Our Raleigh HVAC Experts Explain Differences in Ecobee vs Nest Smart Thermostats
If you’re a homeowner looking to benefit from reduced energy costs and more control over your comfort settings, the Ecobee vs Nest smart thermostat debate is important to consider. These 2 are the most popular smart thermostats available today, so it’s vital to understand the operations of each to ensure you’re choosing the right system for your own unique comfort requirements. Our Raleigh smart thermostat pros are breaking down some of the main elements of these systems for your knowledge.
Schedule Learning Abilities
Nest: Over time while using the Nest, the system will record your adjustments made from the thermostat or in the app. Given enough time, it will have a good sense of which heating or cooling settings you prefer at different times. In this context, it essentially “learns” your comfort schedule. However, if you don’t enjoy Nest’s “learned” version of your habits you can simply turn this feature off and just program it to operate on a schedule which is more conventional.
Ecobee: The Ecobee system will operate using a conventional schedule which you can determine. Simply set the temperatures and times you desire for while you’re sleeping, travelling, or are just enjoying your time at home. You can easily set up your schedule via the web console, mobile app or at the thermostat, and once your preferred temperatures and times are in place they will remain like that until you alter them.
While Nest has the added bonus of “learning” your preferred settings, they both still offer very useful control over setting up a desired comfort schedule based on what you want.
The Appearance of Ecobee and Nest
Looks are important, especially when it’s part of your home.
Nest: The Nest Learning thermostat features a round/circular design with an outer ring made of stainless steel. This ring lets the unit blend in easily with your home, as it will reflect the colors of the paint on your wall.
Ecobee: The Ecobee wall unit is square-like and surrounded by black plastic. It’s screen is larger than Nest’s screen and is made of glass. It also acts as a touchscreen for easy control.
The Nest’s appearance has a bit more of a wow-factor, but on the other hand, the Ecobee has a more subtle and subdued look.
Energy Reporting: Ecobee vs Nest
The Ecobee will give you data reports from your HVAC data spanning over the course of 18 months. That includes records of all motion and temperature information coming from your remote sensors and thermostat. Ecobee reports give you a clear insight into:
- Monitoring and understanding your heating and coolings’ total usage
- The impact of local weather patterns on your HVAC usage
- How the HVAC efficiency of your home compares to other homes with Ecobees in the nearby area.
The Nest will provide data on usage, but it is not nearly as detailed as Ecobee’s reports are. Nest will provide a report for only 10 days worth of info and also a monthly home report with a summary of your home’s energy expenditure. It will compare this with your energy usage from months in the past.
Ecobee has a leg up on helping you to see the precise way in which you’re saving on energy expenditure, offering reports that are much clearer in detail than Nest’s reports.
Pricing: Ecobee vs Nest
The prices for these 2 systems, as well as their remote sensors, are pretty close to one another. It is important to note that the Ecobee thermostat comes with one remote sensor, whereas the Nest thermostat does not, you would need to pay more in order to get your first sensor.
Ecobee SmartThermostat: $239.00
Ecobee SmartThermostat Remote Sensor: $79.00 for 2 sensors
Nest Learning Thermostat: Ranging from $199.00 to $249.00
Nest Learning Thermostat Remote Sensor: $37.99
We hope that we’ve helped you understand more when it comes to Ecobee vs Nest smart thermostats. It’s hard to answer which one is better than the other. Both of these products have much to offer in terms of saving you energy and optimizing your comfort based on your schedule, they just each come with different types of perks. We recommend you choose the system that best fits you and your family’s specific needs.
