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A thermostat regulates your heating and cooling system to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Thermostats come in a variety of designs that offer unique benefits, such as voice-activated control, remote sensors, and programmable temperature settings. To help you keep your home comfortable, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best thermostats on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
Top 5 Thermostats
- Best Smart Thermostat: Google Nest Learning Thermostat
- Best Value: Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
- Best Sensor: ecobee SmartThermostat
- Best Non-Programmable Thermostat: Honeywell Pro Non-Programmable Digital Thermostat
- Best Programmable Thermostat: Orbit Clean Comfort Programmable Thermostat
Compare Top Thermostats
| Product | Smart Design | Control Options | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Learning Thermostat | Yes | Twisting its body, using voice assistants, or using mobile app | Two years |
| Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat | Yes | Pressing buttons on its body, using voice assistants, or using a mobile app | Three years |
| ecobee SmartThermostat | Yes | Pressing its touchscreen, using voice assistants, or using a mobile app | Three years |
| Honeywell Pro Non-Programmable Digital Thermostat | No | Using buttons or switches on its body | Five years |
| Orbit Clean Comfort Programmable Thermostat | No | Using buttons on its body | One year |
| Product | Smart Design | Control Options | Warranty |
Best Smart Thermostat: Google Nest Learning Thermostat
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
- $139.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Automatically programs itself to your environment and lifestyle after one week of use
✔ Displays the Nest Leaf to let you know when you’re saving energy usage
✔ Available in several finishes
✘ Requires an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to use its voice control feature
✘ Some customers said that their device stopped working unexpectedly
What Customers Are Saying
We found that many customers said that this thermostat was easy to use and install. Many customers enjoyed its wide variety of metallic finishes and convenient smart features. Those who were unsatisfied said that the device didn’t self-adjust as advertised.
Best Value: Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
- $219.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Features smart alerts that warn you of extreme temperatures or humidity levels in your home
✔ Its mobile app includes step-by-step installation instructions
✔ Doesn’t require a c-wire or adapter for installation
✘ Many customers experienced difficulties connecting it to Wi-Fi
✘ Only allows scheduling on its supported app
What Customers Are Saying
Those who loved this thermostat listed its smart features, temperature control, and easy installation as their favorite qualities. Those we found who were unsatisfied with their purchase said that it sometimes experienced difficulties maintaining a Wi-Fi connection.
Best Sensor: ecobee SmartThermostat
ecobee SmartThermostat
Pros and Cons
✔ Comes with a step-by-step DIY installation guide
✔ Compatible with Google Home/Google Assistant, Apple Home Kit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT devices
✔ Lets you play music from Spotify through its embedded smart speakers
✘ Most expensive thermostat in this review
✘ Doesn’t work with some variable-speed heating and cooling units
What Customers Are Saying
Most reviewers our team found listed the touchscreen, battery life, and ease of installation as qualities that they enjoyed about their purchase. Customers who weren’t satisfied with the product said that they wished there were more control options on the interface.
Best Non-Programmable Thermostat: Honeywell Pro Non-Programmable Digital Thermostat
Honeywell Pro Non-Programmable Digital Thermostat
- $38.4
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Pros and Cons
✔ Uses precise comfort control to keep your home within one degree of your set
✔ Has a backlit digital display for nighttime use
✔ Made in the United States
✘ Many customers complained of poor customer support from Honeywell
✘ Some customers had difficulty installing the thermostat
What Customers Are Saying
Customers were pleased with the product’s temperature control and accuracy. Several we found also liked how simple it was to use. A common complaint among dissatisfied customers was that they received a refurbished product.
Best Programmable Thermostat: Orbit Clean Comfort Programmable Thermostat
Orbit Clean Comfort Programmable Thermostat
The Orbit Clean Comfort Programmable Thermostat has an easy-to-read display and accurate temperature readings. Our team liked that it has a programming feature that allows you to set up to four temperature periods per day. This makes the device a step up from a traditional thermostat without the complicated programming of a smart thermostat.
