Ecobee introduces a new entry-level smart thermostat at CES 2025

The all-new Ecobee Essential Ecobee Smart Thermostat, unveiled at CES this week, has most of the features we love in the more expensive Enhanced ($190) and Premium ($250) models, but at a much more wallet-friendly price— only 130 US dollars. .

With Essential, Ecobee aims to simplify the path to smarter home temperature control for users who want comfort and convenience without being overwhelmed by complex, high-end features like radar motion detection and a display that streams video from the Ecobee video doorbell and home security camera. .

Buyers still get a full-color touchscreen, it’s only slightly smaller, and the manufacturer says they’ll still save about 23 percent on their energy bills each year thanks to smart scheduling and efficiency features.

The Smart Thermostat Essential also delivers the ease of use that has made its more expensive siblings so popular. Its adaptive learning technology fine-tunes your heating and cooling schedules based on your home’s daily routine, so when you’re there, you’re at the ideal temperature, and you save money and energy while you’re away by not heating and cooling an empty home.

And if you decide you want to expand the system with Ecobee’s excellent SmartSensors that monitor room occupancy as well as temperature, you can purchase them separately. Interested in professional monitoring of your home? This is also an option…

The thermostat is designed with wide compatibility in mind. It works seamlessly with major smart home ecosystems such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, allowing users to easily integrate the Smart Thermostat Essential into existing setups. While the hardware design is optimized for simplicity, the companion app provides deeper control and analytics. Ecobee Home Energy Reports detail energy consumption trends and suggest ways to improve efficiency.

With the Essential, Ecobee is clearly aiming to attract buyers on a budget or those new to smart home devices who might balk at the higher prices of its more sophisticated offerings. However, Ecobee emphasizes that the Essential’s build quality and materials reflect the company’s commitment to durability and sustainability. Like its more expensive siblings, the Essential is Energy Star certified and comes in eco-friendly packaging.

Ecobee plans to have the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential available at retail in March 2025.