10 Smart Thermostats That Promise To Lower Your Energy Bill

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Smart thermostats are often among the first pieces of smart home tech that people consider putting in their home aside from smart lights. They are generally easy to install as a DIY project and often come as part of a new HVAC system installed by professionals. The benefits are palpable. You can control your HVAC system from your smartphone, set up schedules quite easily, and depending on the brand, you can get a host of other smart features that make the experience even better.

In some cases, smart thermostats can even save you money. Through a variety of features such as learning when you are and aren’t at home or through schedules and other types of learning, Consumer Reports says that a smart thermostat can save you enough money over its lifetime to pay for the installation of a smart thermostat. Of course, that all depends on your habits and which thermostat you go with. Estimates say that a smart thermostat can save you between 12% to 15% on your energy bills over the course of a year on average.

Should you be able to take advantage of those savings, the smart thermostat will pay for itself in only a few short years in most cases. It’s impossible to gauge which smart thermostats do it best because every home is different, so we’ll list out the smart thermostats in alphabetical order and you can decide which one is best for you. After all, some people may prefer to set it and forget it while others may want to control their thermostats on their own. Thankfully, there are a healthy selection of smart thermostats that do both.

Amazon Ring Smart Thermostat

Amazon sells a smart thermostat that it made together with Honeywell’s Resideo, and it’s surprisingly good for its smaller price tag. The design is simple and minimalist, made to fade into the background rather than serve as a center point of your home decor. The current temperature is prominently displayed on the screen with most of the functionality being available in the app. It’s especially good for homes that use Amazon’s Alexa as it integrates flawlessly with that system. It’s not officially a Ring product but Amazon does sell it on the Ring website.

Amazon claims to save you money in two ways with this thermostat. The first is the rebate system. Some companies and local governments will send rebates to folks who get smart thermostats to help reduce energy usage and Amazon assists buyers of the Smart Thermostat by sending them rebate offers soon after purchase. From there, most of the money savings come in energy usage optimization. You can set up routines for when you’re home, away, or sleeping and Alexa will change your thermostat for you during those times to save energy. It’s also compatible with Amazon’s Hunches system that’ll alert you if something goes awry.

It’s not a bad package for $80 out the door on Amazon, although you may need a C-wire adapter depending on your home’s connections. Between the automations, routines, and rebates, it’s possible to save money with this thermostat. It’s also one of the least expensive ones available, making it an excellent overall budget pick for a smart thermostat.

Bosch Connected Control BCC110

The Bosch Connected Control BCC110 is a fairly run-of-the-mill smart thermostat. That’s not a bad thing by any stretch, but it doesn’t do a ton of stand out. You get a five-inch screen, which is among the larger touch panels available in the segment. There is also app control available through Bosch’s EasyAir app, so you get the same stuff as you do with other competitors. It also works with Google and Amazon smart home ecosystems.

Bosch boasts money savings the same way on all of its smart thermostats. Users can define schedules to reduce energy usage when they’re not at home. Bosch also boasts a vacation mode that will run the HVAC system less often while still keeping your pipes from freezing in the winter. It’s not quite as automatic as some competitors like the Nest Learning Thermostat, but Bosch does say that you can save money with manual schedules and routines. Like most other smart thermostats, it can also do things like fetch the weather, which helps when deciding how to set the thermostat for the day.

In all, Bosch thermostats are solid products. They are fairly expensive, though, and some of them require some extra work. For example, the Bosch BCC100 model is available on Amazon for anyone to buy and install. Meanwhile, Bosch says that the BCC110 model requires a contractor to install for you and doesn’t appear to be available for purchase for DIY folks. Even so, you could do worse than the BCC100 and while it doesn’t have all of the automation features of some other thermostats, it has enough that it might actually save you money.

Ecobee 3 Lite

The Ecobee 3 Lite is one of the older thermostats on our list. It’s a relatively inexpensive addition to a smart home setup while still delivering the goods of a smart thermostat. It features a simple design that doesn’t clash with most living room decors and a simple menu system that should work well for folks looking for their first smart thermostat. Plus, it comes with a smartphone app that mirrors the menu system on the thermostat itself, which means you only have to learn one system.

