...which is why I did NOT get one. LOL

Picked up and installed the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced last week, and so far I'm loving it. At first I was a bit hyper-aware of the different state changes (Aux to Heat mode changes; run time; etc.) until I had an HVAC guy come out and essentially tell me "It's working fine...every other thermostat in this area is doing the same thing. It's just that now you're seeing the raw data BEHIND what your thermostat is doing, so you're freaking out a bit." LOL

But so far, it's not only providing me with the capability I need, but also the data and knowledge to guide me to make some changes I need to make in order to allow my HVAC system operate more efficiently (e.g., spray foam the underside of the roof, as my HVAC system is in our attic; frame out and insulate our basement; etc.) Not "fun" but if it helps my HVAC operate more efficiently, I'm all about that.

 

[bigjnyc]

I am really tempted to get one of these as my utility company offers $100 off... I currently have a Nest which works perfectly fine to be honest. But I am really wanting to get something that integrates with homekit... So many times I would like to just adjust my thermostat from my watch but find myself having to go in to the google home app on my phone instead.... But I keep telling myself that its an unnecessary expense since my nest is working just fine.

 

[icanhazmac]

I've had one for years, Ecobee 3 Lite (2016), really just bought it on a whim to see what they were about. It controls only heat in my house but does its job well and you would be surprised how many times you will check the weather as you walk past, especially first thing in the morning. I originally wanted a Nest but no Homekit and you know who using it as a spy device soured me on that.

 

[Kung]

I've had one for years, Ecobee 3 Lite (2016), really just bought it on a whim to see what they were about. It controls only heat in my house but does its job well and you would be surprised how many times you will check the weather as you walk past, especially first thing in the morning. I originally wanted a Nest but no Homekit and you know who using it as a spy device soured me on that.

Well yeah, that's one reason. The other reason, bluntly put, is that I had multiple issues with it in our previous house - malfunctioned multiple times and I had to replace it once and reset it at least 3 times that I remember.

I am really tempted to get one of these as my utility company offers $100 off... I currently have a Nest which works perfectly fine to be honest. But I am really wanting to get something that integrates with homekit... So many times I would like to just adjust my thermostat from my watch but find myself having to go in to the google home app on my phone instead.... But I keep telling myself that its an unnecessary expense since my nest is working just fine.

I'm pretty sure they support Homekit now - I know the Enhanced does.

Setting up HomeKit with your ecobee Thermostat

ecobee and HomeKit: Setup, Scenes, and Troubleshooting

support.ecobee.com

 

[bigjnyc]

Well yeah, that's one reason. The other reason, bluntly put, is that I had multiple issues with it in our previous house - malfunctioned multiple times and I had to replace it once and reset it at least 3 times that I remember.



I'm pretty sure they support Homekit now - I know the Enhanced does.

Setting up HomeKit with your ecobee Thermostat

ecobee and HomeKit: Setup, Scenes, and Troubleshooting

support.ecobee.com

Yeah I know the Ecobee does, which is why I am tempted to switch over to it. Sorry if my original post wasn't clear

 

[Kung]

Yeah I know the Ecobee does, which is why I am tempted to switch over to it. Sorry if my original post wasn't clear

Nope, it was clear...it's just that my reading comprehension sucks 🤣

 

[flynz4]

I bought an Ecobee Premium with two remote sensors. I also purchased an additional 2 sensors for a total of 4... plus the 5th which is built into the thermostat. We have not moved into the house yet, but already I like setting the temperature in advance of getting there to have the house comfortable when we arrive. The remote sensors allow you to prioritize which rooms to control at various time... such as bedroom at night and my home office and kitchen first thing in the morning.

I also bought the Ecobee doorbell which is not yet installed. I like the fact that you can see the person at the door on the thermostat. What makes this especially useful is that my thermostat is located on the path to the front door from almost everywhere in the house, so a simple glance on the way to the door will give me advance notice of who to expect.

My existing house has a Nest Thermostat with one remote sensor in our primary bedroom. It works ok, but the Ecobee seems like a step above based on my experience to date. I think you will be happy with your decision to by the Ecobee.

 

[erihp]

I’ve installed a few Sensi thermostats and they work great. Very cheap too.