Pros and Cons
✔ Offers a copy and paste feature that allows you to input the same temperature schedule for multiple days with the touch of a button
✔ Has a sleek, modern design with its glass screen
✔ Protected by a one-year limited warranty
✘ Not compatible with baseboard heaters
✘ Doesn’t include the required AAA batteries
What Customers Are Saying
Customers that we found praised this programmable thermostat’s modern look, simple control, and easy installation. However, some customers said that the thermostat didn’t control the temperature reliably.
Buyer’s Guide
When purchasing a thermostat, it’s important to consider how each product’s design and features affect its performance. Here are three factors we find are most important to think about before buying a thermostat.
Thermostat Type
Thermostats are generally split into three categories: smart thermostats, programmable thermostats, and non-programmable thermostats.
Smart thermostats are a popular choice for many homeowners because of their compatibility with other smart home devices and their ability to regulate your home’s internal temperature. Smart thermostats are usually controlled by mobile apps or voice assistants, such as Google Assistant Siri, or Amazon Alexa. Many smart thermostats also provide you with energy consumption statistics so that you can track how your home heats and cools itself and save on energy costs and support geofencing to automatically control temperatures. The drawback to smart thermostats is their price, which usually far exceeds programmable and non-programmable models.
Programmable thermostats are convenient because they let you set a specific heating and cooling schedule based on the time or day of the week. You set this schedule using the buttons and switches on the thermostat’s body. Some programmable thermostats come with remote controls for easier use.
Non-programmable thermostats are basic models that allow you to set your home to your desired temperature. These thermostats are mostly limited to showing you the current and set temperatures. However, the benefit of these thermostats is their affordable price.
Installation
Before picking a thermostat, look at its installation process to decide whether to enlist professional help or complete it yourself. While installing a thermostat on your own can seem daunting, most modern thermostats require few tools and include step-by-step instructions.
Display
Your thermostat should have an easy-to-read display so that you know your home’s current temperature and your thermostat’s current settings. Most smart thermostats include a backlit display for viewing the temperature in low light.
Other Ways to Control Your Home’s Temperature
In addition to using a thermostat, there are several other ways our team found to help better control the temperature in your home to make it more comfortable for you and your family, including:
- Use Fans or Ceiling Fans: Installing fans or ceiling fans in your home can help keep rooms cool without needing to turn on air conditioning or adjust central air through a thermostat. Ceiling fans come in various shapes and sizes and are sold for indoor or outdoor use.
- Utilize Window Treatments: One easy way to regulate the temperature of your home is to use home products like curtains (such as blackout curtains), blinds, or shades to block out sunlight and heat during hot days. In the winter, open them during the day to let sunlight in and close them at night to retain heat.
- Use Weatherstripping and Caulking: You can seal gaps around windows and doors with weatherstripping and caulking, which prevents drafts and maintains a stable indoor temperature inside the home.
- Ensure You are Using Proper Installation: Making sure your home has proper insulation in areas such as the walls, attics, and floors can help retain heat in the winter and keep the temperature reasonable in warmer months.
- Purchase portable heaters: If you’re concerned about ramping up your heating cost in the winter, consider using portable heaters or space heaters to heat up a specific area without heating the entire home.
- Perform Routing HVAC Maintenance: Regularly maintain your heating units, heat pumps, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to ensure they operate efficiently and effectively and use an air quality monitor to routinely check air status. This will help ensure that when your program your thermostat, it does not have any barriers in reaching the desired temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a thermostat work?
A thermostat sends a message to your heating and cooling system based on the temperature you set it to. For example, if you set your thermostat to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the thermostat will turn your system on when it’s higher or lower than this temperature.
How do you know if your thermostat is broken?
If your thermostat won’t turn on or is unresponsive, this may signal a problem. Additionally, if your air conditioner or heater won’t turn on or is running when it shouldn’t, you may have a faulty thermostat. If you’re unsure if you have a problem, call an HVAC professional.
Where is the best place to put a thermostat?
The best place to install a thermostat is on an interior wall of your home. If you install your thermostat on an exterior wall, the thermostat’s internal thermometer might be influenced by the temperature outside, which can cause your HVAC system to run unnecessarily.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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