A Little-Known Feature That Can Save Money and Energy

ecobee thermostats have delivered over 27.8 TWh of energy savings to date. That’s the equivalent of taking all of the homes in Los Angeles and Chicago off the grid for a year.

We’re always looking for new ways to help Smart Owners lower their overall energy usage and cut back on costs. One of the eco+ features that can automatically help you save energy is Pause When Open.

When an ecobee SmartSensor for doors and windows is linked with a Smart Security subscription, it can automatically detect when a door or window has been left open for five minutes or more. At that point, a signal is sent to your ecobee smart thermostat that automatically pauses heating or cooling in your home until the opening is closed. That way you're not spending extra energy and money when you don’t have to.

“If we detect a door or window that’s been open for five minutes, we’ll pause your HVAC system’s heating or cooling until you close the door,” said Lucien Benacem, ecobee's group product manager of home monitoring. “You’ll get a notification on our app when this happens. You’ll also get a notification when heating or cooling resumes. Essentially, you don’t even have to think about it.”

Pause When Open can save you money by making sure you're not wasting energy by releasing unnecessary heat from your home during colder months or pushing air-conditioning into the outdoors when it's hot. It's a feature that offers customers an added sense of security and peace of mind. You don't have to worry about wasting energy if a door stays open while your dog goes outside, or when you accidentally forget to close a window.

"It's very much fitting into this idea of automating the home and making it seamless. You can be comfortable and energy efficient at the same time," said Benacem. "I'm really excited about using our technology to improve people's lives in a very tangible way. That’s something my team and I are always pushing toward and Pause When Open is a great example of that work."

To use Pause When Open, you’ll need an ecobee Smart Security subscription and one or more of our SmartSensor for doors and windows. The SmartSensors will need to be paired to an eco+-enabled ecobee smart thermostat. By default, all SmartSensor for doors and windows paired to your thermostat will participate. It’s that simple.

At ecobee we design intelligent, trustworthy, and quality solutions for your home. It's all part of our larger commitment to improving everyday life while creating a more sustainable world. If you'd like to learn more about ecobee products like Smart Thermostat Premium, SmartSensor, and Smart Security, you can visit our website. To find out how you can make the most of ecobee smart features, visit the eco+ page.