Nowadays, there are a lot of smart thermostats to choose from which makes it hard for you to find the one that’ll suit your needs. Though, regardless of the variety, there are still those thermostats that stands out.
Hive, Nest and Tado have always been the household names in the thermostat industry. But, there are new brands like EcoBee that also performs at par with the popular ones.
So, to help you make your decision, here are the top rated thermostats for this year.
1. Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation
Talk about independence, Nest thermostat can program itself by learning your habits. After using it for days, it will catch on whether you like it hot at night or cold in the day. Thus, putting it on the top spot on the most preferred thermostats for 2019.
Best Features of Nest Thermostat 3rd Generation
- DIY Installation – You can install it by yourself which can help you save installation costs. The Nest App has all the necessary instructions to walk you through the installation process. But if things get tough you may call a Nest Pro for further assistance.
- Personalized Scheduling – Creates a personalized temperature schedule for you.
- Weather Adjustments – It can detect the temperature outside and will adjust itself accordingly.
- Controls Accessibility – You can access the controls through your phone, laptop and even your voice through Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. However, it doesn’t work with Siri of the Apple Home Kit. Sorry Apple fans.
- Hot Water Tank Controls – It can control your hot water tank.
- Home or Away Detection – It detects if you are home and automatically turns off when you’re away which can greatly help you save energy costs. Eerie, but efficient!
- Sleek Aesthetic – It is visually pleasing and can blend well on your home interiors.
You may also use it with temperature sensors for rooms that are hard to cool or warm up. Another good thing is, you don’t need to do anything to update the software because Nest will do the work itself.
Nest Learning Thermostat is the new generation of thermostats that promotes energy efficiency and customer savings. And by using it, you will never go home to a very hot home in summer or a freezing one in winter.
2. tado° Smart Thermostat Starter Kit V3+
If you’re a minimalist, then tado’s for you. Due to it’s “less is more” feel, it will definitely blend well to any simple home furnishing. But, it’s not just about looks with tado as it also has great features to offer.
Best Features of tado Smart Thermostat
- Wireless Thermostat – It is powered by 3 triple A batteries.
- Flexible Control Options – You have an option to add an Extension Kit if you wish to control your boiler wirelessly. Another flexible option is adding Smart Radiator Thermostats if you want to control rooms individually.
- Digital Assistance-Friendly – Unlike Nest, tado connects well with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple Home Kit and Google Assistant.
- Geofencing Feature – Geofencing is the capability of thermostats to detect the homeowner’s location. This helps the thermostat know when the homeowner is away or at home.
- Self-Installation – If you wish to install it by yourself, tado can help you through it by providing them with all the information on your boiler type and existing kit. Then, they will email you all the instructions you need to put all the pieces together correctly. Thus, saving you installation costs.
- Works on 95 of all heating systems – Tado is one of the first companies to introduce smart thermostats that proved their flexibility in the market. With easier access and compatibility to any heating system, you can never go wrong with tado.
3. Hive Active Heating and Hot Water Thermostat
Hive is one of the household names in the thermostat industry. Though it may not offer the learning capability like other brands, it still has some cool features to offer.
Best Features of Hive Thermostat
- Frost Protection – If temperature drops below 7C, the heating will turn on to prevent your pipes from freezing.
- Schedule Setting – You may set up 6 time slots for your routine preferences.
- Digital Assistance Compatibility – It works well with Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant but not with Apple home Kit.
- Works with your existing boiler – Since it is owned by British Gas, boiler compatibility is surely considered at paramount.
- Geolocation and Motion Detection – Even without the learning feature, Hive can still work best by helping the homeowners save energy when they’re away from home.
Sometimes you don’t have to get the most expensive gear if you can have the same comfort with an inexpensive one. Just like Hive, it’s simple but it’s still give value for your money.
4. Ecobee 4 with Built-in Alexa
Who wouldn’t like two gadgets in one right? Well below are other “cool” features of this new generation thermostat.
Best Features of Ecobee 4 Thermostat
- Comes with Room Sensor – The package includes the room sensor with no additional charge.
- Built-in Alexa – Yes, you heard it right. You can ask Alexa everything that needs to get done while acting as your smart thermostat.
- Home/Away Detection – Promotes energy efficiency by automatically turning off your heating system when you’re not around.
- Self-Installation – Ecobee comes with a comprehensive installation guide that will guide you through. You must check the compatibility of your existing unit first to get started.
- Hard-wired Setup – Ecobee 4 is direction connected to the mains through C-wire.
Ecobee 4 has indeed raised the bar by having a built-in Alexa service which greatly puts value to your money.
5. Netatmo Smart Thermostat with Alexa
Second to the smart thermostats with a simple look is Netatmo Thermostat. You should never underestimate it’s look because this might be the one you’re looking for.
Best Features of Netatmo Thermostat
- Digital Assistance Compatibility – It’s compatible to Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant.
- Radiator Valves – You can control the heating in each room by the smart radiator valves.
- IFTTT Support – IFTTT support.can implement the geolocation feature by using the Location service or the Life360 app to track your family members.
- Special Modes: Away and Frost-Guard – Since Netatmo has no geofencing feature, you can turn on Away mode that is set to 12C by default. If you’re out for longer periods, you may set the mode to Frost-Guard which is set to 7C by default as well.
- Netatmo App – The thermostat and relay may look simple but the Netatmo app can do all the functions you need in a thermostat like scheduling.
If you prefer a simple and cheaper option for your home, Netatmo would be a good choice.
Final Thoughts
All smart thermostats function almost the same but there are other considerations that can make it not suitable for your home like compatibility issues.
At the end of the day, the best thermostat will depend on you and your family’s lifestyle and routine. We hope this smart home thermostat info from a home HVAC Expert was helpful.
We hope these answers have been helpful to you. At Touchstone Commercial Services we strive for excellence and customer satisfaction. If you have any more questions feel free to contact us, and if you find yourself in need of commercial maintenance and repair, we are happy to help!
