Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat Essential is packed with features but still affordable

Ecobee introduced a new smart thermostat at CES 2025 and it looks pretty nifty. The Smart Thermostat Essential is packed with most of the features found with the $250 premium model, only with a price tag of $130.

There’s a full-color touchscreen for making adjustments, though that can also be done via the Ecobee mobile app. The app will send alerts to “prevent heating and cooling disruptions” and will even whip up a comprehensive home energy report each month to provide a macro look at energy usage. This is a modern smart thermostat, so customers can also use smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit for the aforementioned adjustments.

Ecobee says the Smart Thermostat Essential is packed with software that will automatically learn how long it takes to heat and cool the home, which will then inform the device of how much energy to use to reach a desired temperature. The end result? A cheaper utility bill. The company claims that this thermostat will actually pay for itself in just six months.

The savings can be increased by adding a few of the company’s optional SmartSensors, which cost around $55 per pair. These sensors will teach the thermostat which rooms are used the most, so they’ll get increased temperature regulation.

Ecobee promises that the thermostat is easy to install, but it likely still requires some light wiring. Anyone familiar with smart thermostats should know the drill. The Smart Thermostat Essential will be available at major retailers in March.