Setting Up ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium with Home Assistant

Step 1: Choose Your Integration Method

The ecobee can connect to Home Assistant two ways:

Option A: HomeKit Controller (Recommended)

Local control, no cloud dependency. The ecobee exposes itself via HomeKit, and Home Assistant’s HomeKit Controller integration picks it up.

Option B: ecobee Cloud Integration

Uses the ecobee API for cloud-based control. Provides room sensor data but depends on ecobee’s servers.

Step 2: HomeKit Controller Setup

1. Go to Settings > Devices & Services
2. Click Add Integration and search for “HomeKit Controller”
3. The ecobee should appear as a discoverable device
4. Enter the HomeKit pairing code from the ecobee app (Settings > HomeKit)
5. Confirm the pairing

Step 3: ecobee Cloud Setup (Alternative)

1. Go to Settings > Devices & Services
2. Click Add Integration and search for “ecobee”
3. Follow the OAuth flow to authorize Home Assistant
4. Grant access to your ecobee account

Step 4: Configure Climate Entities

After integration, you’ll have:

• climate.ecobee_thermostat — Main thermostat control
• sensor.ecobee_temperature — Current temperature
• sensor.ecobee_humidity — Current humidity
• Room sensor entities (if using cloud integration)

Step 5: Create Climate Automations

automation:
  - alias: "Lower heat when everyone leaves"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: group.all_people
        to: "not_home"
    action:
      - service: climate.set_temperature
        target:
          entity_id: climate.ecobee_thermostat
        data:
          temperature: 62

Troubleshooting

HomeKit pairing fails: Reset the HomeKit pairing on the ecobee (Settings > HomeKit > Reset) and try again. Ensure your HA instance and the ecobee are on the same network subnet.

Room sensors not appearing: Room sensors are only exposed via the ecobee cloud integration, not HomeKit Controller. Switch to the cloud integration if you need room sensor data.

Temperature readings lag: HomeKit Controller polls periodically. For faster updates, use the cloud integration or add a dedicated temperature sensor near the thermostat.