Updated August 18: It’s been a complicated summer, weather-wise, with staggering highs and surprising lows. If your home heating and cooling has been struggling to keep up and spiking your power bills, the time is nigh to install a smart thermostat. These precisely tuned devices use an array of sensors to monitor and adjust your furnace, boiler, heat pump, or other HVAC system, reducing power costs and maintaining your optimal temperature with ease. They’re a breeze to install and will start reducing your energy costs immediately.
PCMag has reviewed and tested a bevy of smart thermostats in multiple situations, including hooking them up in our own homes. Each unit is rated on how efficient it is, how easy it is to install, and any standout features it offers. You’ll save money on your first bill, especially when you factor in these price cuts we found on five well-rated units from leading smart home brands.
Google Nest Smart Thermostat Deals
Google’s entry-level smart thermostat received an “Excellent” rating in our 2020 review, with praise going to its breezy installation and full toolset, including integration with Google and Amazon smart home systems. All of the basic features you need are here for a little over a hundred bucks, including robust scheduling and energy monitoring reports that also suggest ways to improve efficiency and note potential issues with your HVAC system. It doesn’t have the advanced AI-powered adaptability of more expensive models, but if you can live without those, it’s a decent deal at $30 off.
For something a little more feature-rich, the most recent Google Nest Learning Thermostat has a $60 discount at Walmart right now. In our review, contributing editor John Delaney gave it an “Excellent” rating thanks to its “large display, pleasing aesthetics, and remote room sensing.” He also highlighted that the ability to spread out thermometers across multiple locations refined its operation and made it even more efficient. This model also added even more smart home system interoperability, including the popular Matter standard. Ambient light, temperature, humidity, and motion sensors give you tons of variables to build heating routines around, and it also works with humidifier and dehumidifier add-ons to many systems.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Deals
Ecobee produces a trio of smart thermostats at different price points, and its budget model, the Smart Thermostat Essential, checks all the boxes while cutting the fat. In our review, we gave this one an Editors’ Choice award. It has a large, attractive color touchscreen, compatibility with Alexa, Google, and HomeKit smart home automation systems, and is very simple to use. Installation was a breeze, although it does require either a C-wire or a C-wire adapter to work properly. The free Ecobee app gives you a variety of control options, and we liked the robust energy reporting options. When paired with an Ecobee SmartSensor (sold separately), you can monitor motion and temperature in other rooms as well. While it’s not the biggest discount, this one’s a bargain at retail price anyways.
Honeywell Smart Thermostat Deal
Honeywell has been in the HVAC business since before today’s smart home companies were even a gleam in their founders’ eyes, but it has managed to keep up with the times and adapt, producing solidly-performing smart thermostats that integrate with Amazon, Google, and other systems to provide top-notch heating and cooling. The X7S has a big, bright 4.3-inch LED screen with customizable color to match your decor, and built-in sensors detect if the room is occupied and adjust the temperature accordingly. The unit also supports humidity monitoring for even more data about your home climate. The First Alert app gives you tons of control options from anywhere. Amazon has a 23% discount off retail.
Recommended by Our Editors
Sensi Smart Thermostat Deal
This older Sensi smart thermostat is a reliable piece of tech that still performs well. In our 2021 review, our expert praised its complement of useful features, including geofencing to reduce the ambient temperature when you’re more than three miles from your home, lots of reports, including usage and weather, and support for multiple home automation platforms. Although the monochrome LCD screen isn’t the slickest, it still delivers tons of useful information, and the unit supports voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant. Take 19% off right now at Amazon.
More Smart Thermostat Deals that Won’t Burn Through Your Wallet
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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