You might be thinking, do I need two Ecobee thermostats in one house to make sure the temperature of the house stays regulated? Maybe you’re having difficulty syncing thermostats in your house? Well, in this article, I’m going to answer this question as well as others regarding thermostats and their use.
To answer the main question, ‘do you need two Ecobee thermostats in one house?’ it depends on the zoning in your house. If your house is a two-story apartment, then you would definitely need two Ecobee thermostats for each of the stories, in order to keep a balanced temperature of the house and maintaining the thermal atmosphere.
Seems pretty basic, right? Well, it isn’t that easy to understand actually. But there’s nothing to worry about, since I’m here to guide you through all details and explanations so you get the picture completely.
In order to decide how many thermostats are enough for keeping the temperature of the entire house balanced, first let’s talk about how thermostats work.
How do Traditional Thermostats Work?
Thermostats manage the ventilation, air, heat, and cooling systems that are installed in your house. According to the temperature that you have set on the thermostat, it will use these components to provide a thermal atmosphere of your liking.
Normally when it comes to manual thermostats, they use a mercury vial that is tipped into one of two directions, allowing or blocking the flow of heat or cooling when the temperature of a room is not according to the set temperature. However, in smart thermostats, temperature sensors are used to identify the temperature of the environment, signaling the units to flow conditioned air or heat in order to achieve the optimal temperature.
Ecobee Thermostats
When it comes to Ecobee thermostats, not only do they have all the above features but they are considered smart thermostats.
Their thermostats offer control capabilities from devices like your phone (android and IOS), along with web-based application control, automated temperature control, touch-based control, various zoning sensors, WiFi connectivity, and many other exciting features as well. Although they are high consumption, they are efficient and very effective as compared to general thermostats.
In case of thermostats being used in a single-story office building or a sort of rec room or anything like that, you only need a single one to control the HVAC system. However, when it comes to using thermostats in a full-fledge house, here are some of the things that you need to focus on.
- House Type
- Building Stories
- Zoning
House Type
The very first important factor that you need to look into before asking yourself the question, ‘do I need two Ecobee thermostats in one house?’ is that what type of house you’re residing in.
There are many different types of houses and the temperature control differs drastically when compared. Depending upon temperature control, you could be residing in one of the following types of houses.
- Apartment (Multiple Story)
- Single Story House
Building Stories
In case of a single-story house, all you need to do is get your HVAC system wired with the Ecobee thermostat, and then you’re all set to stay cool in summers and stay warm in the wintertime. We would recommend getting an electrician to do this unless you are experienced, although there are plenty of good videos on Youtube if you fancy giving it a go!
However, when it comes to multiple story houses, like a double story apartment, this may effect the number of thermostats you decide to get.
In our case, for using two thermostats, it would be effective only if there are two stories in the house. For different zones or rooms, the zoning methods of HVAC control come into play.
Zoning
Now that we know where and how many thermostats need to be installed in a single house, let’s talk about what zoning is.
Dividing the floor or story into different sections, rooms or zones is known as zoning. To maintain the accurate temperature in different zones of the house, you can use dampers within the ductwork of your thermostat HVAC connection.
What dampers do is, with the help of the Ecobee sensors, they can change their position in such a way that they stop or allow the flow of the HVAC system into the desired zone to achieve the temperature of the owner’s desire.
This way, when the desired temperature is achieved, the dampers close or shut, in order to maintain the given temperature in one room and then open to provide a balanced temperature in the other room.
Once you develop an understanding of which situation you’re in, you’re almost done with your end decision.
Here are some of the other questions that people generally encounter while getting a smart thermostat for their home use.
How do I Sync Two Ecobee Thermostats?
Many people ask if it possible to sync two Ecobee thermostats. According to the developers, yes, it is possible to sync multiple Ecobee devices to each other.
All Ecobee devices are interconnected and they are compatible with each other. First, you’d need to create an account that links your thermostats to SmartThings, an interface developed by Ecobee for syncing purposes. Then you can easily sync the devices using the given Ecobee credentials with the thermostat locations and a few other details and you’re good to go.
However, there is an issue that you might encounter once you connect your Ecobee devices.
Once synced up, they’ll be using the same temperature settings and maintenance methods and if they’re installed in different locations, which do not have similar thermal properties, they won’t be able to reach the required temperature to achieve a balanced thermal atmosphere you desire. Just something to bear in mind.
Can I connect multiple thermostats to a single HVAC unit?
Fortunately, you can. Many thermostat companies along with Ecobee, allow you to wire more than one thermostat to the same HVAC unit. Whether it’s a boiler or a furnace that you’re using to control the heat of your house or it is an AC or ventilation unit, multiple thermostats can be connected.
This allows you to distribute the use of the HVAC systems using multiple ductworks so that different stories and levels of your house which have different thermal properties can achieve a balanced temperature and you don’t have to use excessive costing extra HVAC systems.
Other than that, there is still a limit on how many thermostats you can link with your HVAC unit and that limit depends upon the unit that you might be using.
Is it ok to use dampers for zoning?
Another very common question that you might have when it comes to the use of thermostats, is the use of dampers.
A damper is a movable plate that allows or blocks the airflow depending upon the temperature requirements of the zone that they’re dedicated to. The benefit of using dampers is that you don’t need excessive devices that cost extra and you don’t have to pay more for the high-cost bills that might come with the use of those other devices.
So, ultimately, the best solution of zoning is using dampers with your thermostat connections and there are no demerits or problems that you might encounter with the use of damping systems.
Are the energy consumption costs high?
As compared to manual thermostats, the energy consumption cost of smart thermostats is much lower. Due to the manual nature of normal thermostats, they cannot process the temperature requirements of different zones and levels accordingly and therefore more of the manual thermostats need to be used in order to maintain the optimal temperature. So, the buying cost is higher and the energy consumption cost is way more as well.
However, when it comes to the use of smart thermostats, there is a significant reduction in energy consumption. The reason is the plethora of features that the smart Ecobee thermostats offer.
You can use them to maintain the temperatures in various sections of the house due to their use of multiple temperature sensors along with the zoning control using damping systems and Voila!
Every single room of your house has the accurately desired temperature. In doing so, you’d have to pay less because you don’t need excessive units of thermostats and at the same time, you’d be saving a lot on bills since not many thermostat units are being used in order to maintain an optimal temperature of your house.