Can You Use Multiple Ecobee Thermostats in the Same House?

If you have one Ecobee thermostat, you may love it so much that you’re considering installing a second one in a different area of the house — like a downstairs or above garage apartment. But will two of those in the same house cause any issues at all?

You can use multiple Ecobee thermostats in the same house since all of their models are compatible with each other. You can have them run independently and control different parts of the home, or you can sync and run them as one unit controlling the whole house.

In this article, I’ll go into more detail about how to add a second Ecobee thermostat to your existing account, along with some of the benefits of having two thermostats in your home. I’ll also talk briefly about the benefits of Ecobee thermostats in general. Let’s get started!

How To Add a New Ecobee Thermostat?

The process of adding a second thermostat to your account through the Ecobee app should be pretty simple. After all, if you’ve used an Ecobee thermostat before, you may already be pretty familiar with the system. 

Even if this is the first time you’re setting up an Ecobee thermostat and you’re installing at least two of them, the steps aren’t that much different. Assuming everything goes smoothly, the setup should take less than ten minutes tops.

When your new Ecobee thermostat is ready to be set up, follow these steps:

1. Open the Ecobee app.
2. Once the app is loaded, find and tap the + icon to add a new device.
3. Select Add a Device.
4. When asked for the device type, select Thermostat.
5. Enter the registration code from your thermostat. This will be a four-digit code.
6. Tap Next and wait. The app should add your new thermostat to your account if everything goes correctly.

Once it’s added, you can control the thermostat through the app.

Read: Why Ecobee Thermostat Not Turning On AC? – Troubleshooting Guide

Benefits of Having More Than One Ecobee Thermostat at Home

I’ve established that you can install two or more Ecobee thermostats at home without issue. But does that mean doing so has any added benefits at all? 

The short answer is yes, and here’s why.

You Can Control Multiple Thermostats With One App

When you have multiple Ecobee thermostats in your home, you can control the temperature of the whole place with literally just one push of a button.

Of course, that’s assuming all of your thermostats are Ecobees.

If only one of your thermostats is an Ecobee and the rest are analogs, controlling them can be challenging to say the least.

Only the Ecobee thermostat can be controlled using the corresponding app on your smartphone. 

As for the other two thermostats, you’ll have to manually change the temperature for them. This can be quite a chore if each of these thermostats is located several meters away from each other.

Therefore, if you have more than one thermostat in your home and you’re considering converting one to an Ecobee model, it’s best to change all the thermostats in your home. This not only simplifies the installation and makes it a one-time thing, but it also integrates your entire home into your new smart home features.

Read: How To Fix Ecobee Alexa Not Responding?

Every Ecobee Thermostat Is Backward Compatible

When you say that Ecobee thermostats are backward compatible, that means no matter what model you add to your existing system, it will work with your existing thermostat. All models of the Ecobee thermostat can sync with one another.

You Can Have Up to 16 Thermostats at the Same Time

Larger homes and commercial buildings seem to be Ecobee’s target market as they allow users to add up to sixteen different thermostats to their accounts. In other words, you can have temperature control over anywhere from sixteen rooms in a home to sixteen floors in a building.

Of course, if you’re a regular homeowner, sixteen thermostats may seem a bit much. Still, I think it’s a testament to how powerful and efficient Ecobee thermostats are. 

Read: 4 Reasons Why Ecobee Thermostat Fan Keeps Running

You Can Opt To Control the Thermostats Independently

If you have multiple Ecobee thermostats, you can set them to the same temperature at once. But if you want them to have different temperatures for any reason (e.g., one room is significantly hotter or colder than the others), no problem: You can easily take care of that too.

That’s because Ecobee allows you to manipulate your house’s temperature control zones easily.

Okay, let’s backtrack a bit on that newfangled concept called “temperature control zones.”

Essentially, each thermostat corresponds to a single control zone. If you have two Ecobee thermostats, you have two temperature control zones. If you have ten, you have ten temperature control zones, and so on. 

Ecobee thermostats allow you to control all of the zones together as one or control them individually.

This feature can be useful for situations like:

• You have someone in your home who tends to turn up the heat or air conditioner.
• You have a basement that never gets warm in winter.
• If a big draft upstairs keeps it naturally cool upstairs, you can turn the A/C down upstairs while keeping it blowing full blast downstairs.

There are Added Security for Controlling Ecobee Thermostats

Let’s say you don’t have access to the phone where your Ecobee app is installed. Let’s also suppose that — for one reason or another — someone else gains access to your phone (and, by extension, your Ecobee thermostat).

Luckily, you don’t have to worry about unwanted shenanigans or coming back to a house that’s either burning hot or cold.

That’s because Ecobee thermostats have a locking feature requiring any user manually changing the temperature on a thermostat to enter a four-digit PIN.

So, unless the other person somehow knows your four-digit Ecobee PIN as well, there’s no way they can mess with the previous settings without your express permission. 

Read: 3 Reasons Why Ecobee Thermostat Is Overheating

Other Benefits of Ecobee Thermostats

I’ve outlined why having multiple Ecobee thermostats at home is a good idea. If this is your first time using a smart thermostat and you’re considering buying several of them at once, here’s my take on why Ecobee should be your brand of choice.

• They’re energy-efficient. I’m not just talking about how it saves you the effort of going up and down the stairs to adjust one thermostat. According to Ecobee’s website, you can shave as much as 26 percent off your heating and cooling bills.
• They have occupancy sensors. Each Ecobee thermostat can detect whether a room has someone in it or not, and will adjust accordingly. This saves you the added step of changing the temperature settings for each area or zone as needed. 
• They last pretty long. Ecobee thermostats can last for at least a decade or so with proper care. Of course, they can last longer or shorter depending on how well you maintain them and how often you use them. 

Admittedly, Ecobee thermostats have their drawbacks too. For example, Ecobee sensor batteries last for about a fifth of the average lifespan of an Ecobee thermostat, so you’ll need a reliable battery supplier. There’s also the possibility of an unscrupulous person gaining access to your Ecobee account and wreaking havoc on your home (although, if you’re extra careful, that’s highly unlikely).

For the most part, though, I like Ecobee. I can control my house’s temperature as I sit on my couch and watch my favorite show. And even if someone from the next room yells at me about being too hot or cold, the only finger-lifting I need to do is to push the button on my phone. 

Read: No Power To The Home Temperature Thermostat – Troubleshooting Guide

Conclusion

If you’re considering adding a thermostat to your existing Ecobee account but aren’t sure if two can work in the same home or even be compatible at all, rest assured you can easily do so without issues.

You can use up to sixteen different thermostats on one Ecobee account. All Ecobee thermostats are compatible with previous models of the Ecobee thermostat, so there’s no need to worry about compatibility.

You can control each Ecobee thermostat individually or the whole home with the tap of a button.