Heating & Cooling

ecobee Web Portal Explained (5 Things You Should Know)

Ecobee Lg

The ecobee Web Portal is essential to your ecobee smart thermostat device. It will help you manage temperatures, view reports, and more. Without the web portal, you will not have access to troves of data that will help you conserve energy.

You access the web portal from the ecobee home page. You can get ecobee back online by pulling it off the wall or resetting its Wi-Fi settings. Finally, you can find the ecobee smart thermostat’s registration code during the registration process. 

Read on to discover how to access the ecobee web portal.

How Do I Access the ecobee Web Portal?

The ecobee web portal is essential to unlocking all of the features of your ecobee smart thermostat. 

To gain access to the web portal, first, register the thermostat. To do this, go to the device first and take the following actions: 

  • Click on Menu, then on Registration
  • Click Continue to get the registration code
  • Hit Finished

Next, go to the ecobee home page on the internet: 

  • Select the thermostat you are registering
  • Choose whether you will allow ecobee to use your local information
  • Confirm the address
  • Click Yes on HomeIQ reports
  • Click on Confirm

If you complete the steps successfully, the thermostat will confirm that it is registered.

Note that HomeIQ reports are only available on the ecobee website or tablet version of the app. These reports will help you understand the energy, heating, and cooling energy you spend while using ecobee and when used successfully, will help you save money.

You also do not have to worry about losing the registration code in this process, as the code will be invalid in an hour. Repeat the first part of the process to get a new registration code.  

How Do I Find My ecobee Registration Code?

If you’ve lost the ecobee registration code, you can generate a new one. To do regenerate a registration code, follow these procedures:

  • Tap the three horizontal bars on the bottom-left of the device’s home screen
  • Tap registration
  • Configure your home network if you haven’t already
  • The code will display on the thermostat 

You should write the code down. It is valid for one hour only before it is invalidated. If you lose this code in the process of registering your thermostat and it has been over an hour, repeat these steps. 

Read on to discover how to get your ecobee back online after it has lost its Wi-Fi connection.

How Do I Get ecobee Back Online?

You can use two methods to restore Wi-Fi capabilities to your ecobee. The first method is to remove the ecobee from the wall for about two minutes. This procedure will power cycle the device. Then, place the ecobee back on the wall.

If this method does not work, then do the following on the device:

  • Go to the main menu
  • Go to Settings
  • Go to Wi-Fi
  • Go to Network
  • Go to Select Wi-Fi network

Upon selecting your Wi-Fi network, you may find that you will have to enter the login credentials again manually. To do this, enter your password and any other information needed to reconnect to your network. 

What is the ecobee Web Portal?

The ecobee Web Portal is a web application that lets you manage your thermostats. You can adjust the temperature of your residence from a distance, read reports on energy usage, and customize home and away settings. 

The difference between the smartphone app and the tablet version or web portal is the HomeIQ reports. You can view these reports on the tablet or internet version of the portal only and not on the smartphone app. These reports can show you how to be comfortable and save money at the same time. 

Except for the HomeIQ reports on smartphones, the web portal provides all devices’ heating, cooling, and energy usage information. You can view settings from the following screens: 

ScreenFeatures
Main ScreenThe relative humidity
Temperature, based on comfort settings and sensor readings
You can slide the temperature slider to your preferred temperature to initiate a hold
Click the system mode icon under the thermostat name to switch system modes
You can also toggle the fan settings from Auto to on and back 
You can also set comfort settings
Quick Change SettingsChange your home or away settings
Will initiate a hold on your home or away temperature settings
SettingsYou can alternate between 24-hour time and 12-hour time display
PreferencesWhether you want the temperature displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius
Adjust the Heat and Cool SetPoint ranges
Set the length of a hold action
The thermostat name
Enable or disable Smart Recovery for heating and cooling
“Reset schedule and preferences” restores and schedules and preferences back to their defaults
Access Control (under Preferences)Under Access Control, you can set a PIN for your thermostat’s controls
Set Access Control to ActiveSet your 4-digit PIN
Check which features you want to be protected
Click Save to put the password protection in effect
Property Characteristics You can tell ecobee what type of building you have. Choose from these options
Building Style
Building SizeNumber of Floors
Number of Bedrooms
Number of full-time occupants
Age of the building in years
ecobee uses this information to generate Home IQ reports 

The system menu is where you can change the Ecobee’s mode, view HomeIQ reports, and more. The following sections are under the Systems Menu:

