pvrfan
Active Member
Bzncrewjr said:I'm probably fine with going with the OmniStat 2. It will connect to an Omni panel and seems like a quality stat.
The ecobee3 popped up on my inbox and the interface with Echo seemed intriguing. And it seems to use some kind of occupancy sensor with remote sensors to "average" room temps to try and equalize temp with a priority on the occupied room as most important. Interesting idea.
However, if I'm honest, we almost never adjust the thermo temp, so voice activated doesn't really provide real world functionality. Just cool factor.
Re Ecobee 3, you can buy as many sensors as you want (up to 32). They communicate wirelessly with the base unit to report occupancy and temperature. There are a number of options as to how the system uses that information to adjust the temperature.
The other big benefit of Ecobee's tstat's, in my opinion, is the information it provides on the operation of your HVAC equipment. Every 5 minutes, the Ecobee logs what the system has done in the last 300 seconds:
set temperature
current indoor temperature
outdoor temperature (from weather service)
heat stage 1 and stage 2 run times
cooling stage 1 and stage 2 run times
fan run time
humidifier set point
current humidity reading
humidifier run time
etc.
The data is accumulated on Ecobee's servers. You log on with an ID and password and can see near-real-time what your system is doing. They also have several analytical reports that are updated monthly with month over month and month v. year-ago comparisons. Also, a bit of information comparing your overall heating/cooling versus 'similar-size' houses in the same area.
Plus, you can download all of this data for your own analysis. Energy costs are a big chunk of running a house and the HVAC system accounts for a big portion of that. Having a detailed understanding has helped a lot in balancing comfort v. cost. AFAIK, no other 'smart tstat' provides the raw data.
Being that you are in Montana, I'm surprised that you "never adjust the thermo". Even just a small night time set back will save you money.
Craig