You've got the smart light bulbs, video doorbell, and smart plugs. Why not grab a smart thermostat to finish setting up a smart home? It may seem like a simple device in your home to replace, but it can make a big difference in your comfort and, more importantly, your energy bill.
Smart thermostats cleverly manage your heat and air conditioning, letting you avoid running those power-hungry systems unnecessarily. You can set timers or schedules to keep your home comfortable only when you're at home, and you can even remotely control the heating and cooling with many of these devices. Some thermostats can easily be integrated into your whole HVAC system, while others are capable of working in simpler environments, including rooms that rely on space heaters and AC window units.
There's a huge selection of smart thermostats out there, so we've weeded through the clutter to bring you the best options for your needs. If you're ready to make your smart home smarter, take a look at our favorites below.
TL;DR – These are the Best Smart Thermostats:
- Google Nest Thermostat
- Wyze Thermostat
- Amazon Smart Thermostat
- Nest Learning Thermostat
- Honeywell T9
- Mysa Smart Thermostat
- Sensibo Sky
1. Google Nest Thermostat
Best Smart Thermostat
When it comes to smart thermostats, Nest is probably the first name that comes to mind, and there’s a good reason for that. They make some of the best thermostats on the market, and our favorite of their lineup is the Google Nest Thermostat. It's a highly capable device while still managing a very competitive price point. Your costs can be kept down even further as most can install it themselves, and it's going to save you on your energy bill. Plus, there should be little worry about it working with your setup, as it's compatible with 85% of heating and cooling systems.
Once installed, the Google Nest Thermostat makes your home’s heating and cooling smarter. You’ll still be able to dial in the temperature you want when you want, but you can also easily set up schedules or control the temperature remotely. The thermostat monitors the temperature and humidity to ensure your home is at your ideal setting. A super convenient feature also allows the device to detect motion, using your absence from a room and your phone’s location as a trigger to turn off the system. This means some savings on your energy bill. Plus, a savings finder on the app suggests tweaks you can make to keep energy costs even lower.
2. Wyze Thermostat
Best Budget Thermostat
Believe it or not, you can get a smart thermostat for a smidge over $70. Wyze makes smart home devices more affordable, and the Wyze Thermostat offers some impressive value. Don't worry, you still get loads of convenient smart functions like a Wi-Fi connection that enables temperature control from anywhere as well as the ability to set schedules and default temps when you're home, away, or asleep.
The Wyze Thermostat's smarts go way beyond just the basics. When you leave a geo-fenced region, it can automatically switch to the away mode and help save on energy. If you're concerned about your home getting too hot or cold, a Safety Temps feature prevents that. And, the thermostat is also simple to install with the Wyze app to guide you. But, if you accidentally get your wires crossed during setup and your cooling system comes on when your heat should, it can swap functions without you needing to change any wiring. Plus, Wyze has even included a color display and voice control via smart assistants. That's a lot of capability for the money.
3. Amazon Smart Thermostat
Best Ultra Cheap Smart Thermostat
If you thought the Wyze Thermostat was a good deal, Amazon has managed to create an even cheaper alternative. Now, this device is a much simpler device compared to others on our list. It's basically just a Wi-Fi-connected thermostat that can be integrated into Amazon’s smart home ecosystem. The unit itself provides a temperature display and controls for adjusting the temperature or switching modes. Plus, installation should be easy with the Alexa app's instructions. The connection is via C-wire, and there's an option to purchase a C-wire adapter with the device, which means it will work with most standard 24V heating and cooling system.
Once Amazon's Smart Thermostat is installed and connected to WiFi, more smarts kick in. You can control it using Alexa on your phone, smart speakers, or other Alexa-enabled devices. This means you've got voice control as well. The thermostat also makes some guesses about whether you’re home, away, or sleeping to adjust the temperature accordingly. For example, if you leave the house with your smartphone and no one uses Alexa at home for a while, it may guess that the house is empty and stop running the AC. There are certainly smarter options, but Amazon’s is insanely cheap.
