Amazon
Whether you’re a hot sleeper in search of cool bedding or need an air conditioning unit in your home to beat the heat, summer can be a challenge for those of us that don’t thrive in higher temperatures. But running your AC all the time can result in unwanted high energy bills, too. If you’re facing both of these problems, a smart thermostat just might be the solution.
Smart thermostats can be controlled remotely through your smartphone or a voice assistant like Alexa, can learn your schedule and preferences to keep your home at the right temperature and can even figure out ways to lower your energy use (and therefore your bill). You can use a smart thermostat to turn on your AC while you’re on your way home so the house is cool by the time you return, or make sure that you’re not wasting money and energy to heat or cool an empty house after you leave. Saving money and staying comfortable in the heat? Sign me up.
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You don’t have to search far and wide to find the best smart thermostats, either — I’ve gone and found some of the highest-rated options right on Amazon, so you can add them to your cart ASAP. Keep reading to hear why reviewers love these thermostats from Honeywell, Google and more, and why having one in your home could be the best way to stay cool this summer.
HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
1
Amazon
An Emerson Sensi smart thermostat with a simple display
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
This Sensi smart thermostat made by Emerson can help you save 23% on HVAC energy, according to the brand. You can set a schedule, control the thermostat through an app or a virtual assistant like Alexa and reviewers say it's extremely easy to install yourself. The display is simple and has easy-to-use buttons, looking more like a traditional thermostat if that's what you're used to (and fitting the same space as one).
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "First of all, installation is so insanely simple. It tells you everything via the all. EVERYTHING. Setting the schedule and working through the app for programming is simple as well. I believe the efficiency of the temperature control is far greater than anything I have ever owned. It has a sleek appearance, performs amazingly well, simple install and use. Even the wiring was easy. I’ve not used the support as I haven’t needed it. The app has all your answers. Highly recommend." — Bearded Wonder
2
Amazon
An Ecobee smart thermostat with over 9,000 5-star ratings
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Ecobee3 Lite smart thermostat promises to help you save up to 23% on heating and cooling costs every year (compared to a hold of 72 degrees Fahrenheit), and works with Alexa and Google Assistant as well as iOS and Android devices so you can control it from anywhere. Plus, if you add Ecobee's SmartSensors to your purchase, the thermostat will automatically pause any heating or cooling when it senses that a door or window has been left open, saving on energy costs.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "We had a smart thermostat in our old home, but when we moved we didn’t have that anymore. We had used others in the past, but heard good things about ecobee. We love this one! We can control it easily with Alexa, for instance we love sitting on the couch and saying “Alexa, turn the heat up a degree” if it’s cold and we immediately hear the heat kick on. Easy to control from phone too which is nice for making adjustments while away from home. We would highly recommend this product." — Alyssa
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Amazon
Or the newer Ecobee model with even more features
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Ecobee New Smart Thermostat Enhanced does cost more than the Lite version, but you're still getting a ton of bang for your buck. This model can save you up to 26% a year on heating and cooling costs, up 3% from the Lite, and has smart learning technology that lets it automatically adjust once it learns your preferred temperature and schedule. It's also hardwired and designed to last you over a decade before you'd need to replace it, and still works with the SmartSensors to adjust the temperature based on the occupancy or movement in a specific room.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "I bought this thermostat to control our upstairs air conditioner which drivers our summer electric bills
With my daughters in and out of the house I wanted the ability to remotely control the thermostat with their coming and going. This thermostat works great and is very user friendly. I feel it will likely pay for itself in one summer." — Craig StMartin
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4
Amazon
This Emerson Sensi touchscreen smart thermostat
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Available in white, black or silver, this touchscreen thermostat can be installed in 30 minutes or less and is designed to save you up to 23% on HVAC energy usage. You can see usage reports in the iOS or Android app, where you can also control the temperature of the thermostat, set up a flexible schedule and more. It's smart home compatible and will even send you smart alerts when it detects extreme temperature or humidity levels.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "This has all the features I was looking for: wireless connectivity, Alexa integration, phone app, multiple schedules, fan periodically runs to keep house temps consistent and an "auto" feature that supports both heat and cooling at the same time. The app is great, and even provides data on how much time heating and cooling ran each day over the last week and well as monthly numbers. I also like that the display is big, and easy to read. It also changes color based on if heating is running, AC is running or nothing is running. It even has a backlight around the outer edge, though I don't use that feature. One of the nicest things it supports is that you can adjust the temperature and humidity it displays up or down if it's off a little bit.
