Ecobee Unveils HomeKit-Enabled Smart Thermostat Essential for $130 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Ecobee Unveils HomeKit-Enabled Smart Thermostat Essential for $130

Smart home accessory maker Ecobee has announced the Smart Thermostat Essential, a more affordable alternative to the Smart Thermostat Premium and Enhanced models in its lineup.

ecobee smart thermostat essential
Priced at $129.99, the Smart Thermostat Essential includes a full-colour touchscreen, and features Ecobee's standard scheduling and comfort settings that adapt to household routines, optimizing energy use when nobody's home. With the device, Ecobee claims customers can save up to 23% on annual heating and cooling costs, covering the cost of the device in just six months.

The unit integrates with the Ecobee mobile app to allow remote control of heating and cooling. Users can receive automatic alerts when potential issues are detected, as well as Home Energy Reports that provide insights into energy use. The thermostat can also be paired with optional Ecobee SmartSensors to further optimize household comfort in the rooms that are used most.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential is compatible with most major smart home ecosystems, including Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant, and will be available from major retailers and at ecobee.com from March 2025.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Has Now Unveiled Eight New Products This Month

Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:25 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping eight new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and now the AirPods Max 2 this week. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

powaking Avatar
16 months ago
Here's a link if you want to know the differences between the 3 in their lineup. https://www.ecobee.com/en-us/smart-thermostat-essential-ces/
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago

I unfortunately bought one of these. It’s crap. The software is ridiculously complicated and unintuitive. And now it just “checks out” periodically and doesn’t regulate my system’s functions until I disconnect and reboot it. And even then it’s a crapshoot as to whether it’ll comeback. I hate it.
I've had an Ecobee Smart thermostat for about 3 years and it has been easy to use and rock solid. Perhaps something is wrong with your unit?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
16 months ago

I will check them out, thanks! I don't really care about any extra bells and whistles. As long as I can set a schedule with whatever degree temps I want, I'm good. :)
I honestly interact with mine fully with Apple Home now that it's set up -- it's really outstanding

I'm perhaps a little biased by the value, as I got it for "new open box" for $50 (not the $170+ it retails for)

It's been as low as $150 on Amazon it looks like, but I'd check your local area. Thermostats are always something being sold for mega discounts by folks who change their mind, or didn't realize it won't work for them (no C-Wire, etc) or missed a return window...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
16 months ago

Which brand do you recommend?
Ecobee is outstanding
You'd think it's an Apple product (in a good way)

Which ecobee depends upon what of their features you want/need (extra sensors, etc)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
Installed a Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium in a rental that had a dumb thermostat with electric strip based forced air heat. Big bills! The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium has paid for itself many times over. Also increased comfort. Impressive product.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago

Does it support Thread so it can operate without being directly on a Wi-Fi network?
Based on what their support team told me, they are working on this. Unfortunately, they could not give me an ETA for when it would be available. Hopefully soon.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Politics | World News | Iphone | Lifestyle | Motoring