5 Best Smart Thermostats for Your Home of 2023

Smart devices have found their way into our pockets, cars, and now even our homes. Smart thermostats have become a standard installation in new build homes and are being retrofitted into many more existing homes.

With the help of a smart thermostat, you can enjoy more control over your HVAC system, take advantage of intuitive smart features, and even reduce your energy bills.

Explore our top picks for the best smart thermostats for your home.

Best Smart Thermostats

• Google Nest Learning Thermostat: Best Overall
• Ecobee Smart Thermostat: Best Runner-Up
• Amazon Smart Thermostat: Best Inexpensive Smart Thermostat
• Google Nest Thermostat: Best Basic Level Smart Thermostat
• Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat: Best for Remote Sensors

Compare Smart Thermostats

Google Nest Learning Thermostat: Best Overall Smart Thermostat

It is no surprise the Google Nest Learning Thermostat tops the list.

While not the first smart thermostat to hit the market, the Nest brand quickly became a household name for smart home technology and caught the attention of Google, who acquired the company in 2014.

The third generation of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat offers just about everything you need when it comes to smart thermostat features: temperature learning, geofencing, furnace monitor, and more.

This smart thermostat can be combined with Nest Temperature Sensors. Place these sensors throughout your home to more efficiently manage a zoned HVAC system and keep your temperature consistent.

The Nest Learning device is also compatible with other Nest smart home products.

What Customers Are Saying

Buyers of the Google Nest Thermostat Learning Thermostat love how the device looks in their home.

Some even mention getting a rebate of up to $100 from their electrical company for installing the device.

ecobee Smart Thermostat: Best Overall Runner-Up Smart Thermostat

Ecobee was actually the first manufacturer to offer a smart thermostat device all the way back in 2007. The extensive time-in-the-market has allowed Ecobee to develop a true powerhouse with their latest device iteration.

The Ecobee SmartThermostat closely rivals the Google Nest Learning Thermostat with similar pricing and features.

Like the Nest Learning Thermostat, this device can be paired with smart sensors that are placed throughout your home to better control your HVAC system; one sensor is included with the device.

A bonus feature, that the Nest Learning Thermostat does not have, is a built-in smart speaker, allowing you to speak directly to the device and manage your temperature through voice controls.

What Customers Are Saying

The Ecobee SmartThermostat is highly rated by customers for the robust room sensors and the easy-to-use app.

They also enjoy how the display lights up as you approach it and shows the temperature with a large graphic.

Amazon Smart Thermostat: Best Inexpensive Smart Thermostat

When Amazon sees an emerging technology, it quickly jumps on board. In late 2021, Amazon introduced the Amazon Smart Thermostat, and it comes at a budget-friendly price.

The Amazon Smart Thermostat is about one-fourth the price of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat and the Ecobee SmartThermostat, making this model much more attainable for the everyday consumer.

While this smart thermostat will provide you with the basic features you need, such as remote control and automated temperature adjustments, a few features are missing at this price point.

It is only compatible with Amazon Alexa, cannot be integrated with remote room sensors, and lacks motion activation.

What Customers Are Saying

Overall, customers were pleased with the Amazon Smart Thermostat given the price point with some issues regarding energy usage and user interface noted.

During the installation process, a few buyers were thrown off that a C-wire adapter would be needed.

Google Nest Thermostat: Best Budget Nest Model

For those that prefer a Nest device that will sync with your other Google devices, there is a budget-friendly option for you as well: the Google Nest Thermostat.

This smart thermostat is a simplified version of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat and offers the basic services you would expect of a smart thermostat. The difference is that this device, at half the price, is missing a couple of signature features.

It is not capable of learning your temperature habits and making automated adjustments. Additionally, the Google Nest Thermostat does not offer remote room sensor capabilities.

What Customers Are Saying

Customers had similar reviews of this smart thermostat as they did with the Amazon Smart Thermostat.

Users mentioned some difficulty with installation, a lack of instructions, and glitches with the software. The product currently receives a 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat: Best Smart Thermostat for Remote Sensors

This smart thermostat comes with a name brand that could very well match your HVAC system itself: the Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat.

This model is often chosen for the highly responsive remote room sensors. While these sensors are available with other smart thermostats, the Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat’s room sensors do a better job sensing the temperature in the various rooms of your home and adjusting your HVAC system accordingly.

Along with the responsive sensors, this device offers all of the other features you would expect of a smart thermostat: temperature adjusting, geofencing, and a functional app.

What Customers Are Saying

This smart device is overall well-liked by customers with 83% saying they would recommend it to someone else.

Customers were satisfied with the product features, set-up, and temperature controls with some questioning if the device is too small.

What are the Benefits of a Smart Thermostat?

Simply put, smart thermostats offer you more control over your home when compared to traditional thermostats. Smart thermostats are also more intuitive and will make adjustments to enhance efficiency.

A traditional thermostat either comes equipped with just a dial for setting the temperature or also has a screen that allows you to program temperature settings at different times of the day.

A smart thermostat offers this and much more.

