Ecobee away mode or Ecobee smart away mode is to an ecobee smart feature. It allows Ecobee users to save money by overriding the schedules when the user is not away from home. I checked this feature this week and wanted to share the experience with you.
What Ecobee Thermostats Support The Ecobee Smart Away Feature?
It is essential to have a built-in occupancy sensor to get the Smart Away. I found that Smart Thermostat Premium, Smart Thermostat Enhanced, ecobee3 out of box SmartThermostat with voice control, and ecobee4 support the Ecobee Smart Away Feature.
I found that the ecobee3 lite can also feature the Smart Away. But, it is essential to pair a Room Sensor or a Smart Sensor with the ecobee3 lite.
I found these two articles on Ecobee’s official website. They explain how to pair your ecpbee3 lite with the Room Sensor or a Smart Sensor.
- SmartSensor
- Room Sensor
How Does Smart Home Away Work?
The Smart Away feature’s task is to facilitate the best comfort for the user along with energy saving. The Ecobee Away mode does that by overriding the Home period of the Ecobee Thermostats when the household is not at home.
The ecobee Thermostat gets to make this decision according to the occupancy information. That will be delivered by the built-in occupancy sensor and the sensors paired with the Ecobee Thermostat.
Those 02 sensors track the in and out of the household and adjust the temperature according to that.
Note: The household’s absence must be recorded for two straight hours in order to Override the Comfort schedules.
Also, I observed that the temperature would be quickly regulated by the Thermostat when I am home. Within the first 10 minutes, my Ecobee Thermostat increased the temperature almost up to the set point in this Winter.
Note: There will be about a 1–4° Fahrenheit difference at the initial stage. Also, that will depend on the HVAC hardware configuration.
How To Turn On The Ecobee Away Comfort Setting?
I found an easy method to turn on the ecobee away comfort setting. You can use both Ecobee Thermostats and the app to implement.
- Go to the Main menu
- Tap Sensors
- Open Smart Home/Away
- Tap Enable
How do I know Ecobee Away is on?
I found his easy method to know if the Ecobee Away mode is on. What you should do is look for the “Ecobee Smart Away” phrase on the Ecobee Thermostat.
How Long Does The Ecobee Smart Away Work?
I observed that the Ecobee Smart Away would be in progress until it detects any occupation in the house. It means it will be implemented until you come home.
What Are The Pros Of Home Smart Away Mode?
I discovered the following Pros of the Ecobee Smart Away Mode.
- Higher power efficiency
( I discovered that the power saving could be as high as 30% if the user is off the home for more than 6 hours for 5 days per month)
- Reduced Cost of power
- Less wear and tear on the mechanical parts
- The furnace filter will get a longer life
- The temperature will be optimum in the Winter as the air doesn’t come frequently through the vents.
- Convenient for the user as it is okay to forget to set a schedule or turn off the HVAC systems
What Are The Cons Of Home Smart Away Mode?
I discovered the following Cons of the Ecobee Smart Away Mode
- Putting Stress on the HVC fan due to frequent turns and turn-offs, which increases the maintenance costs
- Air purification will not be effective
- There will be cold spots inside the house in Winter
- It will take time to provide the heat or cold to you as the Thermostat turns on after you come into the house.
- The complications that can confuse the user
Why My Ecobee Away Mode Doesn’t Work?
I discovered some Ecobee users who had not been able to enjoy the Ecobee Away feature. I will explain why those incidents happened and how to fix them.
Ecobee Away And Holding
Although you have set the Away Mode on, the Thermostat might have been running for hours without switching to Away Mode. I found one possible reason for that. You have set the Ecobee Thermostat to the indefinite hold mode.
I found the following method that can set the Ecobee Hold mode off.
- Go to the Main menu
- Open Settings
- Tap Preferences
- Hold action and turn off the Hold Mode
It Takes A While To Turn Off The Ecobee Awake Mode
One of the setbacks I detected in Thermostat Awake Mode was its slower reaction time. It took more than 05 minutes to detect that I was home. Tether is nothing much you can do. But you can look for responsive sensors.
Also, I saw users had been able to get more responsive Awake modes after using IFTTT and Life360.
Ecobee Doesn’t Detect I’m Home At All?
As I previously mentioned, you must check f you have turned on the Hold Mode. If it is not the problem, the issue is with the sensors. You must contact Ecobee for this and inform them.
I Can’t Turn On Awake Mode?
Some users had reported f not being able to Turn on the Ecobee Awake mode. When they tried to follow the path I had explained, they had not found the Ecobee Awake Mode option.
There are two reasons for this issue: not updating the Ecobee and the common bugs.
As the first thing, you must update your Ecobee Thermostat to the latest versions. To do that, it is just enough to make sure the ecobee connects to the internet through WiFi.
If the problem keeps coming, you must reset the Ecobee Thermostat.
Conclusion
I hope you got how effective it is to use Ecobee Smart Away Mode and how to do that. If you have issues, contact Ecobee Customer Assistance.