Ecobee3 Lite Thermostat

This ecobee3 Lite can be set up like a simple, non-connected thermostat, or it can be Wi-Fi connected and instantly become a very versatile energy saving & comfort promoting device. Lockable max & min set points are great for rentals. The optional remote room sensors are nice. Many adjustments are provided to ensure not only the accuracy of the temperature reading, but also things like fan after-run, compressor after-run for dehumidifying, set point spread, compressor restart dwell, etc. (There are many, many more items that can be customized.) Despite the list of compatible systems shown in the paperwork, it can work with milivolt and line voltage systems if a 24 volt contactor or relay is installed. The ecobee3 Lite will operate the relay or contactor's coil. The contact points operate the heating unit. ecobee3 Lite also works perfectly with steam systems. If your system has no 24-v Common wire at the thermostat, ecobee supplies a "Power Extender Kit" that compensates for the lack of a common wire. (Installation is easy and quick. Excellent instructions are included.) Note that the item shown on the Supply House page and on the ecobee box is different than what will be received. ecobee upgraded the temperature setting screen to make it easier to adjust the temp. (Instead of a slider as shown, tap the screen & it will show a slot machine type reel icon to "roll" up and down, and it has + and - buttons.) One can have a bunch of schedules or leave it on "hold" for your desired temperature. The hold can be indefinite or for a specified period of time. This device can even learn your patterns if desired. One benefit of that is that it learns how long it takes for your building to reach set point and starts heating or cooling ahead of the time you chose in the schedule. There are far too many more features to mention in this review. The only downside is that technical support can require as much as an hour on hold. E-Mails to support are never answered.

Do not buy this thermostat. I an HVAC Pro and thought I would give this a try due to its low cost with versatile functions. It is the only thermostat that will as many heat/cool options for this cost. As with many things that are too good to be true, this is no different. I have had to take off every one I have installed. The most important reason being this thermostat will not listen to the installer. There has got to be a comfort algorithm that overrides any threshold settings programmed in the field. You can tell it to not run aux heat over 45. Turn it on with a 52 outside temp and the first thing it will do is bring on aux. I dont know why they even give you the illusion of installer control. Another main reason I have had to remove them is high energy cost. Customers have complained with new higher efficiency equipment that their energy bills are higher than before with their old equipment. The website data is a joke and poorly laid out. The home, away and sleep settings CANNOT be disabled. They can be ignored but not removed. The only reason I give 1 star is because they have a level mounted in the backplate and the color screen is a nice touch. However, the layout of the thermostat is stupid and completely consumer driven. I would not even categorize this as a pro thermostat. Homeowners may like this but pros I can almost promise will not.