Skip to main content

How to use Vacation Mode on an Ecobee smart thermostat

ecobee nest smart thermostat deals amazon best buy pre memorial day sale ecobee3 lite  1
Ecobee

If you're planning to go on vacation or leave your home for an extended period of time, enabling Vacation Mode on your Ecobee smart thermostat is a smart decision. This unique mode helps reduce your energy consumption when no one is in the house, but will kick back on in advance to ensure the place is at a comfortable temperature when you return. It's a cool feature, and one that's easy to enable — once you know where to look.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Ecobee smart thermostat

  • Ecobee mobile app

Here's a closer look at how to set up Vacation Mode on your Ecobee smart thermostat, including tips on how to set your departure and return dates. We'll also teach you how to set the temperatures while you're away.

Ecobee thermostat poised against a wall next to a rock and pear.
Ecobee

How to set Vacation Mode on Ecobee Thermostat

You can activate Vacation Mode on your smart thermostat or through the Ecobee mobile app.

Step 1: If using the thermostat, select Main Menu, then navigate to General. From here, select Vacation.

Step 2: Press the Plus button to create a new vacation schedule.

Step 3: Enter your departure date and time in the I Depart section.

Step 4: Enter your return date and time in the I Return section.

Step 5: You can then wrap up the process by programming your temperatures and other settings in the Vacations Settings menu. Press Save to finish the process.

Step 6: If you prefer to do this through the mobile app, you'll simply need to go to the Home menu and select Vacation. Here, you'll find the Set A Vacation option. You can then edit your return and departure dates in the same way that we detailed above.

How to cancel or edit Vacation Mode

If your plans change, Ecobee gives you a quick way to modify your Vacation Mode settings.

Step 1: From the Home screen of the mobile app, select Vacation, then pick the vacation you need to edit. You can then change all settings. Be sure to press Save to activate the new settings.

Step 2: Alternatively, you can edit your Vacation Mode directly from the thermostat. Just enter the General menu and find the Vacation section. You can then edit the same settings.

Step 3: Canceling a vacation can only be done from the mobile app. Once again, go to the Vacation section. Select the vacation that's been canceled, and press Delete to remove it from your thermostat's schedule.

Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
Prepare for Halloween with these smart home gadgets
A Ring Video Doorbell next to Halloween decorations.

It’s officially spooky season, and that means Halloween is right around the corner. And if you’re hoping to have the most haunted house on the block, it’s worth looking at how today’s best smart home devices can help you achieve your goal. Whether you’re throwing a costume party, spending the night curled up with a scary movie, or expecting to have hundreds of trick-or-treaters lining up at your door, there’s a good chance upgrading your smart gadgets can make the spooky season all the more exciting.

Here’s a look at how video doorbells, smart lights, and other smart devices can help you celebrate Halloween.
Update your video doorbell with a terrifying chime

Read more
This smart water bottle is more useful than I expected
The Water.io water bottle on a tble.

Smart water bottles never seemed like a necessity to me. Instead, I assumed they were overpriced gadgets that didn’t do enough to warrant their price tags. But after checking out the Water.io smart water bottle, I'm starting to change my tune. Let me be clear -- I still don’t think everyone needs to rush out and buy a smart water bottle. However, if you’re a fitness enthusiast or trying to cut back on your soft drink consumption, they might be a good fit.
Just smart enough

Though they may be called a smart water bottles, most of these products don’t actually sync with smart home platforms like Google Home and Apple Home. Instead, they’re “smart” by way of a mobile app. That holds true for the Water.io water bottle. It’s in the app that you’ll enter information such as your height and weight, allowing the water bottle to set a target hydration goal for you. With that done, setting up the Water.io is largely complete.

Read more
This Roborock smart vacuum cleans for up to seven weeks — just $330
The Roborock Q5 Max+ robot vacuum on a white background.

For those who want a hands-free helper in keeping your home's floors clean, you should take a look at robot vacuum deals. Here's one with a 27% discount for a premium model -- the Roborock Q5 Max+ for $330 from Amazon, for savings of $120 on its original price of $450. It's a self-emptying robot vacuum that you won't have to deal with for up to seven weeks, so you'll be able to focus on other chores around the house. You need to hurry with your purchase if you're interested though, as this limited-time offer may disappear at any moment.

Why you should buy the Roborock Q5 Max+ robot vacuum
Most people who are thinking of buying robot vacuums are probably looking for Roomba deals, but we actually gave the top spot in our list of the best robot vacuums to Roborock. That speaks volumes of the quality that you'll get with the Roborock Q5 Max+, which comes with a self-emptying dock that fits a pair of 2.5-liter dust bags. That's enough capacity to hold all the dirt and debris that the robot vacuum picks up for up to seven weeks, so it may take that long before you need to manually dispose of the dock's contents.

Read more