With home automation on the rise, smart thermostats are finding themselves in more and more homes. But is their energy-saving abilities really the future of smart houses?
Keep reading to find out:
The Benefits Of A Smart Thermostat
When it comes down to it, there are many considerable benefits to smart thermostats. But the biggest one is their ability to learn.
The best smart thermostats have the fantastic ability to learn how people like their heating and cooling during different times of the day.
The smart thermostat will automatically change the temperature of the house based on previous days. But more importantly, it will bring the house to the required temperature in the most energy-efficient manner possible.
This helps users save money; it’s one of the only smart devices that makes its money back within a year.
Recommended Smart Thermostats
With just a small amount of research, it’s easy to see two smart thermostats are outperforming all their competition.
But knowing which one is better takes considerably more research. Keep reading to find out which is the better thermostat in this Ecobee Vs Nest review:
Ecobee 5
To control the thermostat it comes with a few options; the first is to control it with the touchscreen display. The other options include Alexa voice control or via the mobile app.
The thermostat has a sleek black design, which has no problems fitting in with any home decor.
The company claims to save 23% on energy bills making it a very effective piece of kit. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes to set up and requires a C-wire for the thermostat to work.
One great feature is the geofencing abilities, it allows the thermostat to know if people are home or close to home. The thermostat will then use its smart abilities to control the heating.
Pros
- Works with voice control
- Easy to install
- Great performance
Cons
- No on-screen Alexa
Nest 3rd Gen
The thermostat is known for being one of the most intelligent smart thermostats on the market. This is because of its learning abilities and how it can build its own schedule based on the user’s habits.
People tend to go for this version because it doesn’t require a C-wire to complete the installation, which makes it a lot easier to install.
The Nest 3rd Gen is only 3.4 inches in diameter. It’s this small and stylish design that makes it perfect for any home.
The device expects to save around 15% on cooling bills and around 12% on heating. It’s these energy-saving qualities that draw people to this unit.
Finally, this unit can be used with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which gives more voice control options.
Pros
- Self-learning
- Easy to install
- Voice controls
Cons
- No radiator control
Ecobee Vs. Nest Head To Head
The easiest way to compare two products is to put them head to head, which is exactly what this section will do.
Check it out to see which one comes out on top:
Installation
Both devices are pretty easy to install, but the Nest thermostat is slightly more manageable. This is mainly because the Nest unit does not need a C-wire to complete the installation.
The ecobee5 does need the C-wire; this can make things take longer, especially if the previous thermostat didn’t have a C wire.
For this reason, the Nest thermostat slightly steps ahead of ecobee5.
Design
Because thermostats are usually placed in the most commonly used room, it makes sense to make sure they look the part.
The ecobee 5 has a square shape with rounded corners while the Nest is completely circular in shape.
Both come with a touchscreen design, which features high-resolution color. Choosing based on design is pretty hard, mainly because it comes down to personal preference.
Let’s call this one a draw!
Scheduling
For this one, there can only be one winner. The Nest thermostat has smart technology which is used to understand what temperatures should be set.
It does this by setting schedules based on usual human habits.
Eventually, the house will get warm, and when the change has been recognized, it will store the data ready for next time.
And it will reach a point where no human intervention is needed.
Ecobee works solely based on preset schedules. These schedules can be changed at any time using the mobile app.
Integrations
Having smart devices that integrate well with each other is vital to succeeding in home automation.
Luckily both of these devices supply third-party integration; the thing is ecobee offers far more possibilities than Nest.
It offers support with big names like Alexa, HomeKit, SmartThings, and many more. And has built-in speakers which can be used with voice controls.
Nest works with Alexa and Google, as well as a couple of smart hub providers; other than that; it’s pretty limited.
Energy Saving Abilities
This is an essential thing to think about, the thing is:
Judging how much savings a thermostat will bring is super hard. The reason is; it varies between people.
Energy prices vary depending on the area, some places are colder than others, and some houses have better insulation.
All there is to go on is what the manufacturer claims, and here’s what they say:
- Nest can save 15% on cooling and 10-12% on heating
- Ecobee saves 23% on energy bills
As seen above, both units provide considerable energy savings, but it looks like Nest slightly edges it.
In the end, both devices save a considerable amount of money and pay for themselves after a year or two.
Rounding Up
The main advantage of smart thermostats is the ability to save money. But it also makes it super easy to use and far more convenient.
As for which one is the best, it seems that the Nest thermostat slightly edges it. The thermostat is marginally cheaper but is also far more intelligent than ecobee.
The biggest downside was the lack of integrations.
