When it comes to smart heating, Ecobee is one of the biggest names in the market. It’s been around for more than 15 years, after its founder decided to develop a way of conserving energy by finding a way to remote control heating and cooling systems when a property is unoccupied.
Since then, there have been several iterations of Ecobbee smart thermostats, but currently, the brand offers just two models. It's top-of-the-range Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control, and the more affordable Ecobee 3 Lite.
The Ecobbee 3 Lite connects to the internet via your Wi-Fi network and can be controlled from a smartphone app or by speaking to a voice assistant, like Alexa, Siri, or the Google Assistant. Ecobee says the 3 Lite can lower your annual energy bills by up to 23 percent, thanks to the thermostat recommending changes to your heating and cooling schedule to keep you comfortable while using less energy.
"Ecobee says the 3 Lite can lower your annual energy bills by up to 23 percent, thanks to the thermostat recommending changes to your heating and cooling schedule to keep you comfortable while using less energy."
Unlike the more expensive Ecobee SmartThermostat, the 3 Lite does not have a speaker and microphone for integrated Alexa support, and nor does it come with a SmartSensor included in the box. However, these can be bought separately and wirelessly connected, giving the thermostat a temperature reading from other rooms of your home, in a bid to heat or cool them more effectively.
With a more affordable price tag, the Ecobee 3 Lite may seem like an attractive purchase if you’re after one of the best smart thermostats? So how does it compare to on the market, and is it the model you should be buying?