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The best smart thermostat is a great way to improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your overall utility spending. That being said, we only selected products that included WiFi connectivity, an easy to use smartphone app, wide device compatibility, multi-day programmability, included installation kits, and enhanced features like AI learning to automatically adjust usage and integrated real-time weather reports.
For this reason, we selected the Honeywell Home Wi-Fi 7-Day Programmable Thermostat as our best smart thermostat. While it doesn’t have a full-color touch screen like other options, it offers all of the functionality you would expect in this age. This Honeywell unit features smart device compatibility, a G wire extension for easier installation in older homes, seven-day programmability, and displays real-time weather.
Read Full Review: Honeywell Wi-fi Thermostat
The Honeywell Home Wi-FI 7-Day Programmable Thermostat makes our top pick because it offers the best of both worlds whether you’re tech-savvy or averse. A simplified LCD screen and touchpad are ideal for those used to older style thermostats. But tech-savvy fans will love that you can set a seven-day program and even further program each day into four periods for precise temperature control throughout the day.
This Honeywell thermostat works with WiFi which means you can also remotely manage the temperature and programs through either their proprietary app or by connecting it with a range of smart home assistants and third-party apps that include Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, Bonomi, Wink, and Stringy. Much like the devices in our 6 of the Best WiFi Thermostats list. Best of all, this thermostat comes with a complete installation kit, including a G wire extension if your existing thermostat wiring doesn’t have a C wire.
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Read Full Review: Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat
Many people may know ecobee as the original smart thermostat. The ecobee4 comes with a room sensor and a slick full-color touchscreen. The brand promises quick installation that shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to complete and a kit that includes an extender just in case your existing wiring doesn’t include a C wire. Either through the proprietary app, the touchscreen, or a smart assistant, you can program temperatures in advance. If you’d prefer more product recommendations like this, then check out our best smart thermostat for multiple zones.
You’ll love the wide range of smart assistants that are supported by ecobee. Choose from Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, IFTTT, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and Wink. A bonus is the HomeIQ feature which logs energy usage and can be accessed through the app. The ecobee4 also comes with one smart sensor which can be placed in a room for precise temperature control. Based on temperature readings and occupancy, the temperature is automatically adjusted for your comfort. Thanks to the technology on these external sensors and digital control systems, you won’t have to lift a finger when the temperature changes in your home. You may want to read ecobee vs Nest to compare the two devices and learn more.
Read Full Review: Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Thermostat
Installing a smart thermostat can be difficult if your HVAC system is more complex. And that’s why the Emerson Sensi Touch WiFi Smart Thermostat is a smart option in this scenario. But it’s important to note that this doesn’t come with a G wire extension. It features a large full-color touchscreen display that offers enhanced features such as humidity and extreme temperature detection. Program up to seven days of temperature settings and the circulating fan feature helps to improve overall air quality. If you have been thinking about buying a Zen thermostat, this is a great alternative.
For the tech-obsessed, you’ll appreciate that a wide range of smart assistants are supported. Choose between Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Wink. Or control your thermostat through Emerson’s proprietary app. You’ll also enjoy the geofencing which allows you to regulate temperatures based on your phone’s location in relation to your home. Real-time usage reporting helps you determine where to curb activities and best of all, this Energy Star appliance is eligible for a rebate. All these useful smart features on top of the easy-to-use digital display and control system makes this product a great addition to your smart home system. That’s why we ranked it as one of the best smart home devices.
Read Full Review: Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat
The ecobee3 second generation smart thermostat is ideal for people who like choice. In particular, the choice of smart home device support. This smart thermostat is designed to support Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and web apps like IFTTT. But if you’re not a smart assistant user, you can still use the proprietary ecobee app to remotely control your smart thermometer via WiFi. An Ecobee Smart Thermostat takes the aggravation out of Smart Homes.
Other core features you’ll like include the ability to program temperatures in advance, HomeIQ that logs actual usage for review, and comfort settings that allow you to adjust the temperature based on whether you’re away, sleeping, or in save mode. Using the best smart outlet can also save you extra money.
Read Full Review: Honeywell Smart Thermostat
You might think that a limited budget means you shouldn’t expect too much from a smart thermostat. But Honeywell proves that’s just a myth with their T5 smart thermostat. First, you’ll love the sleek design which will make your home feel modern as soon as it’s installed. Preprogram up to seven days of temperatures and take advantage of the alert system that notifies you when it’s time to replace your air filter or if indoor temperatures are extreme.
For the tech-obsessed, you’ll like that multiple smart assistant devices are supported. Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant are all supported. Geofencing allows you to automatically adjust temperatures based on your phone’s proximity to your home. Best of all, you can get money back as Honeywell’s T5 is an approved device for several rebate programs with local utilities.
