Amazon slashes prices on Nest and Ecobee smart thermostats for Memorial Day

People are still iffy about smart home appliances. That’s understandable; after all, do you really need your fridge to be connected to the internet? One very useful application of smart home tech that many overlook, however, is a smart thermostat, which can save a lot of energy and money. Two of our favorite smart thermostats, the third-generation Nest and Ecobee4, are on sale right now, too, for 20% off during this Memorial Day sale.

Even when not on sale, a good smart thermostat can save you a bundle of cash: By monitoring and automatically adjusting your home’s climate control system, these devices are one of the surest ways to cut your energy bills. In fact, smart thermostats can save their users more than $100 per year on average. That means that your Nest or Ecobee will essentially pay for itself over time. Reducing energy consumption is good for the environment as well, so the benefits of smart home tech like this go beyond mere monetary savings.

If you’re tired of constantly adjusting your thermostat and using fans to keep different rooms cool, and you want a smarter (not to mention more eco-friendly) way to maintain a comfortable in-home climate this spring and summer, then these Nest and Ecobee smart thermostat deals are just what the doctor ordered:

Nest Smart Thermostat

The Nest is the smart thermostat that started it all. Now in its third generation, our favorite smart thermostat is still arguably the best when it comes to sheer energy efficiency. The Nest is unique in that it’s not just a smart thermostat, but also a “learning” one: After it’s set up, the Nest’s Farsight sensors will monitor your daily movements and habits in your home and adjust the heating or cooling based on your schedule and current room occupancy (unlike a “dumb” thermostat, which really only adjusts the temperature for the whole house or floor).

This also allows the Nest to do things such as turning on the heat or AC half an hour before you get home from work, to name just one example. The Nest smart thermostat also integrates with a wide variety of heating and cooling systems as well as an array of other smart home components, such as smart lights and Alexa devices. The Nest is fairly expensive at its normal $249 price tag, but a $50 discount brings it down to $199 on Amazon and Walmart right now.

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat

Although the Nest is our favorite, our review team found the fourth-generation Ecobee smart thermostat to be easier to use and to have better voice controls than the Nest. You will be well-served with either one, but the Ecobee4 might be a better choice if you don’t already have an Alexa-enabled device like the Echo smart speaker, as the Ecobee comes with Amazon Alexa already built right in.

It doesn’t have the Nest’s learning capabilities, but the Ecobee4 still uses room sensors to detect movement and current temperatures, optimizing your heating and cooling system to suit the occupants in real time. The Ecobee4 rings in at the same price as the Nest at 199 after a $50 savings, but if you don’t already have an Echo or Echo Dot, then this smart thermostat might even be a better deal since it comes with the Alexa A.I. already installed.

Looking for more great stuff? Find tech deals, Memorial Day sales, and much more on our curated deals page.