4. Nest Learning Thermostat
If Your HVAC Requires It
The Nest Learning Thermostat is ideal for those looking to add smart technology to their HVAC system. 95% of heating and cooling systems are compatible, so chances are good it'll work with yours. And, Nest makes the installation a breeze with a system match feature, so most people can install it themselves. However, if you run into issues while installing, Nest Pros can assist you.
The Nest Learning Thermostat comes at a higher price than most of our other picks, but it offers a premium design combined with premium features. This smart thermostat totes stainless steel housing and a high-resolution farsight display. Some smart features include detecting when you're home or away to adjust the temperature accordingly, service alerts when something isn't working correctly or temperatures reach dangerous levels, and temperature control from anywhere. It will even learn your habits and make adjustments automatically. Plus, you can generate reports to help you keep track of your energy consumption and see how much you're saving with this new device.
5. Honeywell T9
Best Multi-Room Smart Thermostat
On its own, a typical thermostat displays the temperature of the room it’s sitting in—and adjusts the air conditioning accordingly. But your living room probably isn’t the same temperature as the bedroom upstairs, which can make things frustrating when you move from room to room. That’s where the Honeywell T9 comes in handy. You place separate sensors in each room, and each sensor detects the temperature, humidity, and occupancy of that space. It then adjusts the air conditioning or heat based on what rooms are currently occupied. (Note: This is different from having a multi-zone HVAC system—if you have multiple thermostats that control different parts of the house, you’ll need multiple smart thermostats to replace them.)
Of course, the Honeywell T9 has all the other smart features you’ve come to expect from thermostats. You can create schedules, set it up to save energy when it detects you’ve left the house, and integrate it with other smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. You also can control the thermostat when you're out of the house and get alerts on your phone about extreme temperature conditions inside. Another alternative to T9 is the ecobee3 Lite, which also offers room sensors.
6. Mysa Smart Thermostat
The Best for High-Voltage Baseboard Heaters
Most of our picks are meant to work with 24V HVAC systems. If you have electric baseboard heaters in your home, your current thermostat most likely controls a 120V or 240V heater instead, which is incompatible with typical smart thermostats. Therefore, you need to grab a thermostat designed to work with your high volt system, and the best option is the Mysa Smart Thermostat. For $140, you get a wall thermostat that controls heaters up to 3,800 watts. However, as a warning, you may need to get multiple thermostats if you have multiple zones (as is more common with these types of heaters).
The Mysa Smart Thermostat comes toting all your typical smart features. There's ample compatibility, so you can control temps from anywhere through Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, HomeKit, or SmartThings. It's also easy to create schedules or even automate the system based on your presence at home with geofencing. And, you can track your energy usage to help you find ways to save money. This smart thermostat may be a bit pricey, but it sure beats turning a bunch of primitive knobs on the wall.
7. Sensibo Sky
The Best for Standalone Air Conditioners
If you don’t have central air in your home—but instead rely on a mini-split, ductless, portable, heat pump, or window air conditioners—the $120 Sensibo Sky can turn those dumb A/C units into smart ones. This device works by sending infrared commands, so it'll only work with air conditioners that come with infrared remotes. It's pretty simple to get set up, and then you just stick the thermostat on your wall, hook it up to your phone, and control it just like any other smart thermostat.
With the Sensibo Sky, you can adjust the temperature from the app or with your voice through Alexa and Google Home. Plus, it's easy to save money by allowing the unit to use your phone’s location to save energy when you’re out of the house. You can also create schedules within the app or create automations with SmartThings and IFTTT. This all helps make up for the fact this thermostat doesn’t actually have on-wall controls.
