TORONTO – April 4, 2023 – ecobee is thrilled to announce a new mini-documentary produced for ecobee by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and presented by Consumer Technology Association as part of the series Technology’s Golden Age. The film offers an intimate look into the life of an ecobee customer, and how ecobee’s technology and partnerships with utility companies across North America help deliver energy savings and peace of mind for aging adults.

Featuring Howell, Michigan resident John Marlatt, the film examines how an ecobee smart thermostat helps simplify and improve his everyday life, while enabling him to live better and more independently. In the film, John showcases how his smart thermostat has helped him save money on his utility bills by conserving energy during the day while he is at work.

Given the numerous benefits of smart thermostats, including energy and bill savings for customers, and their ability to help stabilize the grid when demand peaks, many utilities have ambitious goals to drive their adoption in their territories. As shown in the film, John received his free ecobee smart thermostat for voluntarily opting into a demand response program from his local utility provider DTE Energy.

DTE is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. ecobee and DTE work together on a variety of energy programs, including offering free ecobee smart thermostats with free installation to customers who agree to help to reduce stress on the electrical grid during periods of high demand. Demand response programs play a critical role in keeping the grid stable and can be enabled through ecobee’s eco+ Community Energy Savings feature.

“ecobee is proud to work with utility and energy providers across North America and to help customers save energy while driving a wider benefit for communities,” said Chris Carradine, Executive Vice President, ecobee Energy. “These partnerships are a core part of our vision to create a broader impact through our products and our ability to support a cleaner, more modernized electrical grid.”

“DTE partnered with ecobee because our goals align in providing efficient, reliable and sustainable energy to both of our customers” said Angela Wojtowicz, vice president, DTE Energy Business Planning & Development, “The ecobee thermostat plays a key role in our SmartCurrents program in helping to reduce stress on the grid during peak demand events. It’s a natural partnership that ultimately saves both our customers money and helps the environment.”

In 2022 alone, ecobee partnered with over 100 utilities across Canada and the U.S. to distribute hundreds of thousands of free or discounted thermostats to residents. Since 2009, ecobee thermostats have delivered 27.8 TWh of energy savings, which is enough to take all of the homes in Los Angeles and Chicago off the grid for one year.

Please visit BBC StoryWorks or the ecobee blog to watch ecobee’s film. To learn more about ecobee’s suite of industry-leading energy efficient products and solutions, visit ecobee.com.

About ecobee
ecobee Inc. was founded in 2007 with a mission to improve everyday life while creating a more sustainable world. Since launching the world’s first smart thermostat, ecobee has helped customers across North America save more than 27.8 TWh of energy, which is the equivalent of taking all the homes in Los Angeles and Chicago off the grid for a year. Today, ecobee continues to innovate with smart home solutions that solve everyday problems with comfort, security, and conservation in mind. With ecobee’s products, including the award-winning Smart Thermostat Premium, ecobee continues to encourage Smart Owners to imagine what home could be. ecobee is a part of Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC), a leading global designer and manufacturer of energy technology solutions, and other power products. Generac and ecobee share a vision to deliver a cleaner and more sustainable energy future for customers and communities. The Generac and ecobee home of the future will be more comfortable, resilient, and efficient. For more information, visit ecobee.com.

About DTE Energy 

DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through our commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.