In terms of money savings, Ecobee’s mantra is the same for all of their thermostats, as Ecobee focuses on making scheduling easier to configure. This includes schedules for everyday use along home and away profiles to lower energy usage while the user isn’t home. The Ecobee 3 Lite is also compatible with Ecobee room sensors so you can get an aggregate average of the temperature across your whole house instead of just one room, which can help keep your HVAC from running more than it needs to. Some enterprising individuals have also connected it to their smart home tech and saved money that way as well.

At $149.99 from most retailers such as Best Buy, it’s a midrange offering in the grand scheme of things, but it represents the least expensive option from Ecobee. It doesn’t have some of the built-in stuff that you’ll find in the more expensive thermostats from the brand, but it is compatible with the room sensors that include room occupancy sensors so it can learn when you are and aren’t in the room.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and Smart Thermostat Enhanced

On the upper end of the Ecobee’s product lineup is the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced. In terms of software, these two are very similar to the Ecobee 3 Lite, which makes upgrading from one thermostat to another fairly easy to do since the controls are all in the same spots. These upgraded models sport some extras from the Ecobee 3 Lite. Both the Premium and Enhanced thermostats have built-in occupancy sensors, for example, that can adjust temperature when it senses that you aren’t at home.

Of course, the Premium model has even more features, including an indoor air quality monitor, an Ecobee sensor included in the box, Bluetooth streaming, and it works like an intercom. In terms of saving money, the Enhanced and Premium do about the same job. In general, it works the same as the Ecobee 3 Lite in that the company makes it pretty easy to set schedules along with home and away profiles. The occupancy sensor in the Enhanced and Premium models allow for additional savings as the thermostat will throttle energy usage when it detects that no one is home.

The Enhanced and Premium models represent the highest end products that Ecobee sells in the thermostat sector and cost $189.99 and $249.99, respectively. Those who want everything that Ecobee offers should check these out. However, if you want to save a few bucks, the Ecobee 3 Lite does most of the same stuff for a little bit less.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)

Google Nest Learning Thermostat is the first such product in its particular niche on our list so far. It functions like any normal smart thermostat with things like app control, integration with Google’s smart home ecosystem, and it’s one of the nicer designs in a smart thermostat. Its iconic round design with a simple but effective user interface is so nice to physically use that sometimes that alone sells it so some people. There is a great level of detail with this thermostat that sets it apart from many others.

Perhaps the biggest feature is its ability to learn your routines. It keeps track of every adjustment you make and then learns your patterns to help you save money. That includes anything from not blasting the AC when you’re not home to gently lowering or raising temperatures over time to put less strain on your HVAC system during peak hours. It’ll also turn off when it’s cooling down or warming up outside to let nature take its course and warm or cool your home on its own. Google does a good job of monitoring your usage stats and telling you how you’re saving energy.

All this intelligence comes at a cost and it’s $279.99 when it’s not on sale at Best Buy, which is on the upper end of price when it comes to smart thermostats. Plus, while its learning tech can save you money, there are some folks who prefer a more manual touch instead of letting the thermostat make all the decisions.

Google Nest Thermostat

For those looking for a little less smart in their smart thermostat but still want that Google Nest aesthetic, the regular Google Nest Thermostat is a good option. It has many of the same features as its more expensive counterpart, including the ability to control it from the Google Home app, integration with Google smart home tech, and that big, round screen that makes it look so appealing.

Google says even the basic Nest Thermostat can still save you money in a few different ways. The first is that it can still sense when you’re not home and reduce energy consumption by not running your system while you’re away. Second is the usual stuff like the ability to easily set schedules and home and away profiles on your own. Finally, Google has an excellent system that helps you find local rebates for installing a smart thermostat. While researching this article, I entered my zip code and found that my local town’s electric division would send me a $75 rebate if I installed a Nest Thermostat and signed up for the electric division’s rewards program.

That $75 rebate covers most of the cost of a Google Nest Thermostat. It costs $129.99 at Best Buy when it’s not on sale, which is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum for smart thermostats. Between that and the savings Google promises, it would only take me personally about a year or two to save enough money to cover the entire cost of the thermostat. That’s not a bad promise from Google and the Nest Thermostat compares well with similar competitors that cost more.

Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat

The Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat is a thermostat from a company that knows thermostats. In fact, Honeywell was the company that introduced the concept of the thermostat to the public in 1906. Over 100 years later, and Honeywell still competes with the big dogs in the thermostat space. The Home T9 is a great example of this. It features good functionality, app control, modern features like smart sensor integration, and it has one of the cleanest designs of any thermostat on this list.

