# Smart Thermostats



## Rackhouse Mayor (Sep 4, 2017)

Anyone using a smart thermostat in their house? I'm looking to buy one very soon. I'm leaning towards the ecobee3 lite, but am open to ideas. Here's what I'm looking for in one:


 It needs to have remote room sensors.
 My power company uses "Time of Use" Meters. In the Winter, peak rates are 6-8am and in the Summer 3-6pm. So, I need it to be smart enough to plan/program around that.
 I don't want any Alexa Voice Service type items installed.

What are you working with? Any advice or things to look for?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I have had an ecobee3 for a few years and have no complaints. I bought the bundle with the extra room sensors. I don't see much temp variation among the sensors, but having the extra occupancy sensors is nice - where my thermostat is located we could be in the house for a while without walking past it. I'm not all that familiar with the Nest, but as a former engineer for Johnson Controls I appreciate being able to maintain a fixed comfort setting schedule, then let the occupancy sensors override as needed. As I understand it the Nest takes more of purely adaptive approach, but I could be way off. Check your utilities for rebates - I know both the electric and gas utilities offer rebates here, which can make a smart stat almost free. :thumbup:


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## chrismar (May 25, 2017)

Another ecobee3 user here. I've been very satisfied with it, both in it's designed function and as a part of a smart home.


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## Rackhouse Mayor (Sep 4, 2017)

Ware said:


> I have had an ecobee3 for a few years and have no complaints. I bought the bundle with the extra room sensors. I don't see much temp variation among the sensors, but having the extra occupancy sensors is nice - where my thermostat is located we could be in the house for a while without walking past it. I'm not all that familiar with the Nest, but as a former engineer for Johnson Controls I appreciate being able to maintain a fixed comfort setting schedule, then let the occupancy sensors override as needed. As I understand it the Nest takes more of purely adaptive approach, but I could be way off. Check your utilities for rebates - I know both the electric and gas utilities offer rebates here, which can make a smart stat almost free. :thumbup:


Thanks, @Ware! The primary driver for room sensors is my master bedroom is a good 7 degrees colder in the summer. The air just dumps in it. Normally, that's awesome. We just set the thermostat at 72 and let the air pour in. However, we have a kid on the way, and I'd like to regulate the temp better when she's in the bassinet. When she moves in to her own room after a few weeks/months I'll move the sensor to her room and open the AC flow up again.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I have a ecobee3 too with multiple sensors. The sensors helped me balance the airflow better (basement vs. second floor rooms are very different). I connected the sensor to smartthings and use them for the alarm motion too.

You can program different schedules based on time so it uses less energy at those times.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

I just installed two ecobee 4s and am very happy with them but they have alexa. Works for me as i am trying to make sure alexa works in every room in the house.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Happy Nest user here. You won't go wrong with any, imo. Nest also has occupancy and temp sensors, and smoke detectors (that also act as occupancy sensors).


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## ericgautier (Apr 22, 2017)

Happy Nest user here too.

I really like the "Fan Schedule" option. If your system has a separate fan wire, you'll be able to turn your fan on without turning on your heating or cooling system. I set it to run for 15min every hour from 12-4pm to help "cool" the house down w/o turning on the a/c on.


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## Killsocket (Mar 16, 2018)

Former Ecobee and current Nest user here.

I had an Ecobee in my old townhome and had zero complaints. Sold the townhome and left the thermostat with home.

Got into a new house and got a Nest. I really like how the Nest "learns" your schedule so you don't even have to set it. I also believe they have come out with extra sensors you can pair with your nest now.

Basically, both are pretty awesome.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Killsocket said:


> ...Basically, both are pretty awesome.


Agree, those are the big two. A distant third would probably be the Honeywell Lyric - they kind of pioneered the concept of using geofencing to make thermostat adjustments.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

We have had a Nest for about a year now, it has been working fine for us. Upgraded from a non-programmable one that was builder installed, so any change was going to major upgrade. I spent many hours reading online about the various models out there and finally settled on Nest, but I don't think you can go wrong with it or any of the ecobee models.


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2018)

Love my Honeywell Lyric. Simple to navigate the online app and it's been trouble free for about three years now.


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