Read Full Review: Honeywell Home RTH9585WF1004 Review
Anyone who’s ever looked at their utility bill knows that energy pricing can be confusing, to say the least. If there was a way to plan your energy usage based on that pricing, life would be easier. The Honeywell Home RTH9585WF1004 Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat gives you control over your energy bills by allowing you to enter peak rate pricing and adjust your usage accordingly.
There are other common features you can expect from this Honeywell model including multiple smart assistant device support. Choose between Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and Microsoft Cortana. Additional standard features you would expect include seven-day programming, real-time weather readings, alerts that notify you when it’s time to change filters, and the ability to customize your touchscreen from a range of colors. Smart devices like this and the best smart lock make life easier and safer.
Read Full Review: Honeywell TH9320WF5003 Review
Not everyone is comfortable with smart technology that features a complicated setup process or too many features. If this sounds like you, then the Honeywell TH9320WF5003 Wi-Fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat is a great way to ease into the world of smart technology without being overwhelmed. While meant to be installed professionally, this model offers a simplified entry into the smart thermostat category. The user interface is easy to navigate with its digital touchscreen and simplified yet effective control system. Program up to seven days of temperature settings in advance and use their proprietary app to manage the temperature remotely.
The simplified display panel features full color with large easy to read print, making this an ideal option for older homeowners. Additional features like external temperature and internal humidity readings add enhanced functionality.
Smart thermostats have been on the market for years now, but as technology has advanced, so have they. Aspects like WiFi connectivity and proprietary apps that allow you to control your thermostat from anywhere in the world are standard at this point, but there are a host of other features that can set the various options apart from each other. We started by looking at additional access options. Specifically, how many ways could you control your thermostat remotely? At a minimum, every smart thermostat on our list comes with a proprietary app that is supported both on Apple and Android devices.
But the next question is, can this thermostat work with smart home assistant devices? Except for our final entry, the Honeywell TH9320WF5003 Wi-Fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat, all of our selections support multiple smart assistant devices such as Homekit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Plus, many of them are compatible with third-party web applets like IFTTT. The benefit of this is that you can streamline your smart home experience and connect all of your smart home devices under one mobile application so that you aren’t toggling between apps to control all of the devices in your home.
Depending on which smart assistant your home is integrated with, you’ll want to choose a smart wi-fi thermostat with AI compatibility to match. If you have an Amazon Alexa-controlled smart home set-up, you’ll want a smart thermostat that works with Alexa.
The next important feature you should consider with a smart thermostat is programmability. Every smart thermostat on our list supports multi-day programming with up to seven days that can be preset. In some cases, you can pre-program segments within a day for enhanced customization and control. But within this feature, some standout models like the Honeywell Home RTH9585WF1004 Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat will even allow you to enter the precise rate pricing from your energy provider and adjust usage based on that information.
Finally, we looked at the installation process for these smart thermostats. By default, smart thermostats require a C wire which provides continuous power to them. But with older homes, a C wire may not be a standard component. So, we prioritized thermostats that included G wire extensions in their installation kits. This extension allows you to easily upgrade your home’s existing wiring to make it compatible with smart thermostat requirements. Except for the Honeywell Home RCHT8612WF T5 Plus Wi-Fi Touchscreen Smart Thermostat, all of the other entries on our list come with a G wire extension.
Other considerations that you might find helpful include AI learning and geofencing. AI learning can go by a variety of names depending on the manufacturer. But this references a smart thermostat’s ability to not just log actual usage but rely on that data to automatically adjust the thermostat without needing to be programmed or manually prompted by a homeowner. And geofencing is a great option for people who don’t want to return to a cold or hot home in the summer or winter. Where available, we outlined these value-adding features in each product overview.
Depending on the make or model of your smart thermostat, it will recognize your absence or presence in the house and set the temperature accordingly. The Honeywell Home T9, for example, uses geofencing technology, which relies on your smartphone’s location to determine if you’re at home, at work, or anywhere else. Both the Honeywell Lyric T6 and Home T9 create a geo-location radius around your property and switch the heating on/off when you enter or leave this radius. However, if you’d prefer your smart thermostat not to track your phone’s location, the Ecobee SmartThermostat uses remote sensors with presence detection to determine when your home. A smart thermostat that combines these two technologies is the Nest Thermostat E – a smart device that also uses built-in senses as well as your smartphone’s GPS location. The Nest E is a Google Nest Product (previously named Google Home). However, unlike the Ecobee SmartThermostat, which works with Amazon Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and SmartThings, Google Nest Products are only compatible with Google Assistant.
When it comes to smart thermostats, the battle is often...