Customer Ratings & Reviews

I've had them all, the NEST, Honeywell, and nothing was as effective as being able to ensure the key rooms in my house were at a minimum or maximum temperature... Along comes Ecobee3, which has changed the game for heating and cooling... It's simple platform has allowed me the ability to monitor all of my rooms at ease, and I can even export the temperature readings into Excel to analyze heat loss further. It's amazing! Oh, and it's also decreased our energy bills by 28% a month!

I just purchased and hooked up my Ecobee3 a day ago. Already I am noticing my home climate is more comfortable over all temp wise. All the installation and setup was a breeze once I was able to identify my "C" or common wire from my furnace. Which by the way, is 20yrs old. So even older furnaces will work with this device. I also hooked up my humidifier to this unit. My kids are always asking what the temp is outside. So now they can just click the weather icon on the Ecobee3 and find out. Overall a great product. The use of the remote sensors is key to keeping an older home like mine more evenly comfortable.

I actually bought this directly from ecobee during their Black Friday deal, so I have the main thermostat + 3 remote sensors. Standard installation was fairly simple. No more than for any other thermostat. I complicated it a bit by adding control of my Humidifer that had previously been controlled by a simple humidistat mounted to the furnace's air return. My favorite feature is the remote sensors. I can now see how much the temperature varies throughout the house. Also, the follow-me mode means that when I go to the basement it places a higher weight on the basement's temperature when deciding how often it needs to call for heat. Yes, this does overheat the upstairs a bit, but at least I'm more comfortable while I'm in the basement. Overall the system works great. The house seems more comfortable on average than with our old 7 day programmable thermostat. I think this has lot to do with the ecobee controlling the humidifier. The old system had basically a dial with a large area that said "Comfort Zone". Now I can directly dial in the humidity % I want and see how the actual humidity level tracks to my setting. I also love the Vacation feature, so the house is returned to the correct temperature before we arrive back home, instead of freezing for a bit once we get back. If we decide to come back early/later, I can remotely update the vacation settings. Finally, don't forget to check on local utility rebates. I was able to get $75 worth, so that reduces the overall cost.

