Best Smart Thermostat For An Apartment

If you are looking for the best smart thermostat for an apartment the answer is pretty darn simple.

The Ecobee line of thermostats offers comfort for your apartment at a fairly affordable price.

Yes, there are tons of smart thermostats out there, and yes there are some less expensive options other than the Ecobee. But if I’m going to put my money into a smart thermostat for my apartment then I at least want it to work right out of the box and do everything I want it to.

Although there are a few caveats that I’ll get into more in a minute. The most highly recommended thermostat for an apartment is by and large the Ecobee. But there are a couple of options for you to choose from in the Ecobee line.

Ecobee 3 Lite: Affordable Comfort

The Ecobee 3 Lite was priced in the middle of the road last time I checked and does everything that most people living in apartments would need or expect from a smart home thermostat.

I actually have 4 of these, one in each zone of my house. For most apartments, one of these will completely cover the entire unit. They are also easy to install and set up for even the most beginner smart home technophile.

What Makes The Ecobee Great For An Apartment?

• Remote Room Sensor – Originally the Ecobee3 Lite didn’t support extra remote sensors. But that all changed in March of 2017. Ecobee had submitted that their Lite version would support remote room sensors as well. This comes in very handy if you have a baby’s room or an office where you want to be able to make sure the temperature is just right when someone is occupying the room.
• It’s Cheaper! – The Lite version is the least expensive of all Ecobee models. If you are budget minded and the price of some of the other smart thermostats scares you off, it is a phenomenal choice that will fit right in with your budget. You can check the current price on Amazon right here.
• Compatibility and Integration – If you already have a home hub, then good news! The Ecobee3 Lite can be integrated with just about any smart home hub that you throw at it, including IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and the Apple HomeKit.

Ecobee 4: Comfort Everywhere

The Ecobee 4 is the big brother to the Ecobee 3 Lite. It actually comes with sensors that you can place throughout your apartment to monitor the temperature in different areas. But there were also a few other adjustments…..and one of them was a rather big one.

• Alexa is built right in! – Alexa integration is the biggest overhaul that was made to this successor of the Ecobee 3 Lite. By adding this feature, the Ecobee4 became more than just a smart thermostat. Now it’s a voice assistant that allows you to control the thermostat with your voice as well as other items within your smart home. You can take notes, or check the weather all by the sound of your voice.
• LED Light – The LED light is a beautiful new addition to this already smart looking thermostat. What’s neat is that when you say “alexa” it lights right up and lets you say all kinds of commands. Like the neat little easter eggs, I mentioned in another article.
• Far-field Voice Recognition – They partnered with Amazon for a reason. They wanted to use the same type of technology right in this smart thermostat. You don’t need to be right next to this high-quality thermostat for it to hear you.

Why A Smart Thermostat For Your Apartment?

There are a lot of reasons why people buy smart thermostats. The reasons why a homeowner would purchase one are mostly different from that of the apartment dweller.

If you live in an apartment then you don’t have as much space to be concerned with, nor multiple zones of heating, so energy savings are probably not as important to you as comfort or convenience.

From a convenience standpoint, it is very handy to know when the temperature in your apartment has suddenly dropped or when the baby’s room isn’t being heated properly.

With a smart home thermostat in your apartment, you’ll be able to control exactly what the temperature is and be able to do it from your smartphone or control it from any room with Alexa or control your smart thermostat with Google Home.

Comfort is king! That’s what I always say. Personally, I like to have complete control of what the temperature is in my home. I’m very picky when it comes to this and I refuse to sacrifice when it comes to my family’s comfort. Neither should you.

Check With Your Landlord

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it and avoid calling the landlord to just install this yourself. There are many legal ramifications that you can run into. So I highly suggest you get permission from the landlord.

Yes, the installation is really simple. But it is also just as simple to install the wires incorrectly.

If you aren’t familiar with the heating system that is running your apartment you may also find out that you have a heat pump or that there is no C-wire available for the installation.

Bottom line

Ask your landlord to avoid voiding your lease and potentially having legal action taken against you. It’s much easier for you to go to the landlord and explain the advantages.

For example, you can mention that this is an improvement to the apartment and that it won’t cost them anything. In some cases, the landlord will offer to send his guy to do the installation for free.

Conclusion

I lived in apartments for many years prior to having my daughter and I’ll agree that it can be hard to work with someone else’s lifestyle choices that have been made for you.

But apartment living doesn’t have to mean that you can’t live in a smart and comfortable environment. Hopefully, you have a landlord who is smart enough to know when someone is upgrading their apartment for free. Because, all things even, that’s really what’s happening here.

Thanks for checking out my article, please make sure to check out my recommended tools page for other smart home products that I recommend.