Product Review: Ecobee a Web-Based Residential Stat

Many commercial thermostats can now do so much remotely thanks to technology. My team is very familiar with web based thermostats for commercial applications. They have been around for years and have enabled our commercial customers numerous benefits including energy savings and remote monitoring and programming. The price of these web based thermostats put them out of reach for most home owners.

Finally, there is a great web-based residential thermostat for the home owner. Ecobee, a Canadian manufacturer, has designed a thermostat for those of us who have the need or desire to monitor and control the temperature in our homes without actually having to be there. Just think… you head away on vacation for a couple of weeks and remember that you forgot to reset your thermostat to constant night mode. No problem! Go on your Apple or Android smart phone, tie into your Ecobee smart thermostat via a free downloadable app, and set it to vacation mode. And don’t forget that you can check it any time you wish. You can even set it to notify you via email if there is a problem. The best part is that this thermostat solution is priced for the home owner.

What really impresses me about this thermostat is how simple it is to setup and program. As long as you have WiFi at your home, this unit finds it and connects with ease. Then it walks you through the programming step by step by asking you the pertinent questions. I was able to set up one in less than five minutes.  Now that IS simple!  Don’t worry about compatibility — one model can be used for up to 4 heat, 2 cool, dual-fuel, heat pump, variable speed and humidifier/dehumidifier control.

Ecobee also manufactures a commercial model of this stat for those who have a commercial web-based thermostat application but can’t justify the cost of more expensive options.  Stromquist is happy to now be set up as a distributor for Ecobee, so we can start offering this great product to our customers. If you are a homeowner we will be glad to put you in touch with one of our qualified installing contractors. If you are an HVAC Contractor and are interested in getting setup to install the Ecobee web-based thermostat please contact me at paul@stromquist.com