As such, there are several features that Honeywell says will save you money. For starters, the thermostat comes with a geofencing feature that knows when you leave the house or come home and can adjust the thermostat automatically to reduce your energy usage. You’ll also get a monthly usage report showing your energy usage so that you can see where additional money may be saved. Finally, much like Google, Honeywell offers a tool that helps you find rebates in your area that helps offset the cost of the thermostat, saving you even more money. When it comes to such features, Honeywell ticks all of the boxes.

All this functionality comes at a cost, though. The Honeywell Home T9 costs $209.99 at Best Buy when not on sale. On the plus side, the price tag includes one sensor that you can put in a different room that helps the thermostat better understand the temperature in your home. It also integrates with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings, which makes it one of the most compatible smart thermostats on our list.

Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat

For those looking for a Honeywell product with fewer features and a more manageable price tag, the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat is a good choice. It comes with a large touchscreen that puts most other thermostats to shame while delivering a ton of information to the user. It has many of the same features as its more expensive stablemate, including the ability to see the weather, be controlled from an app, and it has temperature limits that automatically swap between heating and cooling as needed.

In terms of saving money, the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat does many of the same things as the Home T9. It sends you monthly reports to show your energy usage so you know where you can reduce your usage. In addition, its Smart Response feature learns your routine so it can apply schedules automatically, potentially saving you more money. Honeywell also has a rebate tool for this thermostat which can help offset the cost by finding rebates in your area for installing a smart thermostat. It’s not quite as impressive as the Home T9 but some folks prefer a more hands-on approach to their energy usage than others.

This Honeywell thermostat costs $165 at Home Depot when it’s not on sale but is frequently available for $100 or less, especially around the holidays. Honeywell also runs promotions frequently. For example, in 2024, the company is offering a $50 donation to Habitat for Humanity for each Honeywell smart thermostat sold from November 9 through December 24.

Sensi Lite Smart Thermostat

The Sensi Lite Smart Thermostat is a good, basic option for folks who want a smart thermostat but don’t want every little bell and whistle that comes with it. These thermostats feature a minimalist design with a simple touch interface that shows you the basics. It’s not unlike Ecobee in this regard. It also features app control and some other smart features at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Like Honeywell, Sensi has been doing this for a while and can make a good thermostat.

Sensi says you can save money on your energy usage with flexible scheduling and geofencing. The first is technically available on dumb thermostats but is easier when you have an app to program everything. Geofencing is a surprising feature for this price point. It essentially tells the thermostat when you are and aren’t home, and the thermostat responds by running your HVAC less often to save money. Like many smart thermostats, the Sensi Lite also sends usage reports so you can see how well you did from month to month.

The shocker with this one is the price. Sensi sells the Lite on Amazon for a scant $90, making it one of the least expensive smart thermostats on the list. It’s also often on sale for even less than that. This is a good first smart thermostat for folks who don’t have a ton of experience with smart home products. Sensi also has one of the strictest privacy policies of any tech brand, promising to never sell your data to anyone for any reason.

Sensi Touch 2 Smart Thermostat

Those who like what Sensi does but want a smarter thermostat can check out the Sensi Touch 2 Smart Thermostat. It’s similar to the Sensi Lite Smart Thermostat but features a larger screen and some additional features. Those extra features include support for smart sensors and increased functionality on the thermostat itself, lessening the need to do things through the app. It also comes with support for Alexa and Google Home. Some Sensi products also support HomeKit, but unfortunately the Touch 2 is not one of them.

The Sensi Touch 2 supports geofencing along with schedules and other manual settings that Sensi says can help you save money. One nifty feature is Demand Response Programs. Such programs are run by utility companies and will do things like pre-cool your home on a hot summer day and then run the AC less often during peak hours to prevent things like brownouts. Places where energy costs fluctuate based on the time of day can also save money by opting into such a program. Sure, your home will be a bit warmer during peak hours but you’ll also spend less money. The Sensi Touch 2 lets you opt into these if your local electric utilities support it.

The Sensi Touch 2 is quite a bit more expensive than its Lite counterpart, clocking in at $209.99 at Best Buy without any discounts. That’s a bit much considering that similarly priced thermostats have a longer list of features, but the Sensi Touch 2 seems to be a favorite among consumers with high ratings across the board.