Ecobee Vs Nest Thermostat
Two of the most popular thermostats on the market today are the Ecobee and the Google Nest. Both of these thermostats are smart thermostats, meaning they connect to wifi and can be tied into your home automation system. Let’s dig into some of the features about these thermostats so we can help you better understand which one will better suit your home.
Ecobee Thermostat Review
The Ecobee Smart thermostat was introduced to the market in 2008. The most popular Ecobee thermostat our customers are installing is the ecobee3 lite. Let’s dive into some of the features of the ecobee3 lite.
Ecobee3 lite features
- ENERGY SAVINGS: ecobee3 lite could save up to 23% annually on your heating or cooling costs Compared to a hold of 72°F
- ECO+: intelligently heats or cools your home when prices are low, and balances the climate for comfort and energy
- Compatible with ecobee SmartSensor, detecting occupancy to save energy and provide optimal comfort in the rooms that matter most (sold seperately)
- Easy thermostat installation
- ecobee3 lite pairs with up to 32 sensors, including Amazon Echo, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and IFTTT.
- Compatible with 2 heat/2 cool conventional ac systems
- Compatible with 4 heat/2 cool heat pump and geothermal heat pump systems
- Three year warranty
Does Ecobee Thermostat Work With
Ecobee is a standard 24 VAC thermostat, which means it will work with 95% of HVAC systems out there. If your old thermostat uses high voltage 120v or 240v power, then Ecobee will not be a good solution for you. You can use an Ecobee thermostat on a gas furnace, electric air handler, air conditioner, heat pump, radiant heat, oil furnace, boiler, solar and geothermal HVAC systems. Ecobee will work with all major manufacturers including Trane, Lennox, Carrier, Goodman, Amana, Rheem, American Standard, and others.
Ecobee3 lite “C wire”
Like most digital wifi thermostats the ecobee3 lite does require a c wire. It is always best to pull a new thermostat wire with enough wires. One of the main reasons being that most furnaces and air conditioners are two stage systems. You will need the extra wires for multi-stage equipment or IAQ anyways. There is a power extender kit (PEK) included in the thermostat box. This power extender kit allows you to work around a thermostat c wire. The extender kit that wires into the furnace control board.
Nest Thermostat Review
Nest Thermostat Features
- ENERGY STAR: the Nest learning thermostat is the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR certified
- Learns the temperatures you like for different times/days and programs itself
- Automatically turns itself down when you’re away to avoid heating or cooling an empty home
- Remote control: connect it to Wi-Fi to change the temperature from your phone, tablet or laptop
- See when heating and cooling were on and what affected your energy use
- Energy history; check your phone to see how much energy you used and why
- Receive an alert on your phone or tablet if your home gets dangerously hot or cold
- Nest thermostat integrates with Nest Protect. If Nest protect detects carbon monoxide gas, it can turn off the furnace – a common source of CO leaks.
- Nest is compatible with 3 heat/2 cool conventional air conditioning and heat pump systems
- Standard warranty is two years
- When our Nest Pro’s furnish and install your thermostat the warranty is increased to five years. Nest Pro ID: A29-B45
Does Nest Thermostat Work With
Nest is a standard 24 VAC thermostat, which means it will work with 95% of HVAC systems out there. If your old thermostat uses high voltage 120v or 240v power, then Nest will not be a good solution for you. You can use a Nest thermostat on a gas furnace, electric air handler, air conditioner, heat pump, radiant heat, oil furnace, boiler, solar and geothermal HVAC systems. Nest will work with all major manufacturers including Trane, Lennox, Carrier, Goodman, Amana, Rheem, American Standard, and others.
Nest Thermostat “C Wire”
Similar to the ecobee3 lite, the Nest also requires a “C wire.” The Nest manual states the following: “The Nest Thermostat is designed to work even if your home doesn’t have a common (C) wire. Rarely, installing a new C wire may be required.” However, in our experience as Nest pro HVAC contractors when there is no “C wire” attached the system can get a low power error code. The best bet is to always pull a new “eight wire” with each installation.
How to Install Nest Thermostat
Which thermostat is best?
This is a very subjective question since both thermostats have a lot to offer. On the one hand the ecobee3 lite is a little bit cheaper. On the other hand the Nest thermostat is our number one selling smart thermostat and has been for years. It is always prudent for you to look into each thermostat throughly before deciding on a thermostat installation.
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