A Review of the Ecobee3 Smart Thermostat after 2 Years of Superhosting

[Justin47]

Hi everybody, my name in Justin and I have a YouTube channel about all things regarding being an Airbnb host (found here) and this week I review a really great thermostat that I have used for the last 2 years called the Ecobee3.  This video idea was suggested here in the community center by Rene & Zak as they too use the Ecobee in their home as well.  The video review can be found here.  The script is below, enjoy!

Script:

Most smart thermostats nowadays have the ability to easily be programmed and adjusted remotely with your phone or a computer, but the biggest thing that sets the Ecobee3 apart from other smart thermostats are the wireless remote sensors.  The Ecobee3 ships with one sensor, but I added 2 additional sensors for about 80 bucks.  You can add up to 32 sensors if you happen to live in that big of a home.  The battery in these sensors are a standard watch battery and they last for nearly a year, I have only changed them once so far. These sensors have a pretty good range and tell the thermostat the temperature in the various rooms throughout the house so that it can average your desired target temperature for better overall comfort.  You can also disable the participation of some sensors to the thermostat which works well if you have a particularly hot or cold area.  These sensors not only provide the temperature to the thermostat, but they also detect occupancy as well.  This is where the money savings come into play because the thermostat can detect when you are home or away.  If the sensors do not detect motion after a couple of hours, it can switch to away mode which changes the target temperature a few degrees to save money.  As soon as it detects motion again, it goes back to the desired comfort setting.  This feature has saved me nearly 600 dollars since I installed the ecobee 3 in December of 2015.  The motion detection can also be setup to follow you for more comfort meaning that while you are in the kitchen, it will make sure to keep that room at the target temperature, if you go to the bedroom, then it will follow you there as well.  The Ecobee3 is a fantastic solution for those who are looking into getting a smart thermostat that can easily be expanded and will quickly pay for itself!

[George216]

Great one. What's your thoughts on the comparison of Ecobee3 and Ecobee4?

[Justin47]

Thanks George, I think the Ecobee 4 with Alexa would be fantastic if your living area is near the thermostat so that you could interact with it and make the most of its features.  Otherwise, the Ecobee 3 can be connected via another Alexa device (the Echo for example) via the Connected Home feature for the same effect.  You can also connect it to Google devices with Google assistant as well.