Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium Review
A smart thermostat with a built-in air sensor that trims your energy bill.
Ecobee's flagship pays you back in two ways: a lower heating bill and a built-in sensor that flags air quality before you notice the room feels stale. It's the rare smart-home gadget that earns its spot on the wall.
What the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium actually is
This is Ecobee's top-tier thermostat, sitting in the $200 to $250 range at Amazon. The big draws over the cheaper Enhanced model are an air quality monitor that tracks VOCs, plus a built-in speaker and microphone that turn it into an Alexa device on your wall. You also get radar-based presence detection, so it can sense when you're home instead of guessing.
The hardware looks the part. A small glass slab with a sharp display, magnetic mounting, and a finish that doesn't scream 'thermostat.' It ships with one SmartSensor in the box, which is the feature that quietly does the heavy lifting. More on that below.
How it performs day to day
The SmartSensor is the reason owners keep recommending Ecobee over the Nest Learning Thermostat. Drop a sensor in the bedroom and the thermostat stops obsessing over the temperature in the hallway where nobody sits. It averages readings and prioritizes occupied rooms, which fixes the classic problem of a freezing office and a roasting living room.
Setup is genuinely painless for a wired install, and the eco+ software handles the savings automatically by nudging the schedule and pre-cooling during off-peak hours. The air quality readout is more 'interesting' than 'essential,' but it's useful if you cook a lot, have a fireplace, or care about ventilation. The Alexa integration works, though if you already have Echo speakers it's redundant. Voice quality from the built-in speaker is fine for timers and weather, not for music.
The catches worth knowing
Most homes need a C-wire for full power, and while Ecobee includes a Power Extender Kit for systems without one, the wiring can trip up older or oddball HVAC setups. Check your system before you buy. The advertised energy savings are real but conditional. If your old thermostat was already programmable and you set it sensibly, the payback is slower than the marketing implies.
The Alexa-on-the-wall thing also splits people. Some love it, others find a microphone on the thermostat unnecessary and slightly creepy. There's no built-in Google Assistant, so heavy Google Home users may prefer Nest. And at this price you're paying a real premium over the Enhanced model for the air sensor and speaker.
Who should buy it, and who should skip it
Buy the Premium if you have rooms that heat unevenly, want room-by-room comfort with extra sensors, and like the idea of air quality data. It's the strongest pick for larger or multi-zone homes and for people deep in the Alexa ecosystem.
Skip it and grab the cheaper Ecobee Enhanced if you don't care about air quality monitoring or the built-in speaker, since the core thermostat smarts and SmartSensor support are nearly identical. Renters with simple single-zone setups also won't see enough payoff to justify the top model.
Verdict
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is the smart thermostat we'd point most people toward, mainly because the remote sensor approach solves a problem the Nest still doesn't handle as cleanly. The air quality monitor and speaker are nice extras rather than reasons to buy on their own.
If those extras don't excite you, save the money and get the Enhanced. If they do, this is an easy, well-built recommendation that'll quietly trim your bill.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the Ecobee Premium need a C-wire?
- Most full-feature installs do, but Ecobee includes a Power Extender Kit for homes without a C-wire. Check your existing wiring and HVAC type before buying, since older or high-voltage systems can cause compatibility issues.
- What's the difference between the Ecobee Premium and Enhanced?
- The Premium adds a built-in air quality sensor, a speaker with Alexa, and radar presence detection. The Enhanced has the same core thermostat features and SmartSensor support for less money, so the extras are the only reason to pay up.
- Will it actually lower my energy bill?
- It can, especially if you're upgrading from a basic non-programmable thermostat. The eco+ software optimizes schedules automatically. If your old thermostat was already well-programmed, expect more modest savings.
Daniel covers home, kitchen, and everyday-carry gear. He's a stickler for durability and value, and has no patience for overpriced hype.
