Nest vs. Ecobee

[steve knight]

And the Ecobee has an Watch app AND, it doesn't send your data to GOOGLE

Oh, and ecobee provides an easy way to create a power wire to power the thermostat if your current wiring doesn't include a power wire (aka C common wire). I used the adapter and now I no longer need to worry about changing the battery like I did on my old thermostat.

that would be interesting. I was stuck with nest because I only have two wires. it has worked fine though the early on was 1 hour too soon and would not change. but that tends to sue more power so it was not a big deal and skylark turns it on and off as we leave.
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It would be interesting to see what impact the remote sensors have on the gas bill. For example, my house is around 2700 square ft and our bedroom is upstairs and in a corner, quite a ways from the thermostat. In order to get the room up to 70º the rest of the house usually gets up to 78º or so. Seems pretty inefficient but not sure what else you can do without zoning.

get the smart vents they adjust airflow http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YCAWCV4?keywords=keen home&qid=1452226963&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

 

[Peepo]

I had a Nest for 2 years. Last month I was getting battery error and sorta got it fixed but I didn't want to trust it. I was also using C wire so this baffled me. I went out that day and bought an EcoBee 3 and think it is much better. The remote sensor already makes a big difference in how it heats the house. Not saying it is more efficient - I am probably burning more gas - but my house is comfortable now because the rooms I am in are set to a more comfortable temperature.

Nest is built very high quality and EcoBee 3 is sorta cheap and creaky plastic but once they are on the wall it doesn't really matter.

 

[bruinsrme]

I had a Nest for 2 years. Last month I was getting battery error and sorta got it fixed but I didn't want to trust it. I was also using C wire so this baffled me. I went out that day and bought an EcoBee 3 and think it is much better. The remote sensor already makes a big difference in how it heats the house. Not saying it is more efficient - I am probably burning more gas - but my house is comfortable now because the rooms I am in are set to a more comfortable temperature.

Nest is built very high quality and EcoBee 3 is sorta cheap and creaky plastic but once they are on the wall it doesn't really matter.

I recently read there's an update coming out soon to address this issue.
The issue was prevalent in 2 wire go figurations, no common wire. With the warmer weather the some enjoyed in December, the heat source wasn't being called. Therefor not sending the voltage back to the thermostat to charge the voltage.
Since the colder weather has made its way here I haven't seen this issue for the last 2 weeks.

 

[aristobrat]

I recently read there's an update coming out soon to address this issue.
The issue was prevalent in 2 wire go figurations, no common wire. With the warmer weather the some enjoyed in December, the heat source wasn't being called. Therefor not sending the voltage back to the thermostat to charge the voltage.
Since the colder weather has made its way here I haven't seen this issue for the last 2 weeks.

"Hey, sorry to run the heat when your house is already warm, but we need to recharge!"

 

[nrvna76]

And the Ecobee has an Watch app AND, it doesn't send your data to GOOGLE

Oh, and ecobee provides an easy way to create a power wire to power the thermostat if your current wiring doesn't include a power wire (aka C common wire). I used the adapter and now I no longer need to worry about changing the battery like I did on my old thermostat.

This is the one thing I was worried about with the Ecobee, I don't have the power wire. How difficult was it to run the wires from your furnace to the Ecobee?

 

[Peepo]

I recently read there's an update coming out soon to address this issue.
The issue was prevalent in 2 wire go figurations, no common wire. With the warmer weather the some enjoyed in December, the heat source wasn't being called. Therefor not sending the voltage back to the thermostat to charge the voltage.
Since the colder weather has made its way here I haven't seen this issue for the last 2 weeks.

That makes sense but I had C wire installed. Maybe there is a bug where it ignores the C? If so, not good for multibillion dollar company.

I know my C wire works because I hooked my EcoBee 3 up to it (it requires the C and doesn't steal power and rely on battery like Nest).
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This is the one thing I was worried about with the Ecobee, I don't have the power wire. How difficult was it to run the wires from your furnace to the Ecobee?

It comes with an adapter which you connect in the furnace that creates a virtual C wire.

http://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/2014/09/how-to-install-an-ecobee3-smart-thermostat/

 

[bruinsrme]

"Hey, sorry to run the heat when your house is already warm, but we need to recharge!"

