If you own an ecobee4 or ecobee SmartThermostat, you already know they have Alexa built-in and integrated. That means you have hands-free control of any Alexa device directly from your thermostat without the need for any other Alexa enabled unit.
But what voice commands are there and what voice control possibilities are there with these ecobee smart thermostats? I’m going to cover the list of commands you can use with Alexa and your ecobee devices.
If you have any device that uses Amazon Alexa Voice Service, such as the Echo Show 10 or Echo Dot, you can utilize this function to control your thermostat.
What Alexa Voice Commands Work With ecobee?
Once you have Alexa enabled on your thermostat, there are a host of commands you can use to control your ecobee.
You can adjust and check temperatures. If you have more than one thermostat or different sensors, then Alexa will allow you to control these devices individually.
Imagine having remote control over your thermostat settings, thermostat schedule setup, and even play music from your Amazon Music collection.
- Related Articles: Best Smart Thermostats for Alexa
“ecobee” vs “ecobee Plus” Skill Commands
ecobee has two Amazon Alexa Skills that you can utilize with ecobee. The original skill was simply called “ecobee” and allowed you to ask Alexa to perform basic functions like checking and controlling the temperature.
The more recent Skill is named “ecobee Plus.” The Plus offers far greater functionality and control sets.
One other point to note when using the skills is that the “ecobee” skill sets simply requires you to say “Alexa, what’s the thermostat temperature?”
Whereas with the “ecobee plus” skill, you will need to say, “Alexa, ask ecobee what the thermostat temperature is?”
You should be aware that when you change the temperature using an Alexa command it overrides any existing schedules and will continue keeping that temperature for the duration of your thermostat’s “Hold Period.”
To adjust the Hold Action Duration:
- Enter the Settings menu in the app, web portal, or thermostat (ecobee thermostat screen)
- Navigate to Preferences
- Select Hold Action Duration and adjust as desired
Let’s take a look at more voice control commands with ecobee vs ecobee Plus to better understand the differences in how you talk to Alexa.
ecobee Skill Commands List
Checking the Temperature
- Alexa, what’s the temperature?
- Alexa, what’s the (sensor or thermostat name) temperature?
- Alexa, what is the thermostat set to?
- Alexa, what is the (thermostat name) set to?
Setting the Temperature
- Alexa, set the thermostat to (desired temperature)
- Alexa, set (thermostat name) to (desired temperature)
Adjusting the Temperature
- Alexa, raise(or lower) the thermostat by (desired number) degrees.
- Alexa, raise (or lower) the (thermostat name) temperature by (desired number) degrees.
- Alexa, increase (or decrease) the thