faq
About Ecobee
what is ecobee doing to be green?
We do our best every day to follow green practices: We use ecobee products in our offices and homes. Our employees telecommute from home, when appropriate, to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. We schedule virtual meetings with suppliers to minimize travel. Our corporate head office is located on the subway line so employees can commute by public transit. We provide bicycle racks and indoor storage to encourage employees to ride to work. Employees walk to work, if possible. We have an office recycling program. We do not use bottled water in the office. We provide electronic versions of owner manuals and guides. We use double-sided printing for internal documents. We use FSC certified paper in our printers. We fax electronically. Our internal marketing department and our external suppliers provide environmentally friendly solutions for materials and collateral. We use natural lighting in the office whenever possible. The windows in our office open, providing natural ventilation. We adhere to the RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substance. We're involved in green initiatives in our communities and provide paid time for our employees to do the same. We will produce an Accountability Statement at the end of our first full year of operations clearly stating our actions and results.
ecobee's mission is to help homeowners conserve energy, save money and reduce their environmental impact. Our green automation platform sits at the convergence of energy conservation, green technology, the networked home and consumer electronics. Our products automate energy conservation, making it easier to save on energy costs without sacrificing comfort. We deliver intelligent conservation solutions for real people – people with children to raise, housework to do, hectic schedules to keep and demanding careers to sustain. ecobee is part of an international ground swell empowered by the realization that we need to take action on the environment, and the time to take that action is now. Our products and services are developed with care, innovation and attention to detail. They have a real and meaningful impact on our customers and the communities they live in.
operation of the device
The air in your home contains a certain amount of moisture, relative to the air temperature. That's why humidity is measured as a percentage, e.g., 35% relative humidity. Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air. In winter your windows are cooler than the rest of your home. When warm, moist air comes in contact with the window it's cooled, and if conditions are right, the cooled air releases the moisture it can't hold as water droplets. If the window is very cold, it may turn water into frost. There several ways to control this problem: * If you have a humidifier, lower the setting to reduce the humidity. * Use the exhaust fans in the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom to exhaust hot, humid air generated when you cook, wash or dry clothes, or take a shower. * If you have a Heat Recovery or Energy Recovery ventilator, turn it on to air out the house (especially in winter when the outdoor humidity is much lower). * Keep heavy blinds or shutters open in the winter to improve circulation around the windows. This helps minimize the temperature difference at the windows. The Smart Thermostat can help. Put the system in Frost Control mode. This takes the guesswork out of humidity settings by automatically adjusting your humidifier and ventilator settings (if installed) to minimize the water or frost buildup on windows.
The thermostat limits the set temperatures for heating and cooling to prevent you from accidentally setting them too high or too low. These levels can be adjusted, please refer to the owners manual or www.ecobee.com.
Why does the system turn off before reaching the set temperature?
The ecobee Smart Thermostat learns how to heat and cool your particular home. It shuts off the furnace or air conditioner just before reaching the set temperature to prevent the system from overshooting, i.e., heating or cooling your home above or below the set temperature.
Why is there a delay when I turn on my air conditioner?
Turning your air-conditioner on and off too quickly can cause damage to the compressor (the part of the air conditioner that is outside the house). This delay protects and extends the life of your equipment.
If the power goes off will I need to reprogram my ecobee smart thermostat?
No. All thermostat settings are safely stored during a power failure. Even the time and date are retained when the power is off.
If I change my air conditioner or furnace will I need to change my ecobee smart thermostat?
Your ecobee Smart Thermostat is compatible with a wide range of equipment, please check www.ecobee.com for further details or contact technical support for any additional information.
About the Device
Do I need an internet connection for the thermostat to work?
No. Your thermostat can control your heating and cooling systems and reduce energy costs without an internet connection.
Why should I connect my thermostat to the internet?
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.
What does my ecobee smart thermostat control?
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.
Can managing my home's energy use really make a difference?
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.
How much money will the ecobee system save me?
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.
What is the ecobee Smart Thermostat?
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.
