Nest vs Ecobee Thermostat: Comparison [2023]

Confused about which one to go for - the Nest Thermostat or the Ecobee alternative? With this article, we will help you find the right choice for your dwelling!

Both Nest and Ecobee thermostats stand head to head with each other and choosing one over the other can be a grueling task.

No worries though! in this article, we go through several different aspects and analyze how these products fare with each other to help you find the right choice.

Both Nest and Ecobee Thermostats are prized quite similarly, and both offer a couple of great upgrade options as well. Ecobee thermostats are known for their extensive set of features while the Nest alternative sticks to the basics. Also, Ecobee claims to save big on expenses in the long run.

Criteria	Nest Thermostat	Ecobee Thermostat
Price	Nest 3rd Gen - $184 Pro version - $218	Ecobee3 lite- $143 Smart Thermostat Enhanced - $190 Smart Thermostat Premium - $250
Savings	Heating bills - 10-12% Cooling Bills - 15%	Heating and Cooling expenses by up to 26%
Voice Assistant	Google Assistant Amazon Alexa Siri/Apple Homekit (requires Home bridge hub)	Siri or Alexa built-in. Google Assitant Amazon Alexa
Humidity Sensor	Yes	Yes (select versions)
Air Quality Sensor	No	Yes
Weight	250g	454g
Warranty	two-year limited warranty	three-year warranty
HVAC accessories compatibility	Yes	Yes

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Nest Thermostat

The Nest Thermostat is a smart thermostat developed by Google. It is Wi-Fi enabled and optimizes climate control on your premises to conserve energy.

Featuring a stylish circular form factor with an intuitive user interface right in the middle, the Google Nest Thermostat looks and feels as it should, minimal and elegant.

Packed with all the necessary features and sensors, you won't have to worry about temperature or humidity once you employ this device.

It also features self-learning capabilities through the employment of a machine-learning algorithm to learn your preferences and automate the schedule and timings of your preferred temperature.

Google claims that their research shows that their customers on average save up to 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills due to Nest Smart technology.

As a result, the device pays for itself in under two years as per their claim.

The Nest Thermostat lineup offers two offerings, namely the Base version and the Pro Version.

Ecobee Thermostat

Ecobee claims that its thermostat can cut annual costs on heating and cooling expenses by up to 26% which is way better than most of its competitors.

And as with Nest Thermostat, there is no dearth of features or sensors on Ecobee thermostats as well.

Among the many features that come bundled with Ecobee Thermostats, the occupancy sensing technology is one to be marveled at.

What it does is that it senses the number of people at any given time in your household to adjust the climate control and conserve energy.

You can try out the Smart Security trial for two months without committing to a longer period to test the features.

The complete plan has 24/7 professional monitoring capability and routing critical data directly to 911 and reducing emergency response time by minutes.

Nest vs Ecobee: A Comparison

Google Nest Thermostat

Price

The current-gen Google Nest thermostat is priced at $195. Check it out at Amazon:

And the pro version comes at around $245. But it does go on sale at a discounted price frequently. Check it out on Amazon:

There is no compelling factor in the pro version that justify the $61 price difference besides designing the device to be a larger version of the base model.

Features

One of the most appreciated features of Google Nest is the eco-mode feature that notifies and rewards you with a virtual leaf icon when you set a particular temperature which saves on energy consumption.

Depending on behavior and pattern, this particular temperature might be different for different households.

You easily turn ON and OFF the Eco Mode feature within seconds from the Nest app.

It also has a built-in sensor and uses your phone's location to recognize if you are in the house/building and enters into power-saving mode if nobody is present.

Although, Nest Thermostats don't have a camera to detect entities.

Nest also has a feature on the Google Home app that shows you the amount of energy that you use every day in the Energy History tab and every month in the Home Report.

Google Nest supports the languages English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Italian.

Nest has Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) monitoring in the US and Canada.

This feature helps you identify potential issues with your HVAC system, such as the Nest Thermostat error N260, and notify you via email or the Google Home app.

For example, if your house takes longer than usual to cool, it could be indicative of a fault in the cooling system. Nest detects unusual patterns and notifies you of its assessment of the situation.

They also notify you when it is time for periodic maintenance like air filter replacement. Additionally, you can opt in or out of these services from Google Nest.

Climate Control and Range

The range of the Nest thermostat in the heating mode is from 40-70 °F or 4-21 °C and in cooling mode 76-90 °F or 24-32 °C.

You can also compliment your Nest Thermostat with Nest Temperature sensors that can be employed independently in different rooms.

Employing the Temperature sensor will enable your thermostat to know which room should be at what temperature at which time of the day.

This way temperature can be dynamically controlled based on time.

However, they are sold separately from Google.

A standard temperature sensor comes with all Nest Thermostats.

Installation

Google claims installation takes 60 minutes or less to complete. Everything you need to completely set up your Nest thermostat comes in the box.

If you have not yet checked if your system will work with the Nest Thermostat, there is an online compatibility check.

Additionally, you can get a personalized wiring guide for installation.

Do go through the instructions thoroughly before installing the Thermostat. Failing to do so can lead to issues like the Thermostat screen going black.

In case you do not want to set up your Nest Thermostat on your own while checking out the device from the Google cart, you can book a pro as well.

