Smart Thermostats / ecobee
ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential
The cheapest way into ecobee's sensors — but it is the ecobee that omits the C-wire kit.
Overall score 6.4/10
Pros
- + Cheapest route into ecobee's SmartSensor ecosystem — 32 occupancy-sensing sensors will pair to a $140 thermostat
- + Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.4 make it the most modern radio stack in this comparison
- + 3-year warranty at $139.99, which beats Google's 1-year on the similarly priced Nest Thermostat
- + Full colour touchscreen rather than the monochrome or button-driven UI at this price from Resideo and Copeland
Cons
- − The Power Extender Kit that comes free with both bigger ecobees costs $24.99 here, so a C-wire-less home pays $165 not $140
- − The radar occupancy sensor is gone — the Essential cannot tell whether you are in the room without a $50 SmartSensor
- − No accessory terminal at all: no humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilator control
- − Heat pump support stops at 2H/1C, so cold-climate multi-stage systems are out
- − Launched at $129.99 in March 2025 and now lists at $139.99 — an eight percent rise in the first year
ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential review: what the specs say
The cheapest way into ecobee's sensors — but it is the ecobee that omits the C-wire kit. At $139.99, ecobee's 2025 model sits in the middle of the range — the smart Thermostats we compare run from $79 to $259.99. It scores 6.4/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Scheduling & Learning at 7.5/10 — learning, geofencing, away detection and how much of it works without babysitting the app. The weakest is C-Wire Freedom at 4.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: the Power Extender Kit that comes free with both bigger ecobees costs $24.99 here, so a C-wire-less home pays $165 not $140; and the radar occupancy sensor is gone — the Essential cannot tell whether you are in the room without a $50 SmartSensor. Every specification on this page comes from ecobee's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| System Voltage | Low voltage 24VAC gas, oil and electric forced-air systems. Not for 120/240V line-voltage heat |
| C-Wire Required | Yes — powered through the C and R terminals. This is the ecobee that does not include the fix |
| Adapter / Power Kit Included | No. The Power Extender Kit that ships free with the Premium and Enhanced is a $24.99 accessory here, and the trim plate is another $14.99 |
| Heating & Cooling Stages | 2H/1C or 1H/2C conventional. The single OB terminal doubles as W2 or Y2, so you get one extra stage in total, not two |
| Heat Pump & Aux Heat | Yes, heat pump 2H/1C. No second compressor stage |
| Humidifier / Ventilator Terminals | None. There is no ACC terminal, so no humidifier, dehumidifier or ventilator control |
| Remote Sensors | None in the box. Up to 32 SmartSensors (2nd gen or newer) pair, sold separately. ecobee states the original ecobee Room Sensor is not compatible |
| Occupancy Detection | None built in — the Essential drops the radar occupancy sensor that the Premium and Enhanced have. Occupancy-based eco+ features need a SmartSensor you buy separately |
| Matter Support | Not listed on ecobee's spec page for this model |
| Voice & Smart Home Platforms | Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant. No built-in voice, no speaker |
| Utility Rebates & Demand Response | eco+ Community Energy Savings with 150+ utilities; enrolled demand events move your setpoint 1-4°F for a few hours, with per-event opt-out |
| Account or Subscription Needed | No subscription. A free ecobee account is required |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 (2.4GHz), Bluetooth LE 5.4 |
| Material | Plastic body with a 2.8in colour LCD touchscreen |
| Warranty | 36 months |
Compare ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential With
Cheaper Alternative
Google Nest Thermostat (2020) — $129.99
Premium Alternative
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (EB-STATE6L-01) — $199.99