Ecobee launches Smart Si Wi-Fi Thermostat

We first learned about Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat in 2008. A year later, the manufacturer released the device to the public. This year, the company is launching its latest take-off to the Smart Thermostat. For those of you who have tested the product, perhaps you’d like to check out the new Ecobee Smart Si Thermostat.

Ecobee’s latest product promises to deliver energy-efficient technology at a great price and that it can be adjusted anytime from anywhere, using a computer, smartphone, or tablet. The Smart Si Thermostat features an easy-to-read high-resolution color display and simple user interface.

Ecobee President and CEO Stuart Lombard said that its new Smart Si has a color LCD screen and that it is running on an embedded version of Linux. The CEO also mentioned that the device is powered by a 400mhz ARM9 processor with 256MB of ROM and RAM. The Smart Si will also be upgradeable over-the-air through the 802.11n Wi-Fi module.

The company said that its Ecobee Smart Si will be available next month. “Most homeowners don’t know home heating and cooling systems represent 50-70 percent of home energy use. Programming an Ecobee Wi-Fi-enabled Smart Si thermostat is one of the easiest ways to reduce home energy consumption, reduce your environmental impact and save money,” Lombard said.

It’s a bit ironical that although this seems pretty cool, many current (more primitive) thermostat installations that we’ve seen in homes often don’t work, or don’t work properly. In the end, the demand for systems like this is probably not at the top of the list of “must-haves’ and retrofitting older houses seems always to be a problem. Let’s hope that  future home automation efforts will finally bear fruits.

Gene Ryan Briones
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