Best nest thermostat-Experts recommendations to choose

habib386

I researched the best smart thermostats as my energy bills have been getting higher every season and I really want to cut down on costs while keeping the house comfortable. i have been experiencing issues with uneven heating/cooling and it gets frustrating trying to manually adjust all the time. i went through reviews from trusted sources like Wirecutter, CNET, and Consumer Reports and after comparing many options these two kept coming up as the top choices:

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen, 2024)

https://www.amazon.com/Google-Learning-Thermostat-Temperature-Sensor/dp/B0D5BBYRJM/?th=1

ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XXS48P8/?th=1

however, i am having trouble deciding which one would be better for me and i would love to get your expert advice and hoping maybe some HVAC professionals or homeowners with experience on this forum can also share their advice.
i usually work from home most days so having accurate scheduling and room comfort is important for me. would either of these be more recommended for my situation? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

SuperTech

The thermostat is not capable of changing the heating needs of the building. You need X amount of BTUs to heat the place to X temperature when it is cold outside. If you want to save money reduce the heat loss of the building. Weatherstripping, insulation and air sealing usually do the job better than changing thermostats.

In my opinion the best choice is not using a Nest thermostat at all. Save yourself a lot of trouble in the future. If you want WiFi control get a Honeywell or Ecobee

Ironman

What type of heating system do you have? Steam, hot water, forced air? What fuel source?

If you have an hydronic, steam or any type of modulating equipment, then a Nest is the worst possible choice.

Jamie Hall

I will add a bit to the above. You mention that you have "issues with uneven heating/cooling". No thermostat — however smart or dumb — is going to help with that. As @SuperTech said, step one is going to be reducing the heating load — storm windows, weatherstipping and draught sealing, maybe some extra insulation (or just some!). Step two is going to be get your heating system properly balanced so you don't have uneven heating and cooling, or at least it is more even.

Step three has to do with temperature control. The thermostat. The most even and comfortable heating will come from a system, including the thermostat, which is not chasing a target. That means that the thermostat, in particular, sets a temperature target — and holds it. Now this doesn't mean you can't save (some) with a mild night setback — a few degrees. What it does mean is that you aren't constantly chasing the temperature up and down.

Which is what "smart" thermostats are intended to do.

Therefore, if you insist on a "smart" thermostat, I'd pick one of the Ecobees — and dive into its settings and cancel all the room occupancy or other similar features. Nests do work, and are even not too bad with forced air heat, but they are difficult to install on anything other than a very plain vanilla forced air heat system and they are VERY hard to configure properly to play will with any form of hot water or steam heat.

dabrakeman

Although I like the Ecobee with my steam system I would suggest you provide a little more information relative to your system and the nature of the problem you are trying to resolve. You could have a balance situation or maybe too much swing between cycles? All we can do now is speculate…

PC7060

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863215#Comment_1863215

"If you want WiFi control get a Honeywell or Ecobee"

^^^^^ this.

I've got 6 Honeywell 9000 series in several offices. Scheduling function is great and temperature control performs well for Hydronics and HP.

ratio

+1 for Honeywell 9000 or 8000 (my fav) series. Reliable, easy to install, easy to use. The T series isn't an improvement.

EdTheHeaterMan

@habib386 , I see that you asked about a thermostat and there are answers that did not quite answer the question that you actually asked. This can be irritating, as you have already decided that a thermostat will solve your problem. So I would tell you that the thermostat you want to use to lower your fuel usage will be a Honeywell. The name has changed to Resideo but the thermostats are the same.

Now… so you know, a thermostat can only turn on and turn off the fuel, based on the temperature set point you choose (or is chosen for you by the smart thermostat). The thermostat can not change your ductwork or your piping to radiators. If you have uneven heating as a result of a poor design or aging of the system, any thermostat you currently have, or decide to change to can not fix that problem. to make your house have even heat, you need to give more information because a duct system is adjusted differently that a radiator piping system. A steam piping system is adjusted differently that a hot water piping system.

The other suggestions are only suggestions based on your statement "i have been experiencing issues with uneven heating/cooling and it gets frustrating trying to manually adjust all the time". with this information, I can only guess that you have a single zone duct system in a two story home. This duct system may be poorly designed because the designer of the duct system tried to get cooling and heating to work in the same ducts and that is never easy.

If I am getting close to describing your system, perhaps I can help. Can you take some pictures of your heater and some of the heat outlets in each room?

