An Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium isn’t a dramatic reimagining of the company’s most popular smart home product on the inside. The new exterior of Ecobee’s latest smart thermostat, which has a considerably larger display and a finer finish, is what strikes out the most. It now has the appearance of a $249 smart thermostat.
That’s not to imply nothing is happening within. This Smart Thermostat Premium also includes an air quality sensor, which is a first for the product, and the previous generation’s Siri and Alexa connection. It also integrates with Ecobee’s Smart Sensors, so that you can ensure that all of your home’s rooms attain the desired temperature.
These factors combine to make it the smartest of smart thermostats, but is it the best?
What will you see here?
Design
The most visible difference between Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium & previous Ecobee thermostats is the device’s appearance. While the design remains the same — a square with rounded sides — the new edition is made of zinc rather than plastic and features a substantially bigger touchscreen display on the front. This finish is only available on the Premium thermostat; the Enhanced model is made of plastic.
As a result, the smartphone has a much more premium appearance, suiting its similarly high pricing. The Nest Learning Thermostat, with its simple, circular form, remains the favorite of the smart thermostats, however, the new Ecobee appears to be far more worthy of its price.
But particularly appreciate the larger, squarer display, which somewhat makes it easier to view from a distance but also makes it appear less like someone crammed a mobile display into a thermostat.
Performance
This Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium for several weeks and found it to be faultless throughout. It had a snappy display and menus that were simple to navigate. It also switched on the heating when the temperature dropped below freezing.
Aside from its look and display, the Ecobee now has an air-quality meter. A little icon above the temperature offers you an overview of your air quality; tap it for a more comprehensive look at both VOCs & CO2 levels. There are no particular particulate counts provided; instead, a scale from Clean to High is provided, along with suggested measures such as opening a window.
But once the thermostat is generally accessible, it will be able to switch on a home’s ventilation system automatically for 20 minutes if the air quality declines. However, you wish Ecobee would allow the air quality settings to also be coupled with Alexa or HomeKit, so you could have another smart home device, such as a fan, kick on if the air quality plummeted.
How much does an ecobee thermostat installation cost?
If you already own an ecobee, you can ask for a recommendation for a local installer whose are experienced with the ecobee thermostat. Basic installations can range from $120 to $200, depending on system compatibility. To check for compatibility, go to ecobee.com/compatibility.
The Ecobee was as easy to set up as other smart thermostats. To install an Ecobee, first screw a base plate to your wall (the base contains a miniature bubble level to ensure everything is level); then connect the wires from your heating or cooling system to a base; & finally, link the face of the Ecobee to the base plate.
To provide steady power to the Ecobee, your system would need a C-Wire; if you don’t have one, the firm includes a C-Wire converter with the thermostat.
The next step is to use the Ecobee app to link the thermostat to your Wi-Fi and, if desired, Alexa and Google Assistant.
Compatibility between smart assistants & smart homes
The newer Premium model, such as the Ecobee smart thermostat, includes a microphone and speaker. You can use this as an Alexa-enabled smart speaker if you choose, eliminating the need for a separate Echo device to get weather, news, and other information. If you wanted to listen to music, the Smart Thermostat’s speaker is still as tinny as a first-generation Echo Dot, so it would be your final option.
The Premium, like the smart thermostat, can link to Siri and use as a HomeKit device. However, unlike Alexa, Siri isn’t built right into the thermostat; if you want to use it, you’ll need to pair it with a HomePod Mini.
A voice assistant in such a smart thermostat is a great feature, but not needed; it’s useful if you have a lot of other smart home devices and would like to control them with your voice.
Alexa, you discovered that the voice assistant got mixed up with some of the other intelligent speakers; You had an
The Ecobee will operate with SmartThings, IFTTT, and Google Home in addition to Alexa and HomeKit, making it one of the most connected smart thermostats here on market.
Price and availability
Although the device is costly, you do not need to subscribe to a service to use it.
Your Ecobee SmartThermostat will price you $249.99 on a regular, non-sale day. That’s more than a non-smart (stupid?) thermostat, but less than other well-known manufacturers’ thermostats, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat.
Unlike home security systems & cameras, this thermostat does not require a monthly fee. You only need to connect it to Ecobee’s residential app start. However, you can only utilize 16 Ecobee SmartThermostats on one app. You’re out of luck if you want one in each of your 17 rooms.
Finally, if you don’t like your thermostat, you may return it for a full refund within 30 days.
Conclusion
The Smart Sensors, which monitor both temperature and occupancy, has long been the favorite feature of any Ecobee smart thermostat. Put one of these detectors in a room that never gets as hot or cold as you would like. The thermostat will keep the heat or air conditioning on until the space reaches the desired temperature. However, you can design it to only do this if the sensor detects a person in the room, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.
Of course, those sensors aren’t new; the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium’s appearance and feel have changed. Its zinc finish & larger screen make it almost as appealing as the Nest Learning Thermostat in terms of aesthetics.
You enjoy the addition of an air-quality sensor to the Ecobee. However, it would more useful if it could link to smart home automation. It’s also wonderful that Ecobee has both Siri & Alexa. But it’s even better because it’s compatible with all of the major smart home platforms, which Nest doesn’t.