Based on my extensive troubleshooting over the past few weeks with the Ecobee, I'm revising my review. A large section of this review is one of my most recent emails to their tech support because that email documents my findings which are still consistent with the intial review. In summary, I recommend this product with reservations. It has some really nice features, and many people seem to be having very good luck with it. In reading other reviews, I'm also seeing that a few people are seeing problems that are consistent with my findings and recommendations to Ecobee. THE GOOD: Attractive on the wall, can control basic functions from smartphone, works well for heating function. Remote sensors provide temperature and occupancy data for multiple rooms. Will overcool to adjust humidity. THE BAD: Temperature on main thermostat always reads 2-3 degrees high. It is not clear if the bias adjustment which is accessed via the menu applies to only the wall mounted sensor, or to the averaged temperature reading across all sensors. The wall mounted thermostat does not have many holes for ventilation, so temperature response is slow (side by side comparision with old mechanical thermostat). Not all functions are avalable via smartphone. No geo-fencing capability. Not possible to have different setpoints/ranges for specific sensors. THE REALLY BAD: When AC is running the thermostat itself gets hot which makes thermostat think the room is much hotter than it is. As a result, AC runs excessively, and thermostat does not control temperature. I "fixed" this by purchasing and installing a mechanical relay board. (more detailed info below) Here is a very recent email to Ecobee support (after numerous interactions troubleshooting the last few weeks). =================== Begin Email =================== I'm disappointed in your last email response saying that "we conclude there seems to be an air flow/draft influence affecting the t-stat sensor only." This is simply not supported by the data and several tests that we have both reviewed over the past few days. Primarily, I direct you to a test from two or three emails ago in which I manually jumpered at the furnace to start the AC. With the jumper in place, the Ecobee wall thermostat showed a drop in temperature as soon as the AC turned on. Without the jumper--when the Ecobee thermostat itself calls for cooling--the wall thermostat shows an INCREASE in temperature. This test by itself shows that air flow patterns are not an issue. Additionally, for the last several days of testing I've placed the remote sensor and old thermostat mounted on the wall within inches of the Ecobee thermostat. Both the old thermostat and remote sensor show that the temperature in that location immediately goes DOWN when the Ecobee calls for cooling. The Ecobee3 wall thermostat (both the original I purchased and replacement you sent) shows incorrectly that the temperature goes UP when the Ecobee calls for cooling. This divergence in temperature at the same location also support the conclusion that the thermostat itself is the issue. For an additional test on my theory that the thermostat electronics are overheating, today I added a mechanical relay board (Temco MRB-4) to isolate the Ecobee thermostat from the furnace/compressor. This relay board serves to remove the compressor contactor load from the thermostat. You can see from this afternoon's temperature trends, when the AC starts, the temperature reading of the wall thermostat drops as it should (exactly what happened when I manually jumpered the R-Y wires at the furnace). The thermostat FETs may be rated for 2 amps, but in practice the Ecobee wall thermostat overheats with a 0.25 amp load and shows an incorrectly high temperature. The reason this thermostat overheating problem is not seen during heating cycles is that the current draw for a heating call is near 0 amps. Still, the current draw of 0.25 amps for the AC contactor is well within acceptable range for residential AC equipment. There is absolutely no doubt that the Ecobee thermostat itself is getting hot (and producing inaccurate readings) when it turns on the AC compressor. I've spent significant time over the past several days testing, and most of my interactions with Ecobee support have been explaining basic testing results. I have an engineering degree and significant experience with process control instrumentation. I know how to interpret temperature readings and troubleshoot to identify cause & effect. I find it hard to believe that Ecobee support is having trouble interpreting these same results. I have read about other customers who have also been frustrated that their Ecobee3 didn't work and that Ecobee support kept insisting this was due to "air drafts". I have no interest in legal action personally, but to me this sounds like fertile grounds for a class action suit. Consumers who are also experiencing this issue will be receive higher cooling bills than they should. Adding more remote sensors would indeed help average the temperature readings and thus compensate for inaccurate readings at the wall thermostat--but this is passing along the expense of poor design to customers while generating even more revenue for Ecobee. At this point, I am going to research alternatives because I do not believe any further troubleshooting is going to be beneficial. If I do not find a better alternative, I may end up keeping the Ecobee thermostat since now with the addition of the MRB-4, that resolves the overheating problem. However, since I will have to use the bias adjustment to alter the wall thermostat reading, the remote sensor will not be of much use. This is really disappointing for a product that is so expensive. In summary, my recommendation is that Ecobee do the following: 1. Review the design of the thermostat. There is not enough ventilation on the wall thermostat. There are only a few tiny holes on the bottom of the thermostat, and thus the thermostat has a slow response to changes in room temperature. Additionally, this lack of ventilation on the thermostat contributes to overheating of the thermostat itself leading to inaccurate temperature readings. 2. Review the "complex temperature correction algorithms". They're not working. 3. Consider reworking the unit to incorporate mechanical relays instead of FETs. I first became aware of mechanical relay boards while researching this problem and finding so many Nest owners have experienced FET failures and consequently had to replace their AC system. Replacing FETs with relays will make the wall thermostat bigger, but it will reduce issues with overheating and will greatly reduce the risk of AC system damage due to FET failure. 4. Review support procedures and training. The tests I conducted and conclusions are fairly basic for anyone with control system experience. I will give Ecobee the benefit of the doubt that the support team is not knowledgeable, rather than suggest that they are intentionally providing incorrect and misleading information. 5. IF there's a way to specify temperature bias for individual sensors, please let me know. I have seen with two different Ecobee thermostats that the remote sensor reads correctly, and the wall thermostat reads too high. It appears if I configure a bias adjustment via the wall thermostat, it affects all readings, and not just the wall thermostat. More sensors simply provide more averaging to lessen the effect of the single incorrect reading on the wall thermostat, but that's not a very good solution. 5. Add geofencing capabilities to determine if users are home/away. There are not many thermostats that offer this, this but I have found that relying only on the wall mounted thermostat and remote sensor to detect home/away is not sufficient. =================== End of Email =================== Conclusion: All in all, this thermostat has potential, but there are some fundamental design flaws which cause incorrect temperature readings and cause the AC to run excessively. I've tested two Ecobee3 thermostats and they both exhibit the same characteristics, so this wasn't a fluke with a single defective unit. Although the Ecobee support team was responsive, it was frustrating having the same conversation with them repeatedly in which they insisted the incorrect temperature readings were being caused by air leaking from the wall cavity. I was able to prove this was not the case, and "fix" that issue by inserting a manual relay board to isolate the thermostat. I think this is beyond most consumers' capabilities. I will probably end up keeping the Ecobee thermostat, simply because I don't see other alternatives on the market that have fewer problems. My take is that the remote temperature sensors are just a gimmick for 99% of the people who will receive them. If the main thermostat works, then the rest of the house is typically going to follow once the air ducts are balanced properly. The only benefit I personally see for the remote sensors is to let the unit know I'm still at home if I don't pass by the main wall unit periodically. Lyric handles this with geofencing on the smart phone, and Nest doesn't have it but can be enabled by Skylark app. In the end, it's important to figure out how the extra features are actually going to work for YOUR lifestyle. A useful feature for one person is a gimmick or even a nuisance for another. I did not purchase the Nest because for a few reasons. I have an irregular schedule and there's no way that Nest could just figure it out. Nest has a 3 degree temperature swing--which is too large for comfort. Most importantly, I did not want a Nest thermostat because there are too many reports of FET failure which can cause the AC compressor to run for days/months nonstop and seize up (which means at least a couple grand to replace it on top of all the electricity wasted in the meantime).