Yes I totally agree.
However, with the Nest we have seen a cost savings already.
The furnace doesn't short cycle any more. Temperature swings aren't as great.
One of the biggest things that has saved us on oil is the the ability to remotely control the heat so we aren't hearing an vacant house.
But again with normal winter temps the problem has disappeared.

I have some old thermostat wiring and an 11 year old analog controller.
It's going to take a little to bring it up to date and run some new wire.
Once that is done I don't see this being an issue.
My other concern is in May we shut off the furnace completely. What do I do with the thermostats then. I would have the same concerns with ecobee

 

[bruinsrme]

That makes sense but I had C wire installed. Maybe there is a bug where it ignores the C? If so, not good for multibillion dollar company.

I know my C wire works because I hooked my EcoBee 3 up to it (it requires the C and doesn't steal power and rely on battery like Nest).

Here's the article
https://nest.com/support/article/In...nectivity-issues-with-thermostat-software-4-0

 

[ericgtr12]

And the Ecobee has an Watch app AND, it doesn't send your data to GOOGLE

Oh, and ecobee provides an easy way to create a power wire to power the thermostat if your current wiring doesn't include a power wire (aka C common wire). I used the adapter and now I no longer need to worry about changing the battery like I did on my old thermostat.

I have found this to be valuable information, they send a monthly report comparing your current usage with the previous month, year, etc. it really helps to understand and tweak your system accordingly.

 

[steve knight]

We only have two wires I had to make a fresh end before nest worked but it never has battery issues even when it is off from April to October.

 

[ajforbes20]

Got my ecobee over christmas. So far its a little iffy. Seems to run for a long time then shutoff then start running within 1 minute.

Definetly look at getting a rebate from your utility provider. I got $100 back

 

[ericgtr12]

Got my ecobee over christmas. So far its a little iffy. Seems to run for a long time then shutoff then start running within 1 minute.

Definetly look at getting a rebate from your utility provider. I got $100 back

Are you sure that's not by design? I know my Nest does that as well, once the heat or air is done it will continue to force air through the system to scour it out which maximizes its output.

 

[aristobrat]

Got my ecobee over christmas. So far its a little iffy. Seems to run for a long time then shutoff then start running within 1 minute.

Don't hesitate to give them a call. The one time I needed some help (setting up HomeKit), the hold time was longer than I would have liked, the but the rep that answered was awesome.

 

[laurim]

This is the one thing I was worried about with the Ecobee, I don't have the power wire. How difficult was it to run the wires from your furnace to the Ecobee?

I was replacing the old thermostat so for HVAC the wires were already there. The adapter goes on the furnace and powers one of the wires you already have. I DID have to run new 2-wire to add the humidifier to the ecobee and that wasn't that bad once I figured out how to take the wire off the old humidifier rheostat on the furnace and redo it to the new 2-wire and then fish the new wires up from the basement and through the wall. Upstairs, I tied string onto the HVAC wiring, went in the basement and pulled the HVAC wires down, taped the new humidifier wire to it, went back upstairs and used the string to pull everything back upstairs.

I have found this to be valuable information, they send a monthly report comparing your current usage with the previous month, year, etc. it really helps to understand and tweak your system accordingly.

The data does go to Ecobee and they provide an online analysis. I don't check it very often, though. I know my house is old and a bit inefficient.

Got my ecobee over christmas. So far its a little iffy. Seems to run for a long time then shutoff then start running within 1 minute

It could be just the fan. There is a setting to simply run the fan for a few minutes every hour to equalize the temps and there are options for how long. You can tell by the lit icon (flame or snowflake) whether heating or cooling is actually occurring.

 

[ajforbes20]

Thanks for the feedback guys I'll be looking into it

 

[dwnldr]

Hi "smarthome lovers"

Is here anybody, who would be willing to share some specific informations about EcoBee ? I would like to "speak" with somebody who has real experiences, so with real user of this product. I'm from middle Europe where isn't direct support for this thermostat. I'm hesitating about to buy this machine, because it looks really "massive" with features ! I just need som further user experinces and informations. Please contact me via Private Conversation !

Thank you guys !

Greetings