I have a new Ecobee Enhanced model and am wanting to pause or go into eco mode when doors and/or windows are opened for 5 minutes then resume after closing. I’m a newbie to ST. I know I need sensors. I have searched the topic, but what I’m finding is several years old. How do I do this? Pretend I need lots of direction, 'cause I need lots of direction!
Depending on the model, you may or may not have the ability to control many of the advanced features of your Ecobee thermostat. If you go to add a Routine, you can check what actions are supported for the device by going to the “Then” section. For my Ecobee which is approximately 5 years old, it has limited functionality:
Now, since I use Alexa and also have the Alexa ST and Ecobee skills installed, I am using some Alexa routines to modify advanced features such as changing the Comfort Mode when we are away based on triggers from ST.
So, whether you can set the Eco mode or not will depend on whether 1) that is exposed as an action in ST; or 2) you have another way to proxy a triggering event in ST to another platform that can control the thermostat.
Assuming you get some window/door sensors, you should be able to write Routines that, based on the state of the sensors, can either 1) directly change the state of the thermostat (if possible); or 2) change the status of a virtual device that can be used to trigger the state change in another platform.
Once you can tell us a bit more about how your thermostat appears in ST and whether you have other platforms you an leverage, we’ll be able to provide you a bit more guidance.
1 Like
I have an Ecobee 4 that I set up routines to switch off my thermostat when doors or windows are open for 10 min. It’s also announces on my Sonos that the thermostat has been stopped and to close the doors/windows. You could run another routine that would switch it back on when the doors and/or windows are closed. This may require a virtual switch to track that the thermostat was on status.