Thermostats

3,894 Views | 29 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by agracer
aTm2004
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AG
My FIL was going to get us one for Christmas but wasn't sure which one we'd prefer, so he gave us a gift card to use for one. Looking at what's out on the market, do any really stand out as the "best" over the others, or are they all similar with name being the biggest driver of price difference?

Specifically, looking at the Nest, Ecobee, and a Honeywell.
Aggietaco
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AG
They are all similar. I chose the ecobee for the added temperature sensors to make sure whichever room we were using the most mattered more in the temperature monitoring equation. I also like the way it looks over the Nest.
agdoc2001
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AG
I have 2 Nests - they are fine, but I will not purchase another one until they come out with a remote sensor. I would buy an Ecobee if purchasing today.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
aTm2004
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AG
Thanks for the replies. Forgive me for my ignorance, but how do the sensors work? I have 1 AC unit, so how would it focus on 1 room over another? Would it read the temperature there vs. the thermostat and keep that room at the set temp? So it may be 72 in the kitchen but 69 at the thermostat?
cr0wbar
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AG
aTm2004 said:

Thanks for the replies. Forgive me for my ignorance, but how do the sensors work? I have 1 AC unit, so how would it focus on 1 room over another? Would it read the temperature there vs. the thermostat and keep that room at the set temp? So it may be 72 in the kitchen but 69 at the thermostat?
I've been racking my brain around this too. I just moved into a new 2 story town home that has two zoned system - one upstairs and one downstairs. I even had the AC installer come out and give me a rundown about the zones and dampers. He told me there were only two. So I don't understand the need for sensors in individual rooms (Ecobee 2). I don't doubt that the sensors are accurate, but as far as getting your HVAC system to 'cooperate' still baffles me
agdoc2001
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AG
I have 2 thermostats - both in hallways in relatively open areas, neither near a window or door. You will find that the temperature in bedrooms is far different than the hallway temperature and the Nest won't kick on. For instance, I will have heat set to say 72 on the upstairs NEST, but the temp in the bedrooms gets down to 67 overnight.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
TX_AG_10
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AG
aTm2004 said:

Thanks for the replies. Forgive me for my ignorance, but how do the sensors work? I have 1 AC unit, so how would it focus on 1 room over another? Would it read the temperature there vs. the thermostat and keep that room at the set temp? So it may be 72 in the kitchen but 69 at the thermostat?
Yes, that's correct. For those of us that don't have a zones, it's great. I have an Ecobee and have 3 sensors (Main thermostat, Kitchen, Nursery, Master Bedroom). You can set different comfort settings/schedules that use different sensors at different times.. For example, I have a 4 comfort settings. Sleep, Home, Nap Time, Away. During the "Sleep" setting, I have the Ecobee set to only monitor my bedroom and my daughters room (will take the average temp of both rooms). "Home" monitors Kitchen and main thermostat. "Nap Time" is my daughters room and "Away" monitors the main thermostat.

It's a real nice function to pull up the app and be able to see what the temps are across your house.
aTm2004
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AG
Awesome. I'm going to look a bit harder at the Ecobee for this.
Cloud
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Ecobee is the best stat in the market.
Bregxit
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AG
I put two Ecobees in my house and absolutely love them. It is great not burning or freezing out a bedroom because the thermostat is in the living room.
G Martin 87
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AG
Last year when I decided to shop for a smart thermostat, I was sure I was gong to end up buying a Nest. After doing my research and reading reviews, the ecobee was the clear choice. I love mine.
Pman17
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AG
I have an EcoBee. Love it! Especially when I can use Apple HomeKit.
matthopp
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AG
I am following this thread closely as I am planning on getting one in the very near future. I have 2 standard thermostats (Zone 1- 1st and 2nd Floor, Zone 2- 3rd Floor/My Bedroom); do I need to get two thermostats such as the ecobee or Honeywell or one with a sensor?

I dont have any other home automation, but a friend got Alexa for Christmas and I think I will buy one and would like to coordinate it. Main thing for me is to control by wifi as I travel a ton.
cr0wbar
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AG
I'm in the same boat as you, Matt. I decided today to go with the $170 Ecobee Lite from Amazon. In all my research, I'm seeing that you cannot control 2 zones with the ecobees thermostats yet - (or any smart thermostat for that matter). I bought one to get a feel, and will eventually buy one for our downstairs (kitchen, dining, living). Yes - we have an Echo as well.
04texag
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AG
Honeywell Lyric is what I always recommend to clients. It has the features of the nest and is a professional grade device. The nest is a toy, it's not a professional t-stat as it has too high of a delta T.

I'm not well versed on the Ecobee but guess I have something new to look into.
04texag
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AG
Looks like the ecobee is out as well, as it can't control variable speed hvac.

Especially here in Houston, and most of the gulf coast, the most important aspect of good HVAC is getting a variable speed setup to help control humidity in your home.

The lyric is the only smart t-stat that I'm aware of that can sense humidity, control variable speed hvac and is professional grade.
Aggietaco
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AG
04texag said:

Looks like the ecobee is out as well, as it can't control variable speed hvac.

Especially here in Houston, and most of the gulf coast, the most important aspect of good HVAC is getting a variable speed setup to help control humidity in your home.

The lyric is the only smart t-stat that I'm aware of that can sense humidity, control variable speed hvac and is professional grade.


Which is completely irrelevant if you don't have a variable speed system.

Agreed on dehumidification being an almost necessity for comfort in the South, but I think there are better options for that than simply having a variable speed system run more often to pull the moisture.
ABKitch
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AG
Quote:

Looks like the ecobee is out as well, as it can't control variable speed hvac.
Where'd you see that? We have a variable speed furnace/fan and the ecobee controls it just fine.

