COVID-19 and Smart Thermostats
Update March, 2020
When we created this article, the word Coronavirus wasn’t in our vocabulary. Many of the scenarios we drew out for the benefits of a smart thermostat didn’t include the COVID-19 stay at home and social distancing restrictions that are currently in place all over the world.
Some of the main benefits of smart thermostats are minimizing the energy usage when people aren’t at home. With quarantines and stay at home orders due to Coronavirus, this is less of an issue. Alternatively, the benefits of installing and using these products are still there. Installing a smart thermostat is still a money saving and environmentally friendly choice.
Now, more than ever, with the entire family stuck at home, we need to look at ways to reduce energy losses. With many of us temporarily out of a job, making choices that will save on our energy bills is imperative. If the stay at home orders last into the summer months, energy rates are sure to spike, making home efficiency more important than ever. Finding ways to save can be easy and rewarding. Some are free, like using cold water more often. Others can be costly, such as replacing insulation, but the savings can be astronomical.
Whatever you do, stay safe. At Border West, our goal is to help our clients and people in general live better lives. The Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic has reemphasized what’s truly important. People.
Stay healthy. Everything else will work itself out.
Top 20 Smart Thermostats for 2020
Whether your goal is to save the planet, or just save some money, lowering heating and cooling usage is a great start. This doesn’t mean freezing through the winter and sweating in front of a fan in the summer. New technology makes it easy to lower inefficiency simply by running your systems less when they’re not needed.
As you can see from the chart below, nearly half of energy expenses on heating and cooling. Many new smart thermostats can help save 10-15%, just by operating your systems more efficiently. This means that even the most expensive models would be completely paid for in less than two years.
The yearly average is from a Move.org article published January, 2020.
Border West Earth has put together the following list of the best smart thermostats available in 2020. These are all the most highly rated for customer satisfaction and energy efficiency. We’ve highlighted the features as well as the current price on Amazon (we attempt to keep prices up to date, but aren’t always able to).
We always try to provide the most accurate information in hopes of making finding the right product easier. It is our duty to tell you that as an Amazon associate, we do collect a small commission if you purchase from a link found here.
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Google Nest Smart Thermostats
Since 2011, the Nest brand has been putting a dent in pollution, and saving homeowners money on their energy bills. During that time, they’ve created some of the most popular smart thermostats on the market.
Powered by Google technology, Nest units use a machine learning algorithm to learn your family’s habits. After a couple of weeks, the Google Nest thermostat learns your family’s preferred temperatures and adjusts accordingly. It does this by using the location from their phones to tell who is home. Nest can also use this location technology to shift to energy saving mode when the house is empty.
These are some of the best selling smart thermostats available. Every model is rated well over 4 stars. And since Nest is a Google product, it is easily compatible with smartphones, tablets, and computers. Nests are able to be programmed from anywhere internet is available. They also have easy to read data that is calculated on a daily basis to monitor energy usage
Personally, I can see why these are always in the ranking for best smart thermostats. As with everything that’s powered by Google, the compatibility with other Google products is a terrific benefit. The ease of use for the Nest products is as good as it gets. And the units themselves are very visually appealing, so you can have an energy efficient home that looks good too!
Below are the newest, and top rated smart thermostats by Google Nest. The different features and benefits are listed, as well as the current price on Amazon.
Google Nest Smart Learning Thermostat
T3007ES 3rd Gen
Features
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Efficiency Reports
- Learning Smart Thermostat
- Proximity Adjustment (Geo-catching)
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.3 out of 5
Google Nest Smart Learning Thermostat
T3008US 3rd Gen Pro Version
Features
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Efficiency Reports
- Learning Smart Thermostat
- Proximity Adjustment (Geo-catching)
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.4 out of 5
Google Nest Smart Thermostat
3rd Gen T3019US Polished Steel
Features
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Efficiency Reports
- Learning Smart Thermostat
- Proximity Adjustment (Geo-catching)
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.2 out of 5
Google Nest Smart Learning Thermostat
3rd Gen T3016US Black
Features
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Efficiency Reports
- Learning Smart Thermostat
- Proximity Adjustment (Geo-catching)
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.3 out of 5
Google Nest Smart Thermostat T4000ES White
Features
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Efficiency Reports
- Proximity Adjustment (Geo-catching)
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.3 out of 5
ecobee Smart Thermostats
ecobee makes some of the best known smart thermostat brands sold in the US. Between them and the Google Nest models, they absolutely dominate the market. On Amazon, both both brands always have multiple models in the best sellers lists.