Ed

pecmsg

ecobee

With that said a t stat won’t lower your energy bills. If you want to save money tighten the envelope. Have a blower door test performed, find and fix the leaks.
get a properly sized heating system.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Replacing thermostats on a system that does not heat well will generally not work

hot_rod

My Ecobee, and probably other smart stats allow multiple sensors. I have wireless sensors in the basement, and under the kitchen sink to protect at risk plumbing. So it watches 3 temperature zones.

My app shows all temperature conditions.

If I ask it to maintain a basement temperature, when we have guests down there, it may over-shoot upstairs a small; amount. But at least the guests are not shivering, and fuming :) It is treating a symptom, not the problem, but a lot better than nothing at all.

So a bit more control flexibility that just an air sensor at the one wall location.

dabrakeman

Since the OP posted in the "Strictly Steam" forum I may have jumped to the conclusion he had a steam system… Silly me.

habib386

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863215#Comment_1863215

Thanks for sharing your feedback I definitely agree that insulation and sealing are important but I still want the convenience of smart controls. Since you mentioned ecobee that really caught my attention .the room sensors seem like exactly what I need to deal with uneven temps. I think I will move forward with the ecobee premium thermostat for the wifi control and comfort side of things.

habib386

Good question I have got a standard forced air system running on gas. From what i have read that setup should work well with either nest or ecobee. since i am mainly after comfort and easier scheduling i am leaning toward the ecobee premium thermostat with its room sensors as that seems like the best fit for my situation.

habib386

Thanks for breaking that down that really helps put things in perspective. i completely get that insulation and system balancing come first but since I also want better scheduling and remote control I feel like a smart thermostat is still worth it for me. Based on what you said the ecobee premium sounds like the safer especially with the flexibility in its settings and the option to use room sensors if I want to. I will probably move forward with that one.

habib386

That is exactly the kind of flexibility i have been looking for. being able to use multiple sensors with the ecobee sounds like a real game changer especially since i deal with uneven temps between rooms too even if it is not a perfect fix for the system itself having that extra control and comfort seems well worth it. I am leaning more toward getting the ecobee premium now.

Jamie Hall

Just be aware that no thermostat — even the best smart thermostat — will do anything for the uneven temperatures.

pecmsg

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863723#Comment_1863723

Uneven temperatures are caused by a Duct Issue. Address that.

hot_rod

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863729#Comment_1863729

My home has a forced air system, finished basement so duct modification is not an easy option. The Ecobee remote sensors help with rooms that may be a bit too cold, and/ or freeze protection.

It is not a complete fix, for a system that needs a zoned arrangement, but for the cost and easy of installation, give it a try.

EdTheHeaterMan

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863737#Comment_1863737

Easier said than done. Some economy minded track home developers choose HVAC contractors based on cost, regardless of how well the system works or the comfort of the home.

Here is a low cost heating and cooling duct design that causes large difference in upper floor and lower floor temperatures.

The homeowner is supposed to open and close registers as each season changes leading to noisy operation when air blows thru all the closed registers. Many homeowners don't know to do that, and sometimes the air flow with several registers closed cause coil freezing or HX overheating as a result of the reduced air flow.

pecmsg

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863747#Comment_1863747

THe t-stat still will not correct it.

EdTheHeaterMan

Depending on where you are in the home. If you want the temperature upstairs to be 68° in the winter and there is no one downstairs to complain, then the thermostat set to 60° at night will make the second floor 68°. In the morning when everyone goes downstairs you can set the thermostat to 68° and if no one is upstairs to complain, then you can have an automatic thermostat to make you comfortable. Now if you forget to change the thermostat before you go upstairs to bed, and you have your phone with you, a smart thermostat can be adjusted without taking a trip downstairs.

I can see it in my minds eye. Smart thermostat will fix this person's problem without ripping out the sheetrock and re-ducting the entire home. This homeowner did not know they were purchasing a duct system problem, when they looked at the home, they discovered it at the change of seasons the first year they were already living there. This will not reduce the fuel usage but will make the living conditions more comfortable.

It is all in the way you look at it. Maybe some day the homeowner can purchase a second floor duct system and put it in the hot attic in order to air condition the second floor, and the first floor thermostat set at 75° might operate the first floor air conditioner about 3 hours for the entire summer. Perhaps swapping the old furnace and air conditioner with a smaller one that will accommodate the first floor only and blocking off all the second floor registers will solve the problem better, but that costs more that a thermostat.