Best smart thermostats to help you stay cool during this summer heatwave

Are you warming up to the purchase of a new smart thermostat such as the Google Nest? With an intense heat wave spreading across the nation, now is an excellent time to consider investing in a smart thermostat to keep your home’s temperature (and your energy bills) down. Smart programmable thermostats automate the temperature in your home and intelligently limit energy usage when you’re not home.

We’ve compiled the best smart thermostats for 2023 to help you stay cool this summer.

Top products in this article:

Google Nest Learning Thermostat, $199 (reduced from $249)

Amazon smart thermostat, $80

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, $248

Best smart thermostats to keep your home cool this summer

Smart thermostats add convenience to your smart home: They allow you to control your home’s temperature by voice command. You can also control temperature remotely, so your home can be cooled just before you arrive home from summer vacation.

An even better reason to use a smart thermostat? Savings on your energy bills. Some have sensors that detect when you are away from home and adjust temperatures accordingly. They also offer plenty of data on your energy usage, so you can track just how much you’ve used your air conditioning this summer (or heat in the coming winter).

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

Like other smart thermostats, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat is an energy saver. When you’re out of the house, the thermostat turns itself down. And like its competitors, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat can be controlled remotely via an app. 

Unlike some other smart thermostats, and even some other Google Nest devices, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat doesn’t just process the numbers you feed it daily; it uses them to adjust the temperature to your preferences. If you allow it, the thermostat will, say, warm the house to 69 degrees by 7 a.m. because it knows you like the house that way when you wake up. 

The battery-powered Google Nest Learning Thermostat is said to be compatible with 95% of home heating and air-conditioning systems. Rated 4.5 stars.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat, $199 (reduced from $249)

Google Nest Thermostat

The standard Google Nest thermostat is the third-best-selling programmable thermostat on Amazon.

Like the Google Nest Learning Thermostat, the Google Nest smart thermostat looks out for your energy bill, and turns itself down when you’re away. And like its sibling device, you can control it remotely via your phone or device of your choice. (And, yup, it works with either iOS or Android phones.) Google says that installation will take you about 30 minutes or less; the same amount of time it says you’d need to set up the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. Rated 4.3 stars.

Google Nest Thermostat, $110 (reduced from $130)

Honeywell Home RTH9600WF smart thermostat 

This Honeywell Home smart thermostat has a color display screen (that can even show you the day’s weather forecast), and it can be controlled via a variety of voice assistants, including Alexa and Google Assistant. Please note, Honeywell says a C-wire power adapter is required. Rated 4.4 stars.

Honeywell Home RTH9600WF Smart Color Thermostat, $128 (reduced from $169)

Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi smart thermostat

The Energy Star-certified Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi smart thermostat allows you to easily adjust the temperature from your mobile device or compatible smart home device. You can also add smart room sensors to focus the temperature on multiple rooms to fit your needs. Rated 4.5 stars.

Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi smart thermostat, $141 (reduced from $180)

Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat

Formally known as the Ecobee3 Lite SmartThermostat, the energy-saving Ecobee Lite comes complete with a power-extender kit. (But it doesn’t require a C-wire.) You can control it with your Android or iOS device. Rated 4.6 stars.

Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat, Black, $140 (reduced from $150)

You can also get a bundle with an Ecobee3 Lite smart thermostat and a two-pack of Ecobee SmartSensor security devices for your doors and windows.  

Ecobee Lite SmartThermostat, Black & SmartSensor for doors and windows 2-Pack, white, $219 (reduced from $259)

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium

Ecobee’s new, premium smart thermostat features voice control with Siri and Alexa. This Ecobee premium thermostat also includes a built-in air quality monitor and smart sensor. Rated 4.5 stars.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, $248

Wyze programmable smart thermostat

The Wyze programmable smart thermostat is a budget friendly option. It offers an easy setup process and provides helpful usage tracking insights. The Wyze thermostat can be controlled via a mobile app or with Alexa and Google Assistant. Rated 4.0 stars.

Wyze programmable smart thermostat, $79

Amazon Smart Thermostat 

The Amazon smart thermostat is the No. 1-selling programmable thermostat on Amazon. List prices start at $60 for a smart thermostat without a C-wire (or, common-wire) power adapter kit. You may need a C-wire adapter to properly hook up your smart thermostat — or you may not, depending on your current thermostat. (Best to check before you buy.) 

As you might’ve guessed, the Amazon Smart Thermostat works with Alexa, but it’s not a two-way communication device. If you want to tell it that you’re leaving the house, and that you want it to adjust the air conditioning accordingly, then you need to give that instruction through the Alexa app or via an Alexa-enabled device. Rated 4.2 stars.

Amazon smart thermostat, $80

Benefits of smart thermostats

Not sure if a smart thermostat is right for you? Explore the benefits of smart thermostats below to learn more about why you may want to install one in your home.

Lower energy bills

A new smart thermostat could end up saving you quite a bit of money on electricity or gas — enough to pay back the thermostat many times over. A summary of studies on Nest thermostat usage show “savings equal to about 10% to 12% of heating usage and electric savings equal to about 15% of cooling usage in homes with central air conditioning.” 

Voice and mobile app control

The best smart thermostats will also work with your existing smart home devices including smart speakers along. They also often have compatible mobile apps that let you control the temperature at home from anywhere.

Forgot to adjust the thermostat before you left the house? No problem, change the settings from anywhere so that you’re not wasting energy on heating or cooling the house when nobody’s home. You can even log back in later to adjust the temperature to your liking before you arrive home again. Want to turn up the heat without getting out of the covers? Ask Alexa or Google Assistant. Hands-free temperature adjustments are a major perk of having a smart thermostat.

Temperature automation

Love to some extra heat when you wake up in the morning or need the room cool to fall asleep at night? Some smart thermostats can learn your daily routine and temperature preferences to automatically adjust your home’s temperature to your preferences throughout the day.

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