What makes the ecobee brand a top choice?
With ecobee, there are a couple of amazing features that you won’t find elsewhere. For one, their new eco+ software update (available on all units), they offer intelligent timing with Community Energy Savings. What this does is recognize when energy costs are at their peak rates. Then it heats or cools your home preemptively while rates are lower. This way, you’re home is at the right temperature before peak energy times.
Another great feature is their Feels Like temperature detection. What this does is monitor the indoor humidity level inside the home. By accounting for humidity levels, the ecobee units are better able to adjust the temperature to make it feel like the correct setting.
ecobee still offers many of the features that homeowners want with new Eco Friendly technology. Their Home IQ reporting (shown below) offers a snapshot of energy usage. It provides monthly energy reports and even lets you compare with other ecobee users.
There is the Smart Home & Away feature that learns and adjusts temperatures according to when people are home. This feature alone could pay for a new ecobee unit in less than two years.
The following are ecobee’s top sellers and highest rated smart thermostats for 2020.
ecobee Smart Thermostat
with Built in Voice Control
Features
- Feels Like Humidity Detection
- Community Energy Savings
- Smart Home & Away
- Home IQ
- Built in Alexa Voice Control
- Energy Star Certification
4.4 out of 5
ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat
2nd Gen
Features
- Feels Like Humidity Detection
- Community Energy Savings
- Smart Home & Away
- Home IQ
- Energy Star Certification
4.3 out of 5
ecobee4 Smart Thermostat
with Built-In Alexa
Room Sensor Included
Features
- Feels Like Humidity Detection
- Community Energy Savings
- Smart Home & Away
- Home IQ
- Built in Alexa Voice Control
- Energy Star Certification
- Room Sensor
4.1 out of 5
Emerson Sensi Smart Thermostats
This next manufacturer is going to be the oldest company on our list. Emerson Electric Manufacturing Co was established in 1890 by John Wesley Emerson, a Civil War veteran. They started off manufacturing electric motors, fans, sewing machines, dental drills, and power tools. Today, they’re always in the top of the running for best smart home products.
Emerson Sensi (named the ‘Best Overall’ smart thermostat of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 by USA Today Network) offers many of the same great benefits as other companies, but with a much lower price tag. All of their products that we have listed here are all rated 4 stars or higher. They still provide the humidity reading, but not the automatic adjustments. Emerson Sensi units are easy to self install, but Emerson does work with a large network of pros all across the country to assist if needed. They also have an app that lets you control and monitor your usage from anywhere.
While they may not be quite as sleek or have all the bells and whistles of other units, they do perform extremely well. Emerson Sensi products will increase energy efficiency and lower overall electric and gas costs as well as any brand. And with the lower up front cost, these units will pay for themselves even sooner.
Emerson Sensi Smart Thermostat ST55
Features
- WiFi Accessability
- Easy Scheduling
- App Functionality
- Energy Star Certified
- Universal Smart Home Compatibility
4.5 out of 5
Emerson Sensi Smart Thermostat Pro Version
Features
- WiFi Accessibility
- Easy Scheduling
- App Functionality
- Energy Star Certified
- Universal Smart Home Compatability
- Additional Features
4.1 out of 5
Emerson Sensi Touch Smart Thermostat
with Touchscreen Color Display
Features
- WiFi Accessibility
- Easy Scheduling
- App Functionality
- Energy Star Certified
- Universal Smart Home Compatability
- Touchscreen Display
4.4 out of 5
Honeywell Thermostats
Honeywell has been around for almost as long as Emerson. Officially founded in 1906 by Mark Honeywell as the Honeywell Heating Specialty Company, to manufacture a new invention, the mercury seal generator. In doing this, they established themselves as one of the pioneering companies involved in home heating.
In the hundred plus years that they’ve been in business, Honeywell has been involved in hundreds of products. From electronic guidance systems for missiles to home security, their brand has been well established in the electronics industry.
Their heating and cooling products are still one of Honeywell’s top sellers today. The following are their highest rated products and their specifications.
Some of these models do have newer versions available, but in keeping with the best smart thermostats of 2020, we skipped them due to lower overall ratings.
