Not Google Nest, Not Honeywell: This Smart Thermostat Gets Consumer Reports' Best Score

Now that watches, rings, and phones come with the word "smart" in front of them, some of the most common household gadgets and accessories are having a bit of a renaissance in the internet-connected age. In the case of smart thermostats, what was once a hallway afterthought has become an essential gadget for the connected home. Being able to control your home's air conditioner or heater over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without physically touching a dial is a significant convenience upgrade.

Brands like Google Nest and Honeywell occupy a lot of the collective mindshare for this segment of devices, but according to Consumer Reports, neither company makes the best smart thermostat. Instead, CR's top-rated smart thermostat is the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium — specifically, the EB-STATE6-01 model. Ecobee topping such a list might be unexpected for some, but it wouldn't be a surprise to those who had seen the company's name twice in the top five in our list of smart thermostat brands ranked from worst to best.

The Ecobee smart thermostat takes the number one spot at CR after receiving high marks for its smart integrations and manual operation. After all, a smart thermostat needs to be "smart," but it should also be easy to operate when you're standing in your hallway.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat is available in multiple models at various prices. Ecobee offers three smart thermostats — Essential, Enhanced, and Premium — and it's the Premium model that scored the highest of any thermostat when evaluated by Consumer Reports. The Essential is the company's lowest-priced thermostat at around $140, with the Enhanced costing roughly $200, and the Premium having an MSRP of about $260.

The Premium edition offers much more functionality than the two others. A few additions to the higher-end model are its inclusion of built-in air quality monitoring, the ability to play music through Spotify or Bluetooth, and smoke alarm detection. Both the Premium and Enhanced versions also come with Ecobee Smart Security functionality, which does require a subscription if you want to use it.

Interestingly enough, another Ecobee offering, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced edition, acts as a bookend in the CR report. Sandwiched between the two Ecobee smart thermostats are two Google Nest options (the third and fourth generations), so it's all Nest and Ecobee in the top four currently.

Among those who own an Ecobee Smart Thermostat model, reviews vary, but are generally pretty consistent on Amazon. Out of nearly 4,000 reviews for the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium model, 75% had given it a 5-star rating at the time of this writing.

Amazon reviewers say the Ecobee Smart Thermostat is pretty easy to install. The one downside is that if you want to connect a C-wire, you may need to do some extra work. However, a C-wire for the Ecobee smart thermostat is completely optional, as the device comes with a Power Extender Kit for homes that lack such wiring. The one major downside is the price of Ecobee's thermostats, at least when it comes to the Premium edition. If you just want a smart thermostat without added features like home security and the ability to play music, there are cheaper options like the Honeywell Home for around $100.

A smart thermostat can be a useful tool if you don't want to bother physically changing the temperature. You can set it to automatically reach a desired temperature and control it remotely without actually touching the temperature yourself. Smart thermostats may also help save you money, but it's best to do your own research to see how to get the most out of a smart thermostat for your home.