The app is designed to support multiple thermostats, though I only have one." — Chuck from Dallas
5
Amazon
The ultra-popular Google Nest Learning thermostat
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
The third generation of the Google Nest Learning thermostat comes in five colors and works with Google Assistant and Alexa. It takes most of the work of temperature control off your plate, from an auto-schedule feature that programs itself to the Home/Away Assist, which adjusts the temperature when you're out so you don't waste energy on an empty home. There are also features perfect for anyone looking to stay energy-conscious, including a way to check your energy history on the Nest app and a little green leaf that appears on the thermostat when you pick an energy-saving temperature.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "Had this in our previous home and had to get one for our new place. It's amazing – easily connects to our Google system. "Hey Google, set the temperature to 73" is all it takes. The Google system even alerts us if there's an issue with the heater. Discovered our heater was shutting off every 10 minutes due to a dirty air filter! Plus, we snagged a $100 rebate, making our effective cost just $70. Love the convenience of controlling it from our phone, especially during vacations – easy on/off for heating or cooling. The scheduling feature is a nice touch too. We have it cool at night and warm up 30 minutes before waking up." — Arika Brandow
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Amazon
Or the classic Google Nest thermostat
Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
The Google Nest Thermostat comes in four colors and is a less expensive alternative to the Learning thermostat. It's Energy Star-certified, turns down the energy when you leave home, can be controlled through the Google Home app or voice control with Google Assistant or Alexa and is compatible with 85% of home systems, most of which don't have a C-wire.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "This product was so easy to install. I literally took it out of the box and had it installed within 10 minutes and the app downloaded and link in another 5-10 minutes. Anyone can do this and the ability to have better control over the thermostat, both summer and winter, will save me some real money. We turn the temp down (in winter) and up (in summer) when we are not home and then can adjust appropriately when we are returning home so that the house is comfortable when we arrive back home." — Kevin J Plets
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7
Amazon
A Honeywell smart color touchscreen thermostat
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
This smart thermostat can be controlled from anywhere using the app or a smart home assistant and is Energy Star-certified to help you track and reduce your energy use. The touchscreen display can be changed to any color you like to match your decor and shows you both the indoor and outdoor temperatures, plus the humidity levels.
Note that a C-wire is required to install this thermostat, so you'll want to check if it'll be compatible with your home before you purchase it.
Promising review: "This thermostat was exactly what I was looking for so I don’t have to get up out the bed to turn it up or down. I was able to install it myself. I’m a woman with no electrical experience so if you can read and you have patience you can do it. It works great and easily integrated to my Echo Show. The background color choices make it every stylish and it’s Honeywell so you can’t go wrong. Recommend." — Monica
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Amazon
Or a less expensive Honeywell T5 smart thermostat
Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
If you'd rather not spend over $100 on a thermostat, this Honeywell thermostat is more affordable but still smart and functional, according to reviewers. According to the brand, high use of the thermostat's scheduling feature has saved customers between 8 and 16% on energy bills, and like its more expensive counterpart, this Honeywell is also Energy Star-certified. You can choose between seven-day scheduling to program the thermostat yourself, or use the location-based temperature control, which employs geoforce technology based on your smartphone to figure out when you're home or away and adjusts the temperature accordingly. This one also requires a C-wire or adapter.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "This thermostat does exactly what I wanted it to do. It has geofencing so that when we all leave the premises and travel outside of our ring (I have ours set to about 3/4 of a mile away because my wife works just about a mile from home), then it sets the temperature to a different setting (lower in the winter, higher in the summer) to save on energy while we are away. The regular programmable ones won't work for us because our schedules change all the time. If any one of us come home the temperature goes back to our normal comfortable setting. We also do have it programmed to back off the setting a bit while we sleep. There was a bit of a learning curve because at first it always thought we were away. What I didn't realize at first was that each phone has to be set up on its own account. When they were logged into the same account, if the system saw one out of the circle it lowered the temperature as if all were away. Since registering each device separately, it has been flawless. I recommend it highly. Great product, great price!" — LazyRiver
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Amazon
The Amazon smart thermostat that works with Alexa
Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
If you already have other Amazon smart home products like an Echo Dot with Alexa or the Ring doorbell, the Amazon Smart Thermostat might be another... smart purchase (excuse the pun). Made with Honeywell technology, this Energy Star-certified thermostat helps you reduce your energy use by letting you track it in the Alexa app. You can set the temperature from anywhere with Alexa, or let Alexa take the reins to program it for you. Amazon will even email you with details about potential rebates from energy providers in your area to help you save money on energy costs after you purchase the thermostat.
Note: This thermostat is eligible for an up to $30 rebate in select zip codes. Click the "See Rebates" button and enter your zip code to review the potential savings plus additional directions for receiving your extra coins.
Promising review: "LOVE IT!! Installation instructions are thorough and easy to follow. It integrated SO WELL with all the Amazon stuff already in our house. (Alexa app is necessary.) Schedule is great, control with any Alexa device or my phone is super easy. The most solid piece of home automation device so far. (And we have MANY.)" — Scott
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