Honeywell T5 Touchscreen Thermostat
Features
- Flexible Programming
- Indoor Humidity Readings
- Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Energy Star Rating
4.6 out of 5
Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat
with 1 Smart Room Sensor,
Features
- Flexible Programming
- Indoor Humidity Readings
- Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Energy Star Rating
- Alexa & Google Assist
4.2 out of 5
Honeywell TH9320WF5003 Programmable Thermostat
Features
- Total Connect Comfort App
- WiFi Compatibility
- Indoor Humidity Readings
- Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Energy Star Rating
- Alexa Accessibility
4.3 out of 5
Honeywell Home Smart Color Thermostat
7 Day Programmable
Features
- Flexible Programming
- Intelligent Alert Notifications
- Customizable Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Energy Star Rating
- Universal Smart Home Compatibility
4.3 out of 5
Honeywell RTH9580WF Programmable Thermostat
Features
- Flexible Programming
- Intelligent Alert Notifications
- Customizable Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Energy Star Rating
- Universal Smart Home Compatibility
3.9 out of 5
Honeywell Home T5 Plus
Features
- Flexible Programming
- Intelligent Alert Notifications
- Touchscreen Display
- Response Learning
- Geofencing Location
- Energy Star Rating
- Universal Smart Home Compatibility
3.8 out of 5
Vine
We have only one Vine model on our list of smart thermostats for 2020, but it’s here for a reason. Vine offers most of the great features as other popular models, but with a huge savings. At only $59.50 (current pricing), this is by far the least expensive intelligent unit on the list.
At 3.9 stars, this is the highest rated Vine model on Amazon. Most of the reviews were very positive, for those expecting a discount model that would lower their electric and gas bills. Some of the less friendly reviews stated that after having issues at first, customer service helped them get everything situated.
Please remember, if you aren’t completely confident in installing anything electrical or having to do with the functionality of your home, call an expert. It makes much more sense to pay a little extra up front, rather than deal with major issues later on.
Vine Smart Programmable Thermostat
Features
- Discount Priced Model
- WiFi Compatible
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Star Rated
- Universal Smart Home Compatibility
3.9 out of 5
Orbit Clear Comfort Pro
The Orbit Clear Comfort Pro is the least expensive model on this list. It’s very simple to use and has a very large display that’s easy to read from across the room. There’s also a backlight with a 10 second delay to preserve batteries.
This programmable thermostat doesn’t have some of the intelligent features of more expensive models. There’s no WiFi compatibility or an app to program the temperature in your home from vacation.
But the pricing is a fraction of other units, and it still allows you to program it to save money.
If you’re looking for a highly rated discounted model, the Orbit Clear Comfort Pro is a sure winner!
Orbit Clear Comfort Pro
with Easy-to-Read Display
Features
- Discount Priced Model
- Large Display
- Easy to Use
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Star Rated
4.3 out of 5
GoControl Z-Wave
For homeowners looking for an easy to use model with the large, easy to read display, GoControl is a great option. It’s very easy to use, just like the Comfort Pro, so you don’t need professional installation. One option that’s different from the Comfort Pro is that it works with Alexa, making it smart home compatible.
Another feature of the GoControl model is that it’s the only Z-Wave unit on the list. If you don’t know what Z Wave is, we promise it’s not a Beach Boys song. It’s actually a frequency used with many home security panels. Major security providers like Alarm.com and 2Gig use Z-Wave technology for their systems. These are easily controlled by an app, making it possible to tie in your GoControl Smart Thermostat to your home security system!
GoControl Z-Wave Smart Thermostat
Features
- Z-Wave Compatibility
- Large Display
- Automatic Scheduling
- Energy Star Rated
- Alexa Compatable
4.0 out of 5
The Necessity of Increased Energy Efficiency
Whatever you believe are the causes, it’s indisputable that the Earth has been warming for the last 150 years. Our climate is changing at a rapid rate, and if it continues, there will be some serious repercussions.
If climate change is caused by things that humans have control over, we should try to fix it immediately. If it isn’t, there’s no way to prove it. This means, by not doing whatever we can to help the environment, people are just guessing that things aren’t our fault.
The items we’ve listed here are just one of many ways we can drastically lower our impact through technology. The fact is, not utilizing the available technology is almost always more expensive anyway.
Upgrading the windows on your home, buying heavy thermal curtains, or having a professional install more efficient attic insulation are items that will pay for themselves in energy savings over time. Less pollution is just an added benefit.
Truthfully, even if everyone in the US upgraded their entire HVAC systems, we’d still be a long way from lowering emissions to a safe level. But caring enough to make a small sacrifice now for future benefits is a great start to fixing the problem.
Border West is committed to focusing our efforts to help as much as possible. If you’d like more information, or are interested in partnering with us or using our digital marketing services, head to our Earth page.