SectionFeatures
HVACHVAC changes Ecobee’s current mode
Choose from heating, Cool, Aux, and Off
The fan option allows you to set a minimum run time for the fan
Humidifier, Dehumidifier, or Ventilator You will see the option for installed accessories here
Reminders and AlertsYou can set and view reminders
You can select and view alerts
You can set the preferences for your reminders and alerts
Vacation MenuCreate a new vacation
Set the temperature to be maintained while you are away
Set fan settings and heat and cool temperatures to be maintained while you are away
Weather MenuView the current weather and a four-day forecast
Alexa Voice Control MenuSet the volume of the ecobee speakers or turn the microphone off or on
About Alexa shows the phrases you can use with Alexa
Unlink Alexa will disable Alexa services on a particular ecobee thermostat
Schedule MenuHome, Away, Weekend Day, Fan Only Mode, and more
Edit your thermostat’s existing schedule
Sensor MenuToggle Smart Home or Away Systems
Toggle Follow Me on or off
Sensor Participation allows you to set the sensors to monitor temperature and adjust to preset temperature conditions
About MenuDisplays your Ecobee’s model, firmware version, serial number, and thermostat name
Thermostat Group menuYou can create thermostat groups, which will allow you to synchronize their settings
Synchronize alerts, addresses, contact information, preferences, reminders, system mode, schedules, and vacation settings 
Account Settings Allows you to change the first and last name on the account
You can reset your password
You can unregister a thermostat
The Add Thermostat option enables you to register a thermostat
The Subscriptions menu allows you to manage your subscriptions to ecobee Air Filters or ecobee Haven
You can choose to participate and donate your data
You can remove or view linked 3rd party apps
Finally, if you have registered as an ecobee developer, you can access the developer menu

The real star of Ecobee’s features is the HomeIQ menu. The menu will generate reports of how you use your heating and cooling energy, its performance over time, and how the weather impacts your energy usage. Its competitors fail to reach reports at this level of detail and are ideal for saving money while staying comfortable.  

This screen generates charts that will help you use your ecobee more efficiently:

  • It shows you the runtime report as compared to a standard thermostat. 
  • It shows you a community comparison and home efficiency ranking based on how fast the inside temperature deviates from the outside temperature over time
  • System Monitor shows a chart of the heat, fan, set temperature, outside temperature, and inside temperature over five-minute increments. You can also graph the humidity over time
  • The schedule chart shows energy performance with programs over time
  • Weather impact compares the heat and cooling running versus the outside temperature

These reports are generated only by ecobee and not other smart thermostat web portals. If you’d like to see how the web portals of other smart thermostats differ from that of ecobee, read on.

How Does the ecobee Web Portal Differ from the Web Portals of Other Competitors?

The ecobee web portal is the most informative of all because of the depth of information it provides about your energy usage. Its two nearest competitors, Google Nest and Honeywell Evohome do not offer these reports.  

Here are some comparisons between the web portals of Google Nest and Honeywell Evohome:

CompanyWeb Portal NamePositivesNegatives
Honeywell EvohomeTotal Connect Comfort v. 1.0Can add or delete Evohomes from the system
Change your heating and cooling settings
View and set indoor temperature
View indoor humidityView outdoor temperature and humidity
Access multiple thermostats
Access multiple locations
Receive system alerts through email
Will automatically upgrade
The screen of the thermostat is not similar to the website
Will not let you control the thermostat
The website is not compatible with most web browsers
The website is compatible only on 3rd party apps, such as Bluestack
Google NestGoogle Nest App Primarily smartphone or tablet-based
Choose between home, away, or eco mode
Chose between heating, cooling, and heating and cooling modes
Set how long your fan will run forSet smart temperature scheduling

Final Thoughts

To access the ecobee’s web portal, you must register the ecobee. If you lose the registration code in the process of registration, there is no problem. You can regenerate a new code after an hour. The web portal unlocks many features, the star of which is the HomeIQ reports.

The HomeIQ reports create charts and graphs of your thermostat usage, how it performs in different weather, the humidity in your residence, and more. No other smart thermostat on the market right now generates these reports, and they are essential if you want your heating and cooling systems to be energy efficient.  

Ecobee’s web portal is superior to the Honeywell Evohome and Google Nest. While the Google Nest app has many good features, it does not generate energy efficiency and temperature history reports at the level that ecobee does.

Meanwhile, the Honeywell Evohome is the worst website. Its web version will be incompatible with many user browsers, including Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. Instead, you must use third-party applications to access its web portal.  

If you want energy usage distilled down to its most specific details, ecobee is by far superior. It is the best smart thermostat to use if you want a simple heating and cooling process while saving money. Ecobee’s HomeIQ report and other settings prove that you can be comfortable in your residence and also be energy efficient at the same time. 

The user experience that a smart thermostat gives you is essential. However, saving money while living at a comfortable temperature will help you to ease your worry about your energy bill.

Sources

Using the ecobee Web Portal

Author

Hubert Miles | Licensed Home Inspector, CMI, CPI

Hubert Miles is a licensed home inspector (RBI# 2556) with more than two decades of experience in inspection and construction. Since 2008, he has been serving South Carolina through his company, Patriot Home Inspections LLC. As a Certified Master Inspector, Hubert is dedicated to providing his expertise in home inspections, repairs, maintenance, and DIY projects.