Summary
Smart thermostats, enhancing home comfort and convenience through remote temperature control and automatic adjustment based on user patterns, vary significantly in features and prices.
Key considerations include ease of installation, smart home compatibility, remote control functionalities, learning capabilities, energy efficiency, design, and cost.
The best smart thermostats include Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat, Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat, Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, and the Bosch BCC100 Thermostat. With different costs and pros and cons, there’s a smart thermostat for everyone.
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Smart thermostats come in all shapes and sizes, and for such a small device, it massively impacts your home experience. So, getting the right one is vital to your comfort and convenience.
That begins with understanding what a smart thermostat is and what it does.
Understanding Smart Thermostats
With a smart thermostat, you can control your home's temperature remotely through a smartphone, laptop, or other devices.
This flexibility allows you to adjust your home's heating and cooling from anywhere at any time. Picture this: you're leaving work earlier than expected on a cold winter's day. With just a tap or two, you raise the thermostat setting so you arrive home to a warm, cozy space.
Even better, many smart thermostats have built-in sensors to learn your daily patterns and preferences. They use this data to automatically adjust the temperature, thereby conserving energy, lowering your utility bills, and requiring less monitoring and input.
They can also interact with other smart home devices. For example, you can program your blinds to close when the thermostat indicates it’s hot outside.
However, not all smart thermostats are created equal. So, knowing what to look for in a good one is essential.
Key Features Of A Good Smart Thermostat
Here are several essential factors to consider when shopping for a smart thermostat.
Ease Of Installation
Some smart thermostats require a professional’s help to install. There’s nothing wrong with this.
However, you may not want to schedule a professional for assistance, wait for them, or pay the cost associated with it. In that case, a smart thermostat you can install yourself is a good pick.
In other words, professional installation doesn’t make a smart thermostat a bad choice, but a smart thermostat not requiring such assistance is the best.
Smart Home Compatibility
As you’ll see below, different companies make smart thermostats. In other tech situations, this isn’t an issue.
However, smart devices need to be able to communicate with one another. This is becoming less of a problem today, and companies are even making devices to help smart tech communicate, but it’s still essential to see if your smart thermostat is compatible with certain systems and devices.
Remote Control
One of the best features of a smart thermostat is the ability to control it from your phone, tablet, or laptop. Still, it’s worth looking into the program or app that comes with the thermostat. Not all will be as easy or robust to use. So, check out videos, diagrams, and more to see what kind you’re getting with your thermostat purchase.
Learning Capabilities
As before, smart thermostats can learn your schedule and preferences. They can adjust the temperature based on your previous patterns, and they can do so without you pressing any buttons.
So, it’s worth researching what the smart thermostats you’re looking to buy offer in this area. For example, some will offer faster learning times or include more factors to help the thermostat learn.
Of course, you may not want this, so you can also look for smart thermostats with automatic and manual control options.
Energy Efficiency
One of the best benefits of smart thermostats is the fact they can help you optimize your energy and associated bills. That comes from their learning capabilities, but they also offer you energy reports, helping you adjust them further.
We recommend detailed reviews for this feature. Look for ones from users who’ve had a smart thermostat for an extended period of time and specifically discuss their bills.
Design And Display
Thermostats are small, somewhat invisible devices. They’re similar to sockets in that way.
However, just like sockets, design matters. What kind of design is up to you, but you have many options to choose from.
Cost And Warranty
On average, smart thermostats range in price from $80 to over $200.
It’s crucial to research what the price includes, such as all the features mentioned above. Cheaper does not always equal worse, and more expensive does not always equal better, after all.
Additionally, check the thermostat’s warranty. While a longer warranty doesn’t always indicate better quality, it usually does. Checking the warranty will also help you understand what’s covered and what’s not.
5 Best Smart Thermostat Options
1. Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat
Google’s circle-shaped smart thermostat is simple, easy to use, backed by a massive tech company, and offers quite a few features. The pros below reflect many of these.