 

[Kung]

I bought an Ecobee Premium with two remote sensors. I also purchased an additional 2 sensors for a total of 4... plus the 5th which is built into the thermostat. We have not moved into the house yet, but already I like setting the temperature in advance of getting there to have the house comfortable when we arrive. The remote sensors allow you to prioritize which rooms to control at various time... such as bedroom at night and my home office and kitchen first thing in the morning.

I also bought the Ecobee doorbell which is not yet installed. I like the fact that you can see the person at the door on the thermostat. What makes this especially useful is that my thermostat is located on the path to the front door from almost everywhere in the house, so a simple glance on the way to the door will give me advance notice of who to expect.

My existing house has a Nest Thermostat with one remote sensor in our primary bedroom. It works ok, but the Ecobee seems like a step above based on my experience to date. I think you will be happy with your decision to by the Ecobee.

I thought about the Premium, but for what I needed it for (remote monitoring/adjustment of temps), honestly the Enhanced was good enough. That plus the wife would fuss at me. LOL!

I've already got the Ring system, and my thermostat is like 10 feet from the door, so that wasn't needed for me. I'd just lean over @ look at the front door 😂

And totally agree w/you on the Nest. There's a minor feature or two that'd be nice to have, but thus far, I far prefer the Ecobee. Seems much more customizable and stable than the Nest was.

 

[flynz4]

I thought about the Premium, but for what I needed it for (remote monitoring/adjustment of temps), honestly the Enhanced was good enough. That plus the wife would fuss at me. LOL!

I've already got the Ring system, and my thermostat is like 10 feet from the door, so that wasn't needed for me. I'd just lean over @ look at the front door 😂

And totally agree w/you on the Nest. There's a minor feature or two that'd be nice to have, but thus far, I far prefer the Ecobee. Seems much more customizable and stable than the Nest was.

Likewise, I am not planning to use my Ecobee as part of my security system. I already have security covered by a different company. It just seems like a real long stretch to use a thermostat company as the foundation of home security. I'd rather use a company that is established in the security industry.

My biggest reason for buying the Ecobee Premium is that what Costco was selling. It was on sale for $200 and it contained two sensors (vs. the normal single sensor). I also bought another 2 pack so now I have 4 sensors to play with. Since we haven't moved into the house yet, I haven't set them up, but I do want control over which part of the house has priority for controlling the temperature. Ideally I would have multi-independent zones built into my HVAC, but it is too late for that... so having sensors around the house is the next best thing. Night is easy... prioritize the bedroom. I am curious how well multiple sensor are for averaging the temperature where people are spending their time during the day.

 

[Kung]

Likewise, I am not planning to use my Ecobee as part of my security system. I already have security covered by a different company. It just seems like a real long stretch to use a thermostat company as the foundation of home security. I'd rather use a company that is established in the security industry.

My biggest reason for buying the Ecobee Premium is that what Costco was selling. It was on sale for $200 and it contained two sensors (vs. the normal single sensor). I also bought another 2 pack so now I have 4 sensors to play with. Since we haven't moved into the house yet, I haven't set them up, but I do want control over which part of the house has priority for controlling the temperature. Ideally I would have multi-independent zones built into my HVAC, but it is too late for that... so having sensors around the house is the next best thing. Night is easy... prioritize the bedroom. I am curious how well multiple sensor are for averaging the temperature where people are spending their time during the day.

I'm a cheap @$# (lol) so I just wanted whatever the cheapest, yet best, smart thermostat was. Thus far I can actually see it working. Has been pretty dang cold where we live, and for a part of each day I've seen aux heat kick on.

The first day it was on for 3 hours. 🤨 But the next day, maybe an hour; and after that, 20 to 30 minutes, despite the temperature being pretty much exactly the same over those few days, so the Ecobee is 'getting used' to our environment and adjusting as it needs to.

 

[flynz4]

I'm a cheap @$# (lol) so I just wanted whatever the cheapest, yet best, smart thermostat was. Thus far I can actually see it working. Has been pretty dang cold where we live, and for a part of each day I've seen aux heat kick on.

The first day it was on for 3 hours. 🤨 But the next day, maybe an hour; and after that, 20 to 30 minutes, despite the temperature being pretty much exactly the same over those few days, so the Ecobee is 'getting used' to our environment and adjusting as it needs to.

Nothing wrong with being frugal. Like I said... the primary reason I bought mine was because it was the model that Costco was selling... and I generally like doing business with them.

/Jim