[edit: updated to provide HVAC specifics.]
[searched the forum but found nothing recent]
Context: renovating, smarthome newbie, just got a C8 Pro.
Want to get a non-cloud smart thermostat to connect to my hub.
Existing basic gas furnace, basic 220V AC (near EOL), shared forced air.
Open to Z-Wave, Zigbee, other (?).
Any recommendations? TIA...
What kind of an HVAC system will you be installing? It is hard to make a recommendation without more details on the system being installed (or already installed).
Highly efficient, fully variable speed condensers/furnaces will typically require a proprietary communicating thermostat. The exception being units from Bosch and Daikin that can work with conventional thermostats.
Ah, yes, I should have been more specific.
Existing basic gas furnace and 220V AC (near EOL), shared forced air.
Single stage? or Two-stage?
If it is 1H/1C, then there's any number of zigbee or z-wave thermostats that will work. The Honeywell T6 Z-Wave thermostat is often a popular choice.
If it is two-stage, and you want time-of-run based staging control, the GoControl z-wave thermostat works well, while the T6 does not.
Personally, I have an ecobee Premium that I'm very satisfied with. It connects locally via Home Assistant. Schedules run locally, but cloud control is available if necessary.
Definitely recommend the T6 Z-wave. I have 2.
Using the Generic Z-Wave Plus Thermostat device has worked better for me than the specific Honeywell thermostat device driver, I forget exactly why...
I have a dual-fuel setup. A custom rule switches between heat and emergency heat (heat pump, gas) , but aaiyar has a good point about the lack of native staging control.
Curious, I now have a couple of Ecobee Essential thermostats. They are connected to Hubitat via the Home integration app (please excuse any terminology faux pas). With this setup they need WiFi for remote control, but not the cloud apparently. Is it possible to disable the cloud only, and not WiFi, for a local solution to the original question?
edit: Perhaps internet access could be blocked to the thermostats via the router?
That would probably be the simplest way. Block the thermostat’s outgoing communication (to the internet) and ecobee servers in the cloud won’t be able to talk back to it.
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