If you are looking for a thermostat or an upgrade look no further then ecobee. They are taking over the market and its not by accident they have the best customer service of any company And top notch tetechnology. The ecobee is very stylish with the ability to use an app to change the temperature of your home from around the world or at work. You can tell that they took time to perfect their product. If you want energy savings and home comfort join the hive! You will fall In love.

I spent a lot of time researching smart/wifi thermostats. The ecobee3 is by far in my opinion is the best out there. Not only can you connect to it with a smartphone, tablet or computer to monitor and make changes while away from home but it also comes with a remote sensor that can be placed in another area of the home. In fact you can add multiple sensors to the system which will assist the ecobee3 in leveling out the temperature throughout the entire house. If you are interested in stepping up to a smart thermostat, you can't go wrong with the ecobee3!!!

We have a multi story home with just one zone and an older furnace. The thermostat is located in a formal dining room that we hardly use and after doing some research this unit seemed promising. Since our furnace is older, a common wire was not ran so I had to use the inline power injector which I might add worked like a charm. Programming / registration was a breeze and the user interface, phone app and web portal are nice. A big decision maker for us was the remote sensor option which takes into account motion activity and temperature of the area you wish to monitor. Also the ability to add additional sensors to monitor key locations throughout your home is a major plus. The downside of the additional sensors is COST. $80 for a two pack seems a bit high. Or maybe offering the option to purchase single sensor instead of a two pack. All in all ecobee has done an excellent job with this product and I would definitely recommend it to family and friends.

I am an engineer by trade, so energy efficiency in our home is of key importance to me. We have tried all 3 of the mainstream "smart" thermostats (Nest, Lyric and ecobee). We have settled on the ecobee and feel it is the best solution for any home. The key is the remote sensors that allow you to monitor temperatures throughout your home. We installed this stat in a 1930's farmhouse and it was not "plug & play" energy savings. Our heating bill went up because of the temperature averaging feature of the remote sensors. But, with the availability to view the remote sensor temperatures, we were able to see which rooms were hotter, cooler, etc. and we were able to use dampers to balance out the temperature across the house. Once that was done, the energy usage dropped significantly. Bottom line is that the ecobee has features the others do not and there is enough information available through the web portal to "fine tune" the system to maximize your energy savings. Their tech support has been very helpful and responsive and the product is very good quality. I'm a customer for life!

The main draw for the ecobee3 is the ability to have remote thermostats. While it doesn't have the functionality to be able to specify which thermostat to use in a single time frame, apparently this feature will be added in the near futures. Installation is pretty easy. The design is very user friendly. It's nice to be able to access the thermostat via a web browser as well as an iPhone or Android app. It would be nice to add remote sensor information in the apps. I would assume that would come later as well. With all of these new connected thermostats, the nice thing is that updates will happen and new features can be added.

About a month ago I "upgraded" my thermostat from nest v.3 to Ecobee 3. Since then, I have learned to love my new device. At first I simply upgraded for the availability of a secondary sensor in a loft that has dramatic temperature change compared to the rest of the house; however, I've learned that I can tinker with the thermostat far beyond anything nest could dream of. Any review that talks about a sluggish interface is dead wrong. The touch screen works beautifully and is a constant reminder of how technology can enter the home in meaningful ways. The more useful interface leads to a thermostat that can be adjusted to suit your individual needs. I've been able to change settings that allows the thermostat to run my heatpump more efficiently. I was not previously able to do this with the nest. The online web portal is also far superior to the nest. Not only can I control the thermostat, but I can also gather information and statistics about the thermostat and equipment. Nest clearly is the household name when it comes to connected thermostats but if you move past the celebrity status, you'll realize that Ecobee 3 is far superior in hardware. The standout feature of my Ecobee 3 hands-down is the support I've received from them. I have had multiple lengthy conversations with unbelievably informed representatives to help me maximize my thermostat. I would say the combination of features and great support make the easy-to-use but lackluster featured nest second class. I dream about Ecobee getting better but I know I won't have to for long because of software updates and an ifttt Channel. The thermostat is the best I've used to date and I know it will continue to evolve through software and strategic partnerships.

