Ecobee Thermostat: Save 25% of your Heating and Cooling Bill

The Ecobee is a very cool device I discovered at The 2012 GreenLiving Show that can help any homeowner save money on heating and cooling their home. It’s a programmable thermostat that’s actually easy to use and program. Not only that, but because it has a wireless connection, you can control it from your computer or smart phone. What this means is that if you’re going to be away for a significant amount of time, you can work with your settings while you’re not there — no more cooling the house when you’re not there. Best of all, shutting down electric devices is usually the last thing on my to do list when preparing for a trip away — now you can do it once you’re on the road.

You can order this unit directly off the website, but Stuart Lombard, one of the founders and CEO of Ecobee, told me that it’s best if you order through your heating and cooling provider because they will install it for you too. Once it’s set up, you can control your furnace and central air conditioner either from the home console or any of your computers. There are two versions for homeowners, a simpler one with a colour touch screen that sells for around $180, and the newer model with a larger colour touch screen and more features such as controlling your central humidifier for $330.

One of the other benefits of the Ecobee is that it generates monthly reports so you can see how you’re doing regarding your consumption patterns and make adjustments to lower your energy use.

For more information about the Ecobee, visit their website.