What to look for in a Smart Thermostat
Buying a smart thermostat isn’t as easy as comparing a list of features. Since the thermostat is your main control point for your home’s entire heating and cooling system, there’s a lot to consider, like:
Compatibility: You can easily rule out any smart thermostats that are incompatible with your house. For example, some thermostats—like Google’s budget-oriented Nest E—won’t work with systems that have a whole-house humidifier or dehumidifier, or dual transformer systems. Usually, a thermostat’s compatibility page will run you through a wizard that can tell you more about your situation—but when in doubt, contact a professional and ask them what’ll work for you.
The same goes for installation: while installing smart thermostats is relatively easy, I recommend contacting a professional if you’re at all unsure about your HVAC’s capabilities or your own knowledge.
C-wire usage: Most modern homes use what’s called a common wire, or C-wire, to provide AC power to the thermostat—but some older homes don’t, since they were designed for simpler, battery-powered thermostats instead. Many smart thermostats require a C-wire due to the amount of power they draw.
Some, like the Nest, claim to work without a C-wire by “stealing” power from the other wires while the system is running—but this is generally not recommended as it can damage certain HVAC systems. If you don’t have a C-wire, you can have a professional run one through your walls, or—if your thermostat offers an adapter kit—install the adapter near your HVAC to provide power to the thermostat safely. Again, when in doubt, call an HVAC technician.
Sensors, Learning, and Other Features: Once you’ve narrowed down a list of thermostats that are compatible with your home, you’ll want to start comparing features. Most smart thermostats have a similar set of base offerings: they’ll allow you to control the temperature from your phone, easily set schedules, and use the GPS on your smartphone to save energy when you’re out and about.
Some features are more device-specific, though—like the Nest’s ability to “learn” your habits and adapt its schedule accordingly. Others, like the ecobee SmartThermostat and Honeywell T9, have sensors you can place around your house to adjust the temperature based on which rooms are occupied. Some will even send you energy-saving reports. So, check the thermostat’s list of unique features and decide which are most useful to your home.
Smart Home Integration: Smart devices rarely stand alone. Much of the utility in smart thermostats is in their integration with other smart products. For example, maybe you want all your lights to turn off when your thermostat detects you’ve left the house, or you want your thermostat to start cooling things down when you leave your office.
The more platforms your thermostat integrates with—whether standalone products like Philips Hue or entire ecosystems like SmartThings and IFTTT—the more powerful it becomes. So, you’ll want to make sure it’s compatible with the products you use (or plan to use in the future). Voice control generally falls into this category, too, so make sure your preferred thermostat works with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri if you want to change the A/C from across the room.
Rebates: Smart thermostats aren’t exactly cheap, but the price on the box isn’t necessarily the price you have to pay. Your gas or electric company may offer sizeable rebates for buying a smart thermostat since they can cut down on your energy usage.
For example, my gas company offers a $75 rebate on many of the thermostats mentioned in this article, which brings down the price substantially. The selection of rebates can differ from area to area, so as you shop around, be sure to check your utility companies to see what rebates they offer—it could affect your ability to buy a fancier model.
You have a wide selection of devices to choose from when setting up a smart home, from voice assistants that can go in every room all the way to smart faucets for sinks. Not all smart gadgets are going to be as useful or exciting to add as one another, but all will give you another level of control over your space, and that can translate to better finessing of your utility bill. Few smart home gadgets are as good for that as a smart thermostat.
Smart thermostats are a solid starter for a smart home, as they can intelligently manage one of the most demanding home utilities. With a smart thermostat regulating the temperature of your house on a set schedule or only when people are around, you can make sure you're not paying for a bunch of air conditioning no one will feel or heating up empty rooms. Just how much you can benefit from a smart thermostat depends on the setup of your home, but there is enough variety on the market that you can still find a smart thermostat to work for you whether you have central air or rely on baseboard heaters and AC window units. With the wide variety of smart thermostats available, it may be hard to settle on the right one for you, but we've picked out some top contenders that fit a variety of use cases, so you can find the one that'll work best with your living space.
Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn't get grease on his mechanical keyboard.
