How To Install An Ecobee3 Thermostat

A smart thermostat is a great accompaniment to have in your business firm, not but to be able to conform your home's temperature from your phone, but to also salvage money on your utility costs. Hither'southward how to install and set up up the Ecobee smart thermostat in your own home.

There are two different smart thermostats that Ecobee sells; the Ecobee4 and the Ecobee3 Lite. This guide uses an Ecobee3, but the installation and setup procedure should be identical throughout.

Alert: This is a project for a confident DIYer. At that place'due south no shame in getting someone else to do the bodily wiring for you lot if you lack the skill or cognition to do so. If y'all read the get-go of this commodity and immediately visualizedhow to practice it based on past experience wiring switches and outlets, y'all're probably adept. If y'all opened the article non sure how exactly we were going to pull this pull a fast one on off, information technology's time to call in that wiring-savvy friend or electrician. Also notation that it may be against the law, code, or regulations to practice this without a permit, or it might void your insurance or warranty. Check your local regulations before continuing.

What Is an Ecobee Thermostat and Why Would I Want One?

The Ecobee isn't quite as pop as the well-known Nest Thermostat, but it does come with some sectional features that Nest users can't get.

Like other smart thermostats, the Ecobee line of thermostats allow y'all to control and manage your home'due south temperature levels from your smartphone, so you can adjust the settings of the thermostat even if you're hundreds of miles away from dwelling house.

On top of that, though, information technology includes an easy-to-use touch screen display, as well as remote sensors you tin can put in different areas of your house.

Granted, thermostats aren't something you lot'll interact with a whole lot, especially if you program information technology, but the capabilities of a smart thermostat are really convenient if y'all always want to suit the temperature of your house before you get domicile from work or vacation.

Volition the Ecobee Work in My Firm?

One important thing to keep in listen when getting an Ecobee thermostat is that it will work with most HVAC setups, but you'll need to know what kind of arrangement yous accept so that you can install the thermostat properly.

The Ecobee (every bit with nigh other smart thermostats) will work with any low-voltage system, as well as high-voltage systems (which are also known as "line voltage" systems). If y'all're not sure what kind of system yous have, yous can quickly pop off your current thermostat and take a look at the wiring.

A expressionless giveaway for a depression-voltage system is if y'all run across a scattering of tiny wires in all sorts of different colors, just if you see but ii or iv larger wires (commonly red and black) that are connected with wire nuts, and so that's a sign of a high-voltage system.

You lot can also look on the thermostat itself to meet how many volts it is. If you encounter something like "110 VAC", "115 VAC", or "120 VAC" anywhere, and then you have a high-voltage system.

A typical high-voltage thermostat with 2-4 black and red wires. — Above: A typical loftier-voltage thermostat with 2-four black and red wires. Image from Nest.com.

Above: A typical low-voltage thermostat, with multiple small wires in different colors. Epitome from Nest.com.

If you accept a loftier-voltage system, and then y'all'll need to install load relays as described on Ecobee's support site. This would likely crave a professional to install.

It's possible to convert a high-voltage system to a low-voltage system, but information technology's pretty involved and takes some know-how, then if you absolutely want to install a smart thermostat of some kind, it might exist best to phone call a professional person to convert your system. Furthermore, this might be beneficial to do anyway, since well-nigh (if not all) modern systems are low-voltage.

With all that said, if everything looks expert, here's how to install and prepare up your Ecobee smart thermostat.

Stride I: Remove Your Current Thermostat

The kickoff thing y'all'll want to do is turn off your thermostat. Information technology will still exist on, but you're just turning off the heating, cooling, and the fan. You'll also want to remove backup batteries if your thermostat has any, which are likely underneath a embrace or mounted behind the thermostat.

Next, you'll need to cut ability to your habitation's heating and cooling systems by flipping off the breakers at the breaker box. Keep in mind that sometimes the furnace and the air conditioner are on two split up breakers, so you'll need to switch off both. It'due south also possible that the system fan itself could exist on a third breaker.

Yous might also have to turn off a fourth breaker for the wire that gives the thermostat power. The diagram for your breaker box may say which billow the thermostat is on, but if not, it's a rubber bet that if your thermostat is located in the living room, turning off the billow for the living room will practise the trick. Furthermore, your furnace's main shutoff could exist next to the furnace itself instead of on the breaker box. Remember, turning off the ability at the breaker isn't just for your own prophylactic, simply non shutting off the heating and cooling completely can blow a fuse when you remove thermostat wires, which will require an electrician to fix.

Afterward the power is completely off, remove the thermostat body from the wall. Information technology'southward usually just clipped in and requires a slight tug to take it off, but you may demand to unscrew yours.

From at that place, you'll be able to come across the wiring for your thermostat. At this point, we recommend taking a voltage tester and confirming that there isn't ability running to whatever of the wires. If there is, you demand to go back to the billow box and effort turning off some other breaker.