Here are the pros:
- Nest app: This feature provides you with voice control, the ability to set schedules, and you can make adjustments from anywhere.
- Farsight technology: The thermostat detects when you're in the room and lights up the display to show you the temperature, time, or weather.
- Eco temperature feature: The thermostat auto-adjusts to an eco temperature setting when it senses you’re not home, improving your energy efficiency.
Here are the cons:
- Higher price: Unfortunately, this thermostat does have an average price of $200 and up.
- Installation requirements: Some of these thermostat models require a C-wire (common wire), which will likely require professional installation.
2. Ecobee SmartThermostat
Ecobee’s SmartThermostat is a great choice for people who have some technical know-how and are willing to invest time and money into their smart thermostat. The thermostat offers plenty of value for this investment, reflected in its finely tuned temperature regulation and features to along with it.
Here are the pros:
- SmartSensor: You can put this (and additional SmartSensors) into various rooms in your home, optimizing this thermostat’s ability to regulate temperature room-by-room.
- Eco+: This feature takes local energy rates and weather into account so it can optimize your heating and cooling schedules.
- Smart system integration: This thermostat integrates with smart home ecosystems, such as Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and more, making it compatible with many smart home setups and devices.
Here are the cons:
- Higher price: Like Google’s thermostat, this one routinely costs $200 and up (and more if you add additional SmartSensors).
- Complexity: For some folks, this smart thermostat offers too much in terms of settings and installation.
3. Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat
Honeywell is a well-known name in the home appliance industry. They offer everything from humidifiers to refrigerators.
The Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat is no exception to its long history with quality home products, providing you with a budget-friendly option while still offering features of the more costly and advanced models.
Here are the pros:
- Smart room sensors: Just like the Ecobee thermostat, Honeywell’s thermostat uses sensors in various rooms to provide you with better room-to-room temperature control.
- Room priority control: Because you can place sensors in different rooms, the thermostat can use this data to prioritize certain rooms’ temperatures over others.
- Adaptive recovery: The thermostat adjusts when it starts increasing or decreasing temperature based on how long it takes to get there.
Here are the cons:
- Accessory cost: You’ll have to pay more to get additional sensors.
- Geofencing limited to one user: Like the Emerson thermostat below, Honeywell’s thermostat offers geofencing to adjust your temperature, but it only does so for one person.
4. Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Overall, the Emerson Sensi Touch is a mid-range model, offering plenty of value for the price but ultimately lacking some of the features of higher-end models.
However, for those looking for a smart thermostat that performs most tasks well, this is an option to consider.
Here are the pros:
- Geofencing: This smart thermostat uses your smartphone’s location services to sense when you're close to home and adjusts the temperature accordingly.
- Easy installation: This thermostat is relatively easy to install, even without a C-wire in many systems.
- High-quality touchscreen: This smart thermostat’s name reflects its investment in its large, colorful touchscreen and accompanying technology.
Here are the cons:
- Lacking motion detection: Unlike some other smart thermostats, this one doesn’t adjust temperature based on room occupancy.
- Basic design: Although design isn’t everything, the Sensi Touch may disappoint if you’re looking for something unique and modern.

5. Bosch BCC100 Thermostat
The Bosch BCC100 Thermostat is a great model if you’re looking for a smart thermostat within the hundred-dollar range. While it won’t offer features other smart thermostats do, it offers plenty for those looking for something straightforward and useful.
Here are the pros:
- Dual fuel-system support: Dual-fuel systems have a heat pump system and furnace backup, which not every thermostat is compatible with, but this one is.
- Early start feature: This feature ensures the thermostat reaches the desired temperature at the time you desire, not just starting at that time.
- Touchscreen design: This thermostat offers a convenient and easy-to-use user interface with a 5-inch color touchscreen and intuitive controls.
Here are the cons:
- No learning capabilities: Not all smart thermostats can learn your preferences and routines, such as this one.
- Less detailed energy reports: This thermostat offers energy reports with less information than others.
Reference: Smart Homes For Beginners
