Which ecobee Smart Thermostat is right for your home?
From simple energy savings to room-by-room comfort, discover how ecobee Essential, Enhanced, and Premium compare and which one fits your home.
by ecobee on 11/03/2026 in Smart Home & Tech
8 min read
Smart Thermostat Essential is for straightforward savings, Smart Thermostat Enhanced is for changing routines, and Smart Thermostat Premium is for room-by-room comfort, air quality monitoring, and built-in voice control.
They have much in common, too. In 2009, ecobee launched the world's first smart thermostat.¹ Every model today builds on that foundation by offering ENERGY STAR® certification, eco+ energy-saving software, Home Energy Reports, SmartSensor compatibility, and support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.
Who should choose Smart Thermostat Essential?
Choose Smart Thermostat Essential if you want to set a schedule and save. It delivers ecobee's core comfort and energy savings at the lowest price of the three models, followed by Enhanced, then Premium. Set a schedule, control it from the app, and let it run. It helps you save up to 23%* on annual heating and cooling costs.
Best for: homes that want dependable savings and simple scheduling.
Who should choose Smart Thermostat Enhanced?
Choose Smart Thermostat Enhanced if your routine changes from day to day. It has built-in occupancy sensing, so it adjusts automatically when you leave and when you come home. Because it knows when no one's home, it can save energy at times a fixed schedule would miss. Like Smart Thermostat Premium, it helps you save up to 26%* on annual heating and cooling costs. It also has a larger display than Essential and a glass front.
Best for: households whose schedules change too often for a fixed program.
Who should choose Smart Thermostat Premium?
Choose Smart Thermostat Premium if you want room-by-room comfort, air quality monitoring, and built-in voice. It includes everything in Enhanced, plus a SmartSensor in the box for rooms that run hot or cold, a built-in air quality monitor, and Siri or Alexa built into the thermostat.
Smart Thermostat Premium is also ecobee's most refined design. Beneath the glass is a zinc body, chosen for its strength and the way it ages. "It's also a structural component that everything is bolted to, like a chassis," says Jonathan Hayes, director of industrial design at Generac, who led Premium's design. "What it gives you is an even higher level of robustness than before."
Best for: homes with hot or cold spots, people who care about indoor air quality, anyone who wants a built-in voice assistant, or homeowners looking for ecobee's most refined thermostat design.
What does every ecobee thermostat include?
No matter which model you choose, your ecobee thermostat is ENERGY STAR certified and includes app control, eco+ energy-saving software, Home Energy Reports, and SmartSensor compatibility.
Are ecobee thermostats ENERGY STAR certified?
Yes. All three ecobee smart thermostats are ENERGY STAR certified, which means their energy savings are independently verified.
It's a standard we know well. ecobee helped the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) develop the ENERGY STAR standard for smart thermostats.
“ecobee was there with us from the very beginning.”
Can I control my ecobee thermostat from my phone?
Yes. The ecobee app lets you adjust the temperature, change your schedule, and get alerts, whether you're in bed or on your drive home.
Going out of town for a while? Remember to set a vacation in the ecobee app. Your thermostat saves energy while you're gone, then switches back to your schedule when you're due home.
Every model works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, so you can control it by voice using the smart speaker or phone you already own. Smart Thermostat Premium adds Siri or Alexa built right into the thermostat.
What is eco+?
Every ecobee smart thermostat includes eco+, our energy-saving software. eco+ learns your home’s unique heating and cooling patterns, and uses that understanding along with your occupancy habits, schedule, the weather, and energy prices to reduce energy use while keeping you comfortable. eco+ is free with no subscription.
eco+ makes small adjustments throughout the day that add up to meaningful energy savings over time. It has five features:
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Smart Home & Away senses when your home is empty, saves energy while you're away and returns to your preferred temperature when you're back. Smart Thermostat Enhanced and Premium detect occupancy on their own. Essential needs a SmartSensor.
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Schedule Assistant notices when your comfort settings no longer match your habits and suggests schedule changes that could improve comfort and save energy.
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Feels Like uses humidity as well as temperature, because 72°F on a humid day feels warmer than 72°F on a dry one. Your thermostat factors in both, helping your home feel closer to the temperature you've set.
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Time of Use shifts heating and cooling to the hours when electricity is cheaper. It pre-heats or pre-cools your home before peak rates begin, then lets your home coast on that stored warmth or coolness while your heating and cooling (HVAC) system runs less. In effect, your home becomes a thermal battery.