Next, accept a photograph of the current wire setup and notation which terminal each wire is connected to (this is a really important footstep, so don't forget!). Near of the time, the colour of the wire will correctly correspond to the alphabetic character of the screw that it's connected to (eastward.thousand. xanthous wire connected to "Y", white wire connected to "West", etc.), but sometimes you might have something like a blueish wire continued to "Y" or a green wire continued to "B" for some odd reason.

After you notation where all the wires go, unscrew the wires from their spiral terminals. If there are any jumper cables (i.eastward. short cables going from one terminal to some other) yous can remove them and toss them out, as y'all won't demand them for the Ecobee3 installation.

Once you've disconnected all of the wires, y'all can completely remove the thermostat and accept off the thermostat'due south wall plate if it has 1. It's likely secured to the wall with a couple of screws.

Step Two: Install the Ecobee Thermostat

Accept the Ecobee's base of operations plate and put it on the wall where you desire the thermostat to go, feeding the wires through the pigsty in the middle as you do so. Use the built-in leveler at the bottom to make it level. From at that place, you tin utilise a pencil and mark where the two screws need to go–one on the height and one on the bottom.

If in that location'south a stud backside the drywall where you desire the screws to go in, y'all'll need to drill pilot holes starting time earlier screwing the base plate in. Otherwise, the included screws can easily be driven into drywall without airplane pilot holes. The kit comes with drywall anchors, but they aren't absolutely necessary.

When you're gear up to bulldoze in the screws (a drill is highly recommended for this), place the base plate back on the wall where you want information technology and feed the wires through the center pigsty (include the trim plate backside the base of operations plate if yous want–information technology'southward practiced to employ if yous don't want to spackle and paint over the spot where the old thermostat was). Accept the two screws and bulldoze them into the wall, making certain that the plate remains level every bit you do and then. Be sure to screw in the meridian screw first, and then make fine adjustments to level out the base plate before you lot screw in the bottom screw.

Before you plug the wires into the base plate, you lot'll need to check and meet if you'll need to install the included Power Extender Kit (PEK). This is a small device that gets installed on the circuit lath of the furnace unit itself and it adds in a "C" wire to your setup if it doesn't take ane. If you lot're non sure if you need to install the PEK or non, just await at your thermostat's wiring. If there isn't a "C" wire, then you'll demand to install the PEK.

To install the PEK, you'll first off by opening upward the casing of the device and you lot'll see four terminals on the hat portion.

Next, locate the wires you'll need for the PEK. To exercise this, take off the from cover of your furnace to get access to the inside–it should open up by sliding information technology an inch or so in a specific direction and then lifting information technology off. The wires you need will exist located along a strip of screws on the furnace's circuit lath.

Y'all'll simply take out the respective wires from the excursion lath and attach them to the terminals on the PEK, making sure that the alphabetic character of the terminal that you took the wire out of matches up the terminal that y'all insert the wire into on the PEK.

From there, put back together the PEK and then take the color-coded white wires on the PEK and attach them to the corresponding letters in the terminals on the circuit board.

The procedure to install the PEK can be really confusing, and every HVAC setup is different, so if at that place comes a betoken where you go confused or are non sure about something, don't hesitate to phone call Ecobee back up. They can guide you through the procedure. I ended up calling them and they did a fantastic job of walking me through the steps and got the job done in less than five minutes. You can also phone call a local HVAC specialist if you're at all unsure of your abilities.

Once the PEK is installed, go back to your thermostat and plug the wires into the Ecobee'southward base plate. If you're not certain where each wire goes, refer back to the photo you took of the wiring setup on the old thermostat, and use the messages to see where each wire goes on the Ecobee'due south base plate. Over again, Ecobee support tin walk you through this process as well.

Be certain to straighten out any wires that need information technology using some needle-olfactory organ pliers before you insert them into the terminals.

To insert and secure a wire, press down on the tab next to the terminal and then push the wire into the concluding as far every bit it will go. Release the tab and give the wire a nice tug to make sure information technology'southward snug and doesn't come out.

In one case all the wires are inserted, push the wire agglomeration inside as far as they'll get so that they're not sticking out by the base plate.

Next, take the main Ecobee unit and simply push it in until information technology clicks into identify. You may demand to press downward on it in multiple locations to make sure that it's fully connected.

Get back to your billow box and turn the ability dorsum on to every breaker that you lot turned off. Too make sure to put the cover back on the furnace, as many units have kill switches that turn off the furnace if the embrace is taken off. Subsequently yous turn the power dorsum on, the Ecobee3 will automatically kicking up and the setup procedure will brainstorm.

Step Three: Ready the Ecobee

The first screen yous'll see when the Ecobee boots upwards is a confirmation of the wiring diagram. Tap on "Yeah" if it's right.

