New ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium & Enhanced Push Smart Home Limits

World-renowned smart home OEM ecobee has now announced new gadgets for its Smart Thermostat lineup with the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced and Premium. The two devices, available as of the official announcement from the company, are similar in a number of ways. But each builds on previous thermostats on offer from the company.

For instance, both gadgets support the full range of smart home ecosystems. However, that doesn’t only include the usual suspects. Amazon’s Alexa is supported and built right in. And Google Assistant via Google Home is supported too, as is Apple HomeKit. But the system also supports standalone use, integration via Samsung SmartThings, and more. So this thermostat is more than ready for integration into just about any smart home environment.

Of course, each also brings with it a wealth of integrative features too. Built from premium materials, with a waterfall edge design and glass touchscreens at the front, the two thermostats deliver automation in temperature keeping and energy-saving features. With refreshed user interfaces, a 50-percent larger touchscreen, radar technology to detect motion and occupancy for efficient management, and refined menus. The displays themselves also feature reduced latency over previous devices.

What are the differences between the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and Enhanced?

Now, there are a least a few significant differences between the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced and Smart Thermostat Premium. The most notable of those is one that’s exclusive to this thermostat. That’s even among competitors, for the time being.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium comes with a built-in air quality monitor and speaker. The latter of those features not only supports Google Assistant via Google Home. It also supports Apple’s Siri via HomeKit and Amazon Alexa devices, as well as Samsung’s SmartThings. Spotify connectivity is part of that bundled-in feature as well.

That means that this thermostat also acts as a smart speaker for wherever in the home a buyer’s thermostat happens to be located.

In addition to more diverse smart home usability and a newly-designed build composed of zinc, intelligent air monitoring is built-in. Helping homeowners to scan the air they breathe every day for mold, dust, pet hair, and more. Including chemicals released by appliances, gas stoves, fabrics, and cooking oil, among other things. Effectively for anything that might be polluting the air in the home.

The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium shows information about air quality including volatile organic compounds, estimates for carbon dioxide, and humidity directly on its display. And, of course, in the app. It also alerts users when air quality is bad, with helpful tips to improve the situation.

Pricing and availability

Additionally, ecobee — true to its branding — is paring back on its packaging, reducing the overall size by 30-percent. That’s better for the ecosystem overall. As is the new eco+ suite of smart features for saving energy. That’s down to algorithms that work to improve the efficiency of the system. Adapting to routines and working hardest when the home is occupied.

Paired with its ENERGY STAR certification, the company says customers can save up to 26-percent on the annual cost of running their heating and cooling systems with the new ecobee thermostats.

As for availability, ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium comes at a value but with a higher cost to match its features. The more expensive new thermostat starts at $249.99 or $329.99 in Canada. The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced, conversely, starts at $189.99. Both are available now at the company’s website and via Amazon, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy. As well as select other retailers, utility providers, and installers.

The company also indicates that buyers who want an even more affordable solution can still pick up ecobee3 Lite for just $149.99 or $199.99 in Canada.