What type of thermostat should I get?

Simple answer? I went with the EcoBee 4.  Why?

When we duplexed our home, it basically created two comfort zones in our home.  I made sure to add extra Return grills to successfully move air around both sides.  But both sides were still heated and cooled by the same unit.  The upper side has two floors, and the lower side has 3 floors.  Not an even split.  Aside from completely redesigning the venting system, I was unable to evenly regulate both sides, as vents going to the basement and top level both came off the same main duct.  So I had to get creative.

EcoBee had a nice feature, it claimed to operate with two comfort zones, no changes to the system needed. You simply stick the thermostat in the main area, and a remote sensor in the other area.  The main thermostat will take readings from both areas and find a happy medium.  This does mean one side may be warmer than the other, but overall it can maintain a more balanced temperature.  After some more tweaking to the flow of air thru my vents, I was able to almost balance the temperature on both sides of the home.

Now, many thermostats offer multi-zoning.  But EcoBee comes with one remote sensor in the package.  The app that it comes with also allows wireless (even remote) access to the system.  I can clearly see what temperature it is in our upper apartment, as well as play around with many other features.  For me, this was exactly what we needed.

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We found the EcoBee 4 with sensor to be the best deal.  The sensor is wireless.  It takes a flat watch battery.  It lasts well over 1 year between battery changes.  The thermostat itself can run many functions. I appreciated it having a humidity sensor on the main thermostat (not the remote sensor tho).  It also can learn your schedule, trying to save you money by maximizing efficiency.  All of which is also completely manageable if you rather it simply blast the heat or cooling instead.  The App is free, and if linked to your wifi, will be controllable from out of town too.  We were able to activate our system while away on vacation for our tenant.

If you furnace is older, and the unit comes with a wire adapter to configure to a simpler furnace system too.  It also comes with Alexa built in if you wish to use her.

Now, if you do not need to have separate zones, you could buy the EcoBee 3 Lite.  It does everything the 4 does, except it doesn’t come with a sensor, and it doesn’t have Alexa built in (but it will work with Alexa/Google Assistant from other devices).

But if you need to have two separate zones like I did, then go with the EcoBee 4 kit, as it comes with the sensor.

Amazon has them for the same price as Costco right now, and it gets delivered to your door!