Next, you lot'll become asked if you have whatsoever extra accessories continued to your HVAC organisation, like a dehumidifier or ventilator. If not, select "No" and so tap on "Next". Most newer HVAC system usually have something like this, but most older system do non unless you lot add it on.

Select your preferred temperature reading (Fahrenheit or Celsius) and then striking "Next".

On the next screen you'll see the equipment configuration. It will attempt to automatically select what kind of heating and cooling you lot have, only if you demand something, merely tap on the downward arrow next to the option and change it. Tap "Next" when you're washed.

Next, you lot'll become to name your thermostat. There's a list of default names you can choose from or you can type in your ain custom proper noun.

On the side by side screen, you'll select your platonic indoor temperature during the winter when the heating is on. Simply just tap and elevate your finger on the right-manus side of the screen to select the temperature. Tap on "Side by side' when yous're washed.

You'll likewise practice the same thing for your ideal temperature in the summertime when the A/C is running.

After that, it volition ask you lot what the current mode of your HVAC system is. This merely but tells the Ecobee3 what information technology should first at. Since it's enough warm hither in the midwest right now, I'll choose "Cool" and and so tap on "Next".

The adjacent screen volition have you lot enable or disable Smart Dwelling/Away, which overrides whatever settings if it detects that y'all're abode during an away menstruum or vice versa past using the move sensor built into the thermostat.

You'll now select your fourth dimension zone by starting time selecting your country of residence and and then borer on "Adjacent".

From there, you'll select the closest large metropolis that's in the same fourth dimension zone you are. Striking "Next".

After that, it's time to configure the Wi-Fi for the thermostat, so tap on "Next". This will allow you to connect your smartphone to the Ecobee.

Yous can either use your iPhone or other iOS device to setup the Wi-Fi or y'all can set it up right on the thermostat itself. We'll show yous how to do it on the thermostat itself, then select "Select Wi-Fi Network" and and so hit "Adjacent".

Select your Wi-Fi proper name and hit "Adjacent".

Enter in your Wi-Fi password and tap on "Connect".

Give information technology a minute for the thermostat to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Once it'southward done, tap on "Next".

Confirm the date and fourth dimension that the thermostat has set upward and striking "Next".

The next step is connecting the Ecobee thermostat to your smartphone and linking the thermostat to your Ecobee account. To do this, your thermostat will generate a registration code.

Y'all'll need to enter in the code in the Ecobee app, and then now is a practiced fourth dimension to download the app, which is available for iOS and Android devices.

Open the app and tap on "Register" at the bottom.

Enter in the registration lawmaking that appears on the thermostat and then hitting "Side by side" in the app.

Place a checkmark in the box next to "Accept Terms & Weather condition" and and then tap on "Next".

On the next folio, enter in your name, electronic mail accost, and a countersign to use for your Ecobee account. Hit "Adjacent".

Choose whether or non to accept the weather optimize your heating and cooling by toggling the switch in the upper-right corner of the screen. So tap on "Next".

Do the same thing for Domicile IQ, which is a characteristic that tracks your usage and provides energy reports.

Next, enter in information most your house, similar the square footage, number of floors, and when your firm was built. None of this is required, only some of the fields are if you lot want Home IQ to piece of work.

Striking "Done" when you get to the Congratulations screen.

You tin can now tap on your Ecobee thermostat and begin controlling it from your telephone.

The user interface volition mirror what it looks similar on the thermostat itself.

Step Four: Prepare the Remote Sensor(s)

After your thermostat is set and prepare to become, it'south time to set the remote sensors. If you accept an Ecobee4, information technology comes with one sensor, but you'll need to buy them separately if y'all have the Ecobee3 Lite.

To start, but pull on the plastic tab attached to the sensor. This will popular off the plastic bombardment embrace.

From at that place, attach the clear plastic stand to the back of the sensor and so place it in another room that you want the temperature monitored in. I placed mine upstairs in the bedroom, since the temperature differs on the 2d flooring.

Back at your thermostat, information technology volition automatically detect the sensor. Tap on "Yes" to connect it.

Give it a name past selecting i from the list or type in your own custom name.

Select which modes you want the sensor to exist activated on. If you're not sure what to do hither, just leave it to the defaults and tap on "Next".

Tap "Cease" to complete the sensor'south setup.

Your sensor volition appear in the list and it will show up the temperature that information technology's detecting. Tap on "Follow Me" to configure when the sensor volition be used.

You tin can either enable or disable the Follow Me characteristic. When enabled, your thermostat will utilize the temperature from the sensor that detected motion near recently. When disabled, your thermostat will simply take the average temperature of all the sensors.

Once you accept your sensor(southward) set up, you're all ready to get and your Ecobee installation is complete. Take the time to peruse the Ecobee app to get familiar with the interface and its features.