A "smart thermostat," also known as a digital programmable thermostat, lets you customize temperature settings throughout the day and week to save heating and air conditioning costs. For example, you can program a smart thermostat to drop the temperature of the house during the workday and overnight. The ecobee Smart Thermostat takes this idea one step further, and adds a wireless internet connection, so you can remotely monitor and control it from a personalized web portal. The full-colour interface on the thermostat is bright, graphical and easy to read and use.

According to EPA studies, using a digital programmable thermostat can save you up to 20% when compared to using a conventional thermostat. Your actual savings will vary based on the weather where you live, how you used your old thermostat and how you program your ecobee thermostat.

Absolutely! Heating and cooling your home accounts for 70% of your home's energy consumption. Next to your car, this is the second largest source of personal energy use. You probably turn off the lights in your home when you are not there or when you are sleeping. You would not leave your car running when you are not using it. But if you are like most people, you do not touch your heating and cooling system when you are away at work or on vacation. By setting your heating lower when you are away, you lower the average temperature at which you heat your house without sacrificing your comfort. This is a key component of running an energy efficient house. There are other ways that programming your thermostat can make a difference. On hot days during the summer, when air conditioners are running constantly, electric utilities are required to deliver peak amounts of power. When your home uses energy during peak periods, electric utilities must draw extra power from other sources, such as coal-burning power plants. Coal is one of the largest sources of fuel for generating electricity and a major carbon dioxide emitter in the world. By reducing your home's energy use you can decrease our collective dependency on coal-fired power plants and in turn significantly help the environment.

Your digital programmable thermostat controls the furnace, central air conditioner, and central humidifier or dehumidifier or ventilator. It also monitors all the filters in your system and will let you know when they need to be serviced.

There are many good reasons to register and connect your smart thermostat to the internet. Connect to the internet, create an ecobee.com account, and you'll be able to:

• Program and configure the Smart Thermostat.
• Remotely control the Smart Thermostat from anywhere you have internet access.
• Enable the Smart Thermostat to display and use local weather data to maximize savings.
• Get e-mail alerts when your system needs service or detects problems.
• Participate in the ecobee community.

No. Your thermostat can control your heating and cooling systems and reduce energy costs without an internet connection.