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Community Energy Savings makes small, opt-in adjustments to your thermostat to help prevent power outages on the handful of days each year when demand pushes the grid to its limits.² You control how much your home participates. Individually, the changes are barely noticeable. Together, they add up: during one Midwest heat wave in June 2021, 47,000 ecobee households worked helped grid operator MISO keep the lights on during a grid emergency.
What are Home Energy Reports?
Home Energy Reports show how your heating and cooling system uses energy. They track system runtime, temperature, and humidity over time and compare your energy use to similar homes in your area. If your system runs substantially longer than the average, that's your cue to check for drafts or fine-tune your schedule.
What is SmartSensor?
Every ecobee smart thermostat works with SmartSensor, a small wireless sensor that detects temperature and occupancy room by room. Place one in a bedroom, home office, or nursery, then turn on Follow Me, and your thermostat will focus on whichever rooms you're using.
You can also choose which rooms matter most at different times of day. If you want the nursery prioritized overnight, for example, your thermostat can heat or cool based on the nursery instead of the hallway where the thermostat is located. You can even check the nursery temperature from the app without opening the door.
One SmartSensor is included with Smart Thermostat Premium. For Essential and Enhanced, they're sold separately.
Will an ecobee thermostat work with my HVAC system?
Most likely, yes. ecobee smart thermostats work with most 24-volt home heating and cooling systems, including gas, oil, and electric furnaces, boilers, central air, and heat pumps. They don't work with electric baseboards.
Coverage varies by model³:
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Smart Thermostat Premium works with over 95% of HVAC systems.
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Smart Thermostat Enhanced works with over 90%.
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Smart Thermostat Essential works with over 85%.
Whichever model you're leaning toward, make sure it fits your system. Smart Thermostat Premium supports the widest range of multi-stage systems (those with more than one heating or cooling speed) and accessories, Enhanced covers most, and Essential is built for standard setups without accessories such as a humidifier or ventilator.
Check your system's compatibility in a few minutes before you buy.
Do I need a C-wire?
Not necessarily. If your home doesn't have a C-wire, the Power Extender Kit lets you reliably power your thermostat without running a fifth wire. It's included with Smart Thermostat Premium and Enhanced and sold separately for Essential.
The common wire, or C-wire, gives a thermostat steady power around the clock. Older thermostats and some of our competitors get by without one, running on batteries or drawing a trickle of power when the heat or AC is running. Every ecobee thermostat is hardwired, through a C-wire or the Power Extender Kit, so you never have to worry about losing control of your thermostat or replacing batteries.
Can I install an ecobee thermostat myself?
Yes. Most installs take around 45 minutes⁴, and the ecobee app walks you through each step, from labeling your wires to testing your system. If you'd rather leave it to a pro, professional installation is available.
Quick Answers:What's the difference between Smart Thermostat Essential and Enhanced?
Enhanced has built-in occupancy sensing, so it adjusts automatically when you leave or come home. Essential needs a SmartSensor to do that. Enhanced also has a larger display, includes the Power Extender Kit, and works with more HVAC systems.
What's the difference between Smart Thermostat Enhanced and Premium?
Premium includes everything in Enhanced and adds a SmartSensor in the box, a built-in air quality monitor, Siri or Alexa built-in, and a zinc body. It also works with more HVAC systems.
Do ecobee thermostats work with heat pumps?
Yes, all three do. Smart Thermostat Essential supports single-stage heat pumps with auxiliary (backup) heat. Enhanced and Premium support two-stage heat pumps, and Premium supports a second stage of auxiliary heat. Check your system to be sure.
Do ecobee thermostats work with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit?
Yes. Smart Thermostat Essential, Enhanced, and Premium all work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. Only Premium has Siri or Alexa built in.
Can I add SmartSensors later?
Yes. Every ecobee smart thermostat works with SmartSensor, so you can start with the thermostat and add sensors as you need them.
Are there rebates on ecobee thermostats?
Often. Many utilities offer rebates on ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats. See what's available in your area.
Ready to decide?
Choose Essential for simple scheduling, Enhanced for changing routines, and Premium for room-by-room comfort, air quality monitoring, and built-in voice.
You can compare ecobee thermostats side-by-side.
Compared to a hold of 72°F/22°C. Based on an internal analysis of select ecobee customers in North America conducted in April 2021. Annual savings will vary based on your energy use and location.
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Steve Jenkins, "ecobee 3 Review," stevejenkins.com, Sept. 19, 2014.
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Requires a time-of-use rate plan or a participating utility program.
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Based on ecobee compatibility analysis of common residential HVAC system configurations. Use the Thermostat Compatibility Checker to confirm compatibility with your specific system.
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Based on ecobee's installation guidance for customers who install their own thermostat. Actual time varies with your heating and cooling system, wiring, and experience.
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