Kicks into "second gear" only when it's really needed, and the rest of the time, I have it set to run at low speed, all the time. Our HVAC company recommended setting it up that way, to keep air circulating throughout the house (2 story house, multi-zoned, with a finished basement) and it has helped keep the house very comfortable throughout.

I had a Nest previously and liked it for its simplicity and build quality (metal and glass versus the ecobee's all plastic casing), but now that I have the ecobee figured out and set up properly, it is a little better than the Nest.


Vernada
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AG
I am getting a two speed hvac system installed now and the guys are going to install an eco bee for me.
Vernada
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AG
Looks like ecobee is ok for two speed but not a true variable system.
Tailgate88
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AG
Love my Ecobee
Phil Rirruto
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Love the Ecobee. I move the remote sensor around to the hottest/coldest areas to trick my wife into thinking she's keeping the house at her desired temp.
04texag
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AG
Straight from Ecobee's site.

https://www.ecobee.com/faq/is-ecobee-compatible-with-variable-fan-speed-and-modulation/

What is a better option for dehumidification, a stand alone dehumidifier? I think you'll find it is much more economical and better application to get a variable speed air handler, two stage or better compressor and humidistat.
KidDoc
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AG
I just had a new AC unit installed and already had Nest thermo's. I could get a 2 stage 17 SEER unit but if I wanted a higher SEER I would have to use proprietary thermostat from American Standard. It seems like most variable speeds I looked at required a custom thermostat. My Nest gen 3 handles the 2 stage just fine though.

I also have Nest cams and the smoke/CO2 dictators so I've bought into their whole ecosystem.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
wee_ag
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AG
What do you guys recommend for a home with electric baseboard heat (no A/C) that will be upgraded to liquid propane wall unit in the near future? The electric baseboard require 240v, not the standard 24v which makes it hard to find something usable. I live in upstate NY and need a more efficient way to control the heat per room in my small house since right now I turn the electric heat on and off in each room I'm using. Whatever I get also needs to be able to switch over to the propane heat when I get it.
The Fife
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I have a current and former model Ecobee with zero regrets about either. Will probably trade the old model up for a new one sometime in the next year or two as well because of the remote sensors.
chipotle
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I have a Honeywell z wave for SmartThings and discovered you can add remote sensors. However if I wasn't so cheap I'd swap out the thermostat for an ecobee3.
aTm2004
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AG
Just a quick update...

Went with the Ecobee 3 and have had it up and going for just over a week. Can't really tell you how much I like it as the weather really hasn't required me to use it. My house is a constant low to mid-70's all day/night, so the thermostat has been turned off. I do like the ability to make changes remotely when I need to.
agracer
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AG
wee_ag said:

What do you guys recommend for a home with electric baseboard heat (no A/C) that will be upgraded to liquid propane wall unit in the near future? The electric baseboard require 240v, not the standard 24v which makes it hard to find something usable. I live in upstate NY and need a more efficient way to control the heat per room in my small house since right now I turn the electric heat on and off in each room I'm using. Whatever I get also needs to be able to switch over to the propane heat when I get it.
your base board heater is not likely 24v. That is the controller /t-stat voltage signal.

The t-stat just sends a 24v signal to the baseboard heater control module to switch on. The heating element in the heater is 240v. Typically you don't send the power voltage thru a remote switch for a HVAC system like a baseboard heater.

Think of it like a remote controlled ceiling fan. The remote has a battery, not 120v in it. It's just a signal device to turn on /off a switch. That's all you t-stat is doing.

Your propane unit may have a 24v controller or it may have something else (like 0-10 mAmps).
wee_ag
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AG
agracer said:

wee_ag said:

What do you guys recommend for a home with electric baseboard heat (no A/C) that will be upgraded to liquid propane wall unit in the near future? The electric baseboard require 240v, not the standard 24v which makes it hard to find something usable. I live in upstate NY and need a more efficient way to control the heat per room in my small house since right now I turn the electric heat on and off in each room I'm using. Whatever I get also needs to be able to switch over to the propane heat when I get it.
your base board heater is not likely 24v. That is the controller /t-stat voltage signal.

The t-stat just sends a 24v signal to the baseboard heater control module to switch on. The heating element in the heater is 240v. Typically you don't send the power voltage thru a remote switch for a HVAC system like a baseboard heater.

Think of it like a remote controlled ceiling fan. The remote has a battery, not 120v in it. It's just a signal device to turn on /off a switch. That's all you t-stat is doing.

Your propane unit may have a 24v controller or it may have something else (like 0-10 mAmps).
Hmm - thanks for the input. So what am I looking for in a thermostat then? The cheap ones like this specifically say they don't work with baseboard heat. Is there some keyword I need to look for to know I'm getting something that will work? I would really love some type of wireless system with a main control unit and satellite units in each room that could be turned on/off remotely.

agracer
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AG
Sorry, never had baseboard heat and really don't know how those home systems work.

Do you know what brand of baseboard heater you will have when you switch to propane? If yes, try the manu. web site or see if they have some tech support you can correspond with.

EDIT: Looks like I may have mis-spoke. Check HERE. Maybe the power does go thru the t-stat. Scroll down to the "How do I wire my thermostat".

Again, not familiar with these systems at all. The propane system will not require 240v power so the thermostat will be wired differently.

Finally, are you sure the propane is cheaper than the electricity? Propane in NY can be expensive as a delivered utility vs electricity in the winter time.
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