We've long considered Ecobee to make the best smart thermostat, but at $249 for the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, it's also one of the priciest.
To round out its offerings, the company is introducing the Smart Thermostat Essential, which doesn't have all the features of the premium model, but at $129, costs half as much. It's also the same price as the regular Nest Thermostat, giving Google direct competition.
The Essential does have the one feature we like the most about all of the company's thermostats: It works with Ecobee's remote sensors, which lets you monitor the temperature and occupancy in multiple rooms to better manage how hot or cold you want your house.
Ecobee says that the Smart Thermostat Essential will offer energy savings of up to 23%, compared to 26% on its Enhanced and Premium models. Additionally, the Essential model will lack features such as air quality monitoring, radar occupancy sensors, and won't have Alexa or Siri built into the thermostat itself — though you will be able to control them through the best smart speakers.
And, while the Ecobee Essential does look attractive, it will be made of plastic, rather than nickel, like the Smart Thermostat Premium. The Premium has other features like Spotify and Bluetooth streaming, hands-free calling, and even smoke alarm detection.
At the moment, Ecobee does have another thermostat at the same price as the Smart Thermostat Essential; the Ecobee 3 Lite costs $149, but it's nearly five years old, and is the last model from a much earlier generation of smart thermostats from the company.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential will go on sale in March at all major retailers. It comes with a 3-year warranty and is Energy Star certified, so you might even be able to get it for free, or at a significant discount through your local energy utility.
