The ecobee Smart Thermostat is an advanced temperature control system for your home, which makes it easier to save energy through having more control of your central heating system. The ecobee allows you to set up highly specific schedules for your heating and cooling systems, rather than the twice-daily on/off settings that exist on most central heating controls.
The scheduling system allows you to determine when the heating system is switched on and off, such as when you leave for work, when you go to bed, when you wake up in the morning, etc. However, the ecobee goes one further allowing you to set a different temperature for each event too. This means you can have the temperature warmer in the cold evenings, but cooler during the day when the sun is up.
With the ecobee, you can also programme in your vacations, which means you can override the normal heating schedule with a basic schedule to keep the house from freezing. At the end of your vacation (determined by date and time), the ecobee will resume the normal heating schedule.
The ecobee console is a touch-screen interface, making it very intuitive for all homeowners. The console can connect to the internet via your existing WiFi connection so that you can use the built-in web console. This is great if you’re away from home, as you can ensure your house is nice and warm by the time you return!
Going even further, ecobee have just released a free application for the iPhone, which integrates with the web console on the ecobee unit. Clearly the designers of ecobee want to make it as easy as possible to save energy in your home. The ecobee unit costs around $500 USD, but you’ll need a trained technician to have the unit installed.