The Ecobee 3 is an excellent product for those who like to save money and like cool electronics. It is the first thermostat that actually lets you place remote sensors around your house that detect the temperature and movement. The thermostat uses that data to ensure the rooms that are populated are at the requested temperature. Given most thermostats are located in a hallway or in an abstract area of the house, this really helps to make the house more comfortable. Another cool thing about this thermostat is you can completely control it from your smartphone and computer. You don't have to get up and go to the thermostat anymore when you are cold. Perhaps the best thing about the thermostat is that it will pay for itself over the course of a year or two in savings by intelligently controlling your system and turning off the system when no-one is home. You can also see detailed stats/metrics if you want about how your system is performing. Installation is pretty easy, but if you don't like to mess with this sort of stuff, you can always get a professional installer to install the unit for about $150.

Install was a piece of cake, Product works flawlessly. Best feature (for me) is that the app on the iPhone to control the thermostat looks IDENTICAL to what you see standing in front of the thermostat. Coolest piece of technology I've added to my house in years, and it's showing me how to save money on heating.

This is the best smart thermostat out there. The company has created a great product and the developers are always trying to improve it. The customers voice are heard and they update the functionality, tweak it based on user feedback and as necessary. The wifi app works great which is a excellent plus

This is the best smart thermostat out there. The install is a piece of cake and it also has a schedule and features that function to optimize the schedule, things like auto away, etc. smart recovery, equipment threshold settings are all way above the capability of the other thermostats out there.

Great product and great customer support. This product pays for itself over time, so there is no reason not to get one. With all the features you would ever want and it doesn't take time to learn your schedule like Nest. You just set it and forget it..if you can.

Installation is very straightforward with everything needed for any type of wiring configuration. Very thoughtful interface and design. The external sensors are incredibly useful and couldn't be easier to pair with the thermostat. They allow the system to "follow" you from room to room and adjust the comfort level for the room(s) you're actually using. Let's see Nest or the others do that! Regarding the review that complained about the thermostat being 4-5 degrees off, during the first day or so, you may see the temperature off a bit while the system fine tunes its calibration. I saw this effect as well, but the margin narrowed over a day or so until it was spot on. Also, this could be caused by drafts coming through your wall cavity due to a leaky duct. A little bit of tape on the back of the mounting plate to seal off the hole works wonders. I have two ecobees and couldn't be happier.

The ecobee3 is clearly the leader in the industry. The most advanced and comprehensive smart controller thermostat on the market today. The ecobee third generation smart product is advanced, and the latest technology. I purchased mine on September 29th, 2014 and was designed for the Internet of Things. With it’s Wifi connectivity to internet and smart phone control via Cellular, you can control and monitor your home environment anywhere. You can even control your environment with the elegant large foot-print Smart Controller Thermostat on your wall presenting you with today’s weather, forecast, and informational messages. I am a retired Principal Enterprise Architect and performed an in-depth review of the Google NEST and the ecobee3. Nest did not put out their next generation product but reassigned the Nest Chief Engineer to google glass and the principal Nest RF architect to Google glass. Nest does not handle the "C" properly which creates a potential hazard. So the question is, Who is on the Nest as this timeI The Nest is so outdated in uses a push button instead of capacitive touch. The thermostat footprint is too small to add user information like message, forecasts, or alerts. I reviewed every detail of the ecobee3 and you cannot go wrong with it and the engineers answer the phone and have a name. I use Jeff as he and the others are incredible. You can call them and ask for your installation to be audited for proper install and they will perform that for free for you as well. Incredible people at an incredible company!

This thing is flat-out awesome. I bought an extra pack of sensors to go with it, and it helps keep me nice and cozy when I'm in my basement, and lets it cool off again when I'm not in there, and same for my less-than-warm bedroom at night. It installs easy (unless you have old wiring) and setup takes less than 5 minutes once it's powered up. It looks cool, has a great interface, and works fairly well almost right out of the box. The mobile app is really straightforward and well designed. Also, the web portal gives some great details about your system performance that can give you an idea if you need to make some efficiency improvements.

Replaced my two Nest thermostats with 2 Ecobee3's and couldn't be happier. They were very easy to install and work great. The remote sensors are awesome as it allows my house to cool/heat more evenly. Hoping to see more Ecobee app updates soon as there are some missing features there (ability to view sensor data, etc). If you are debating on which smart thermostat to get, look no further.

I was able to install the ecobee3 myself even though I needed an additional isolation relay (Aube RC840) with my 2-wire boiler system. The C wire came from the air handler in the attic used for cooling. Support was very helpful and even assisted with the setup of the relay. I'm glad I went with the ecobee3 over the Nest mainly because of the remote sensors. We keep one in our nursery and it serves to keep that room at the right temperature even though the main unit is located in the hall. We plan to get a few additional sensors for our bedroom and the living room. The mobile app and web interface are streamlined and intuitive. I've been waiting for the gotchas but it keeps surprising me with its ease of use and robustness. You simply wont regret this purchase.