Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium Review (Pros and Cons)
By Naila Syifa
Updated July 2023
Ecobee is one of the leading smart thermostat manufacturers on the market today. They offer high-quality and reliable thermostats that come with a range of features and benefits, including Ecobee 3 Lite, Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced, and Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is the most superior among the three, coming with more sophisticated features and benefits but also with a higher price tag. Priced at $249, it is more expensive than many other smart thermostats available in the market.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the pros and cons of the design, system compatibility, and features of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium to help you determine whether it is worth the investment.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Premium Quality and Features
✓ Schedule, geofencing, energy recommendations
✓ Built-in speaker, air quality monitor, smoke alarm, an external smart sensor
✓ Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT
✓ No C-wire required
#1 Design
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Pros
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium has a shape of a square with rounded corners, which gives it a sleek and modern appearance that will complement any home decor. Coming in black, it has a die-cast metal frame made with zinc alloy, which not only looks great but also makes it durable.
The display is large and vibrant, with a cinematic interface and a resolution of 540x540 pixels. The display is also a touchscreen, so you can easily navigate through the menus and settings.
When you purchase the Smart Thermostat Premium, a trim plate is included in the package. This can cover imperfections such as marks or holes left on the wall by your old thermostat.
Cons
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is only available in black, so you won't have the option to choose a different color that matches your home decor. This may be a minor issue, but other smart thermostats such as the Google Nest Learning Thermostat offers 7 different colors for you to choose from.
#2 System Compatibility
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Pros
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium works with most 24VAC HVAC systems, including conventional furnaces and air conditioners (2H/2C), heat pumps (2H/2C + 2-stage AUX heat), boilers, and PTACs or fan coil units with up to 3 fan speeds. It also has 1 wire accessory support for humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ventilators (HRV/ERV).
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium basically requires a C-wire to supply it with power. However, the package includes a Power Extender Kit (PEK) that allows installation without a C-wire. Therefore, a C-wire is not necessary for this smart thermostat, making it compatible with most houses.
Cons
It is important to note that the Power Extender Kit requires your system to have either of the following: 4 wires W/W1, Y/Y1, G, and R (or RC or RH) or 3 wires Y/Y1, G, and R (or RC or RH).
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium also does not support high-voltage systems, so it is important to make sure that your HVAC system is low-voltage and compatible with this smart thermostat. To check compatibility, visit the Ecobee website.
#3 Features
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Pros
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium comes with a variety of advanced features that make it stand out from other smart thermostats on the market. Some of the notable features include:
• Schedule. You can set up schedules for the thermostat to follow and adjust the temperature according to your routine. Ecobee will also send recommendations to improve your schedule to save more energy.
• Comfort settings. You can set your ideal temperature when you're at home, away, or sleeping.
• Time of Use. This feature can save you money by intelligently precooling or preheating your home when electricity is less expensive and cooling or heating less when electricity is more costly.
• Eco+. This feature can deliver personalized energy recommendations and monthly email reports of your energy consumption to improve energy efficiency. To utilize this feature, make sure you have the Eco+ turned on and that you have filled in your Home Information and Property Characteristics.
• Remote control. You can control the thermostat from anywhere remotely using the Ecobee app.
• Voice control and automation. The thermostat supports integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, and IFTTT, which will give you access to voice control or automation.
• Built-in speaker and microphone via Siri and Alexa built-in. This allows you to make voice commands directly to the thermostat, stream music and podcast on Spotify, make calls, or even for intercom. However, to enable the built-in Siri, an Apple home hub is required.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
• Built-in indoor air quality monitor. You can get alerts when poor air quality is detected, get tips on how to improve it, and get reminders when it's time to change your furnace's air filter.
• Built-in smoke alarm. You can get alerts to possible break-ins and when your system is armed.
• External Smart Sensor. You can place the Smart Sensor or mount it to the wall in an important room different from where the thermostat is installed. This will allow you to adjust the temperature in that specific room and reduce hot and cold spots.
• Smart Home & Away mode. The built-in occupancy detection and geofencing can detect if you're present at home and automatically adjusts temperature levels. When you're home, it will automatically adjust heating and cooling for comfort. When you're not home, it will automatically adjust to optimize energy saving.
• Vacation Settings. You can turn this on when you're away to conserve energy and make sure your home is comfortable when you're back. It also helps to protect your home from frozen pipes or extreme heat damage so you can have peace of mind.
Cons
One potential drawback of the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is that some features require a subscription, such as the home monitoring feature that requires the Ecobee Smart Security plan for you to get alerts when the smoke alarm detects possible break-ins, and to get notifications during sudden temperature drops that could cause damage.
Some users have also reported that the built-in speaker doesn't sound great and that the functionality of the air quality sensor is limited only to monitoring. It does not support automation to trigger your HVAC system's fan to circulate air automatically, for example.
Additionally, geofencing is only supported for one user or family member. So, when the primary account holder leaves the house, the thermostat changes to away mode even though the other family members are still at home. This can be frustrating as the other family members will be left freezing unless they change the thermostat back manually.
Final Thoughts
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium has a great design, compatible with most HVAC systems, and offers advanced features and benefits. It comes with a built-in speaker, air quality monitor, smoke detector, an external smart sensor, and geofencing capability to ensure comfort and energy efficiency. However, it also has some drawbacks worth considering.
Overall, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is a great option if you're looking for a high-end smart thermostat that comes with advanced features and benefits.
If you like to read more about Smart Thermostats, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Smart Thermostats in Singapore
Google Nest Learning Thermostat Review (with PROS and CONS)
Ecobee vs Nest: Smart Thermostats Comparison
Ecobee vs Honeywell T9: Smart Thermostats Comparison
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