Advanced Controls Not Offered By Conventional Thermostats

Remotely connect your phone or device to your smart thermostat to adjust temperature settings while you are away.

Multi-room sensors allow you to control separate HVAC zones with one central thermostat and reach a more consistent temperature throughout your home.

More Energy Savings

Smart thermostats will learn your temperature preferences and automatically adjust temperature while you are away or asleep to save energy.

With geofencing capabilities, your thermostat will know when you are on your way home and begin to cool/heat your home so it is your ideal temperature upon arriving.

Easier to Use

You will be able to control your smart thermostat from your phone, your smart speaker, your computer, or sometimes even directly with your voice, reducing the need to be physically present at the thermostat.

Smart thermostats also feature intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces.

What Features Should a Smart Thermostat Have?

Not all smart thermostats are created equal.

When comparing products in a similar price range, there will be different features available across each device.

Key features you should consider when purchasing a smart thermostat include the following.

Device Compatibility

Each smart thermostat device will be compatible only with specific brands.

This is important when considering the virtual assistant you want your thermostat to work with, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit, as well as the brand of your HVAC system.

Voice Control

Smart thermostats can either be synced with your smart speaker or may have a built-in speaker.

This speaker will enable voice control features that make it easy to adjust the temperature of your space by simply using your voice.

Temperature Learning

If enabled, your smart thermostat will start to pick up on your ideal temperature settings. It will use this information to reduce energy consumption while you are away or asleep.

However, it's important to note that temperature learning is more of a premium feature and is not offered by all smart thermostats.

Geofencing

In conjunction with temperature learning, geofencing will alert your smart thermostat that you have left your home or are on your way back home.

It will adjust the temperature accordingly to ensure the temperature is always at your ideal setting when you are home and you are conserving energy when you are away.

Motion & Proximity Sensors

Another feature that works alongside temperature learning are motion and proximity sensors.

These sensors can “read the room” to use your HVAC system more efficiently.

Motion sensors can tell if you have gone to bed or if no one is occupying a room.

Proximity sensors also help to detect presence and will light up the smart thermostat screen as you approach.

Multi-Room Sensors

Room sensors are separate small sensors that work in conjunction with your main smart thermostat.

These multi-room sensors allow you to manage a zoned HVAC system with one central smart thermostat and will help keep the temperature more consistent throughout your entire home.

Auto Changeover Switch

On those days where you need heat in the morning and AC by the afternoon, a smart thermostat auto changeover switch will automatically switch between your heating and cooling systems.

User-Friendly Interface

Your smart thermostat should be intuitive and easy-to-use. It should also feature a readable display that becomes backlit when adjusting to dimmer lighting.

HVAC System Reminders

Just like your phone alerts you when the battery is low, some smart thermostats will alert you when your furnace or AC filter needs to be changed or when it is time for an annual service check.

Bonus Features

While not necessarily beneficial to the function of your HVAC system, some smart thermostats offer extra bonus features like a built-in speaker for playing music or a built-in microphone for voice commands.

How Do Smart Thermostats Save Energy?

A major benefit of utilizing a smart thermostat is the energy savings.

Not only will your smart thermostat help to reduce your energy consumption and therefore your carbon footprint, you will also see your energy bills decrease.

Smart thermostats save energy by combining a few different features.

Temperature learning allows your thermostat to efficiently use your HVAC system.

Your device will learn the temperature you prefer to keep your house at and make adjustments to the temperature while you are away or asleep in order to reduce energy consumption.

Smart thermostats use either geofencing or third-party integrations to know when you have left or are returning to your home.

Based on the outside temperature and historic data, it will know how long it takes to get your house back to the temperature you prefer before you get home.

This intelligent system aims to reduce energy consumption while still keeping you comfortable in your home.

Do You Really Need a Smart Thermostat?

While installing a smart thermostat will give you more control of your HVAC system and reduce your energy needs, there are some scenarios where the device might not be necessary or may even hinder your home’s operations.

You should install a smart thermostat if:

• Your home uses a forced air heating system. The small adjustments a temperature learning smart thermostat device makes to the temperature in order to conserve energy are realized quickly with a forced air-furnace heating system.
• You love all-things-tech and smart devices. If your home is already decked out with smart speakers, wireless security systems, and other smart home gadgets, a smart thermostat is a great addition to the stack.

You should think twice about installing a smart thermostat if:

• Your home uses a radiant heating system. Radiant heating uses hot water to heat your home which takes a while to heat up, therefore the constant temperature adjustments a smart thermostat would implement would not actually happen in real-time.
• You don’t use a lot of technology. While the ability to control your home’s heating system from another location is certainly intriguing to some, others may never use the feature and would get everything they need out of a traditional thermostat.

You might be on the fence about installing one if:

• You will be selling your home in the near future. At around $200 per device along with the cost of any additional wiring, it could take two to three years to recoup the initial costs of installing a smart thermostat with reduced energy bills. On the other hand, it may help sell the home and you could possibly tack on the cost in your sales price.