This service will provide flexible professional installation as per your leisure via online scheduling any day of the week.

Sensors and App Control

You can access your Nest Thermostat setting via the Google Home App.

It automatically undergoes updates, bug fixes, performance improvement through learning AI, and the addition of more features.

However, for all these functionalities, the Thermostat needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. In the absence of a stable network, issues like the Nest app going offline can pop up.

In addition to the temperature sensor, the Google Nest Thermostat comes with a humidity sensor as well.

Form factor and Build Quality

The design looks sleek and the build is solid. The system when assembled weighs around 250g and is made of stainless steel.

The interaction with the Google Nest Thermostat is primarily through the use of a control wheel that spins and clicks.

It supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks and consumes less than 1kWh/month.

Google also offers a two-year limited warranty on the Nest Thermostat and supports up to 20 thermostats per home.

Ecobee Thermostat

Price

Ecobee offers 3 Thermostat models - Smart Thermostat Premium, Enhanced, and the lite version.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium comes at a premium of $250. Check it out on Amazon:

Ecobee Enhanced will cost you about $190. This is the mid-tier model. Check it out:

Both the Premium and Enhanced models promise an annual energy-saving rate of about 26%.

Ecobee lite has a price of $143 and saves up to 23% on costs. Check it out here:

You may also want to avail a subscription plan to make use of the thermostat features to the fullest.

The complete Smart Security plan is priced at $10/month and the standard plan which does not have a lot of features in comparison is at $5/month.

Features

The Ecobee Thermostat comes with HomeKit integration without the use of a Homebridge hub or device. Additionally, you can control the thermostat with your App or through an Apple watch.

A distinct feature that is unique to the Ecobee Thermostat Premium and Enhanced is the built-in air quality sensor.

Ecobee Premium Thermostat provides hands-free calling and can be used to send intercom-style messages to an Alexa device or HomePod mini in another room.

All three models of Ecobee Thermostat support features like Vacation scheduling, support for HVAC accessories, and intruder alert.

Smart Thermostat Enhanced has HVAC accessory compatibility which requires that the thermostat only supports accessories connected to it by one wire.

Ecobee also has an Eco mode that learns your schedules and patterns to maximize savings without you having to compromise on comfort.

If your electricity prices vary according to the time of the day, you can save money intelligently by precooling or preheating your home at the time of the day when electricity prices are cheaper.

Community Energy Savings (CES) feature makes adjustments to your set temperature when electricity demand in your community peaks.

This can substantially reduce strain on the electricity grid.

Climate Control and Range

Featuring a killer Auto climate control mode, Ecobee thermostats do a great job at setting the right temp depending on the time of the day.

Users are also afforded a pretty extensive set of climate control settings to fine-tune the climate control to their liking.

Additionally, you can also employ Ecobee Smart Sensor for doors and windows if you want to enable the feature of pausing the AC when windows or doors are left open.

If you already have humidifiers, the Smart Thermostat regulates indoor humidity which prevents fog build-up on windows and other glass panes.

Installation

For Ecobee Thermostat setup, Ecobee claims 45 mins to complete and that the entire process can be done on your own with everything required for the setup inside the box.

You can use the compatibility checker available on the official Ecobee site to check the compatibility of other HVAC accessories or reach out to the support team.

Overall, the setup is quite comparable to that of setting up a Nest Thermostat.

Sensors and App Control

The premium version of the Ecobee Thermostat sports smoke alarm detection capability. However, you require an Ecobee Smart Security Subscription to use the smoke alarm feature.

You can actively track your savings using Ecobee Thermostat and get monthly energy reports with helpful tips.

Ecobee Thermostat comes with occupancy sensors built into the device which can detect population density inside your home.

Form Factor and Build Quality

The Ecobee Thermostat has a cool design with a large touch display for interaction and information.

They offer a 3-year warranty and the device being hardwired assures that you will not lose control of your thermostat.

The latest version of the Ecobee Thermostat is a complete redesign from the previous version for intuitive usability.

Ecobee claims their latest Thermostats to be the most durable, reliable, and beautifully designed thermostats yet to be featured.

Final Verdict

Both Google Nest Thermostat and Ecobee Thermostat are priced very similarly and offer similar features.

However, Ecobee comes with native iOS HomeKit integration, and features like air quality readings and smoke alarm detection surpass the capability of Google Nest Thermostat.

If you plan on expanding your home into a wider and connected hub with security features and video surveillance, the Ecobee Thermostat makes much more sense.

The Google Nest Thermostat, however, has a superior learning model when compared with the Ecobee Thermostat. So what you need is just an intelligent thermostat, Nest is a good option.

But if you want a thermostat that has a bunch of features beyond controlling temperature and is capable of being integrated into a bigger part of the system, then Ecobee is a far better option.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the lifespan of a Nest thermostat?

Google Nest Thermostat can last up to more than 10 years and comes equipped with two backup batteries that will last around 1-2 years before requiring a replacement.

How long will an Ecobee thermostat last?

Ecobee claims that their thermostats can last up to ten years, but it does hugely depend on how frequently you use them.

Is it OK to run HVAC fan continuously in winter?

Actually, the most amount of stress furnace fans face is during the wear and tear from starting and stopping the furnace fan. They are designed to run for long periods of time without failing.

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