TORONTO - July 8, 2021 – ecobee’s thermostat optimization software, eco+, has been awarded the 2021 Energy Award for Innovation in Technology from the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP).

Through this award, ecobee’s thermostat optimization software, eco+, has been recognized as a leading technology that is bringing load flexibility to the grid at scale. ecobee smart thermostats, enabled with eco+, allow utilities to improve demand response program participation rates by streamlining the enrollment experience, while also delivering savings across various program types, including energy efficiency, demand response, and time-of-use rates. eco+ also uses advanced technology to better understand each individual home’s HVAC efficiency, thermal properties, and individual customer preferences to maximize savings while maintaining personalized comfort thresholds.

Traditionally, it takes several types of software, integrations, and complexities for a utility to achieve integrated demand side management. However, eco+ brings this together into one holistic customer experience while providing energy savings that are tailored to each individual household and comfort preferences.

Since the broad release of eco+ in 2020, more than one million customers have enabled eco+ on their ecobee smart thermostats, which has helped increase participation rates in demand side management programs. Today, there are more than double the number of ecobee customers participating in demand response programs than there were before the company introduced the in-app enrollment process through eco+.

In 2020, ecobee conducted a third-party study to measure the energy efficiency capabilities of the eco+ platform. The findings demonstrated that eco+ provides 5-6% more energy savings than customers would experience if using the smart thermostat alone. Furthermore, eco+ also offers rate optimization which saves customers up to 23% more on cooling costs if they live in regions with time-of-use rates.¹ This is achieved by intelligently precooling homes at times of day when electricity prices are low while reducing cooling when electricity is costlier.

“We launched eco+ with the goal of reimagining how utilities bring integrated demand side management solutions into the home to truly elevate the customer experience. With eco+, we’re leading the evolution of flexible load management solutions by introducing new capabilities that make program participation easier than ever – and we’re grateful to have our efforts recognized by a leading organization like AESP through this award,” said Chris Carradine, Executive Vice President, ecobee Energy.

ecobee also recently announced the company’s partnership with select utilities across the U.S to make the ecobee3 lite smart thermostat available for free to customers who pre-enroll in their utility’s demand response program. This is another example of how ecobee is removing the friction involved in demand response program participation and working with utilities on innovative approaches to help customers reduce energy and save more on their bills through eco+.

About ecobee

ecobee Inc. was founded in 2007 by Stuart Lombard 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 17.6 TWh of energy, which is the equivalent of taking all the homes in Las Vegas off the grid for a year. Today, ecobee continues to be an independently held company that innovates with smart home solutions that solve everyday problems with comfort, security, and conservation in mind. With ecobee’s award-winning products, including the SmartThermostat with voice control, Smart Security, and SmartCamera with voice control, ecobee continues to encourage SmartOwners to imagine what home could be.

About AESP

Founded in 1989 as a not-for-profit organization, the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) is a member-based association dedicated to improving the delivery and implementation of energy efficiency, demand-side management, distributed energy resources and demand response programs. The annual AESP Energy Awards aim to recognize creative thinking, new approaches and problem-solving in the energy efficiency industry.

¹ Based on a study conducted by a third-party expert during summer 2020 across the US and Canada. Savings vary by season, climate zone and rate structure.