I’m looking for recommendations on home thermostat controllers that work best with hubitat, look good on the wall, and work well with my home setup.
Current setup
Two Nest thermostats:
2016 Nest Learning Thermostat controls a standard AC unit with modes for cool, eco, fan only and off
Nest e thermostat controls a 1950s radiant heat boiler with just heat, eco and off modes
No C wire on either. I’m going to attempt a C wire install this weekend to open up options for other thermostats.
Other details:
House is old and modest (1,400 sq/ft)
Home office is a 10x10 room with a closed door.
A Netatmo sensor in the office detects when CO2 has become too high, and used to trigger a rule that would turn on fan mode for the Nest, drawing fresh air into the office.
Google’s removal of the works with nest program killed the ability to control the fan mode by any means other than directly from the Nest app (or home.nest.com). There is a documented ‘bug’ where API controls can’t turn on the fan only modes, with no ETA on a fix.
Manually turning on the fan is a distraction to the point I’m ready to try a new thermostat.
The Honeywell T6 Pro ZWave looks reasonable. Not as sleek as the Nest which looks good on the living room wall, but not an eyesore. I occasionally see posts where firmware updates break compatibility for a bit. Yet that’s an option I’m considering. I was also considering Ecobee, but I recall seeing complaints about connectivity and other issues over the years on this forum.
So what thermostats are you all using as we head into 2024 for standard HVAC systems, that look good, and pair well with Hubitat?
Ugh. In this situation, “power stealing” is used by Nest thermostats to keep the internal battery charged. Frequent short-cycling by design isn’t exactly kind to HVAC equipment.
Despite your misgivings about ecobee thermostats, I would recommend them highly for single and multi-stage HVAC systems. Ecobees come with a “power-extender” that will permit their installation without adding a C-wire.
I’ve had a variety of thermostats over the years, including zigbee and zwave options, but have found ecobee’s built-in algorithms to work very efficiently. Depending on the complexity of your automation setup, there are also local control options for ecobee thermostats.
I use a pair of Ecobee thermostats and am very pleased with their performance and reliability. Yes, the cloud connection is their weakest link. But as @aaiyar mentioned, that too can be worked around if you're willing to run a small Home Assistant system. Personally, I just use Hubitat's built-in Ecobee integration. The one automation I use the Ecobee integration for is to turn on the HVAC Fan whenever anyone is in the shower. This really helps to keep the mirror from fogging up!
As for normal HVAC temperature control, I simply allow the Ecobee software to handle the schedule that I came up with. No need to overcomplicate things, IMHO. I have added Ecobee's remote sensors to multiple rooms, which seem to help with the overall comfort level in the house.
3 thermostats with 5 room sensors here, I too find Ecobee's own algorithm to be reliable and dependable. I keep the fan in auto mode and the Ecobee knows when to turn the fan on. I don't use the eco+ features or the follow me options, as comfort settings alone can handle room temperatures well based on schedules. Ecobee plays well with my smart home KISS rule.
The current SDM API integration lets you turn the fan on for 15 minutes. The driver has a parameter for duration, but inserting any value makes the fan run for less than 1 minute.
The Enhanced and Premium thermostats support HVAC accessories - like a dehumidifier, humidifier or HRV. The Premium monitors indoor air quality, includes a remote sensor, and supports voice assistants.
I installed the Premium in the house that I just moved into. And so far, I like it a lot.
Same, changed from Nest to Ecobee. Like the remote thermostats for rooms and especially like the Ecobee thermostat UI that wife was more comfortable with than Nest. No more re-re-re-explaining to her how to change temperature settings!! Nothing's perfect, but the Ecobee is very good and I am not going back to Nest.
Isn't it weird how thermostats have become a thing? Used to be you had a round thing on the wall with a vial of mercury in it and it lasted the life of the heater.
In the age of almost free energy they were OK...but the old dumb thermostats are one tradition I was happy to leave behind.
Wife: I'm cold!
Me: OK [turns up thermostat on couch from phone]. Temp increased!
Wife: You are amazing, oh wonderful husband! As a reward, please spend a lot more of my money on HA gear!
Now if I could only convince her that I'm not a Google Home and that she can change the temp herself...
I am likely completely out in left field, but I can't even get "Google SDM API" working.
Following the thread "Nest Developer Access Now Live", I can't get the "Enable the API and get an OAuth 2.0 Client ID" to work, so I have no client ID.
All I want to do is to see the temperature readings and settings from the thermostat from the hubitat dashboard. I know that "control" of the thermostat can only happen from the Google Home app.
Thanks everyone for your feedback! I'm leaning towards the Ecobee3 Lite because we already have a Netatmo for air quality in the room with thermostats, motion sensors, etc. but I've got a lot to think about and am grateful for the feedback.
