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What to Look For in a Smart Thermostat in 2021
Shopping for a smart thermostat is a surprisingly complicated process. Not only do you have dozens of great products to choose from, but you also need to make sure your prospective purchase is compatible with your current smart home setup.
If a smart thermostat is going to be the first part of your connected home, that’s less of a concern. Pick up any of the ones below, and you’re ready to rock. However, if you’ve already put together a smart ecosystem of lights, locks, and appliances, the last thing you want is a smart thermostat that doesn’t play well with your kit.
Thankfully, most smart home systems can incorporate today’s top-selling smart thermostats effectively. Whether you’re an avid Alexa user, love Google Assistant, or are piecing together an interconnected Apple Home, rest assured there’s a product with your name on it.
Beyond zeroing in on your smart home ecosystem, you’ll also have to consider a variety of other factors. Do you want to deal with C-wire installation? Are you open to adding additional sensors to your home? Do you need a smart thermostat with built-in microphones and speakers?
Choosing an expensive product typically means you’ll get all the bells and whistles—but not every home needs every feature. A budget option might be more than enough for what you need, as some even stand toe to toe with premium offerings.
Finding the right smart thermostat is highly dependent on your current setup, but some products stand head-and-shoulders above the competition. Here are the five best smart thermostats currently available based on performance, pricing, and ease of use.
Pros
- ✓ Alexa built-in
- ✓ Compatible with most smart home ecosystems
- ✓ Additional functionality with a SmartCamera
Cons
- ✗ Expensive
Although it’s a bit on the expensive side, the ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control is worth every penny. With Amazon Alexa built into the product—and compatibility with Google Assistant, SmartThings, and Apple HomeKit—ecobee’s premium smart thermostat meshes perfectly with just about every smart home ecosystem on the market.
Beyond its universal compatibility, the SmartThermostat packs in several features not seen in other products. Specifically, when configured with the optional SmartCamera and Haven subscription, it can automatically pause your HVAC system when doors or windows are opened, leading to a reported annual savings of 26% on your air conditioning costs.
Thanks to the built-in Alexa functionality, you can also change settings through voice commands, even without another smart home device. It’s a powerful feature and one that makes it easy to optimize your thermostat’s performance.
With its impressive functionality, sleek design, and surprisingly easy setup process, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better smart thermostat. Its initial price is hefty, but you’ll more than make up for it with continued utility savings every year.
Best Smart Thermostat
ecobee Smart Thermostat
Although it's a bit expensive, the ecobee SmartThermostat will provide you with massive annual savings on your energy bills.
$199.00 
$249.00 Save 20%
Pros
- ✓ Affordable
- ✓ Minimalist design
- ✓ Optimized performance with Alexa Hunches
Cons
- ✗ No built-in voice controls
- ✗ Requires a C-wire or power adapter
Don’t let its rock-bottom price tag fool you—the Amazon Smart Thermostat can hang with the best in the business. Although the thermostat is a newcomer to the smart home arena, Amazon leveraged over 130 years of experience by building it on the Honeywell Home platform.
The Amazon Smart Thermostat is more than just reliable and affordable, as you’ll find plenty of functionality packed into the handsome device. The product is officially Energy Star certified, meaning you can expect to save an average of $50 a year on your energy bills. Plus, its Alexa compatibility makes it easy to adjust the temperature when away from home.
Better yet, Alexa Hunches can automatically change the temperature for you based on your preferences. Whether you’re home, away at work, or about to fall asleep, Alexa can tweak the temperature of your home without much input on your end.
The biggest drawback to Amazon Smart Thermostat is the required C-wire or power adapter, making the install process more challenging. However, if you already have a C-wire installed, getting Amazon Smart Thermostat up and running is as simple as connecting a few cords, which takes a lot of the installation work out of it.
Anyone in the market for a capable smart thermostat that doesn’t break the bank could do a lot worse than Amazon’s latest invention.
Best Budget Smart Thermostat
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Offered at a surprisingly affordable price, the Amazon Smart Thermostat packs in several premium features typically reserved for high-end products.
Pros
- ✓ Auto-scheduling and programming
- ✓ Powerful Nest app
- ✓ Nest Leaf icon when optimal settings are in use
Cons
- ✗ Expensive
It should come as no surprise, but the best smart thermostat for Google Home is manufactured by none other than Google itself. While most products in the Google lineup are suitable picks for your smart home ecosystem, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat is the best money can buy.
Available in various metal finishes to mesh with any interior décor, the understated Nest Learning Thermostat saves the average homeowner more than 10% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills.
That’s made possible due to its interactive interface that alerts you when the temperature has been set to an eco-friendly value. If you see the Nest Leaf on the screen, you can rest easy knowing you’re saving money. You can also rely on the Nest’s ability to adapt to your lifestyle, with the thermostat learning and changing the temperatures with the seasons.
Not convinced all the fancy tech is saving you money? The Nest app on iPhone and Android makes it easy to check your energy history and proves that it’s worth the steep price tag.
If you can foot that initial investment, the Nest Learning Thermostat is all but guaranteed to be a perfect fit for your Google Home ecosystem, and it’ll even save you money in the long run.
Best Smart Thermostat for Google Home
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
Auto-scheduling temperature changes is a simple process, and you'll know you're saving money when the Nest Leaf icon appears on the screen.
$179.00
$249.00 Save 28%
Pros
- ✓ Affordable price
- ✓ Simple Apple Homekit integration
- ✓ Useful smartphone app
Cons
- ✗ Haven subscription required for some features
- ✗ SmartSensor required for some features
Apple Homekit makes it easy to manage all your smart appliances with a single app. However, sometimes it can be difficult finding products that work seamlessly with Apple’s smart home ecosystem. Thankfully, the ecobee3 lite SmartThermostat should be a perfect fit for all your smart home needs.
Available for $170, the ecobee’s smart thermostat is surprisingly capable for a sub-$200 smart thermostat. Apple enthusiasts will love its built-in Apple Homekit support, and they’ll be even more pleased that it can save up to 23% annually on your heating and cooling bills.
Some of its most advanced features, such as managing hot and cold spots throughout your home, require a subscription to ecobee’s Haven plan and an additional SmartSensor room sensor. But beyond the big of extra cost, there’s not much to really complain about with the lite SmartThermostat.
Whether you’re just starting your Apple Homekit adventure or if a smart thermostat is the last item on your list, the ecobee3 lite is bound to be a perfect, money-saving addition to your home.
Best Smart Thermostat for Apple Homekit
ecobee3 lite Smart Thermostat
You'll need to spring for a few additional products to make the most of the ecobee3 lite, but there's no denying its appeal for fans of Apple Homekit.
$149.00
$179.00 Save 17%
Pros
- ✓ Affordable
- ✓ Minimalist design
- ✓ Optimized performance with Alexa Hunches
Cons
- ✗ No built-in voice controls
- ✗ Requires a C-wire or power adapter
The Amazon Smart Thermostat emerges once again, this time as the best pick for fans of Alexa. While it lacks built-in voice control or smart speakers, the smart appliance can easily connect to any other Alexa-enabled device in your home. Specifically, Echo Dot or Echo Show users will find Amazon’s Smart Thermostat perfect for their needs.
Although it requires the installation of a C-wire, there’s a good chance your current thermostat is already equipped with one. If that’s the case, upgrading to a smart thermostat is as simple as connecting a few wires. And if you need to install a C-wire, the Amazon Smart Thermostat helps with guided instructions via the Alexa app on Android or iPhone.
Not only will Amazon’s new smart thermostat save you at least $50 a year on energy bills, but it also carries a paltry $60 price tag. That’s less than half the price of most competitors—yet it still manages to pull together an impressive list of features.
As long as you can look past its lack of built-in microphones and speakers, the Amazon Smart Thermostat is the perfect fit for your Alexa-powered home.
Best Smart Thermostat for Alexa
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Offering an affordable price tag, Alexa Hunches, and savings of at least $50 per year, it's hard to beat Amazon's newest smart thermostat.
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December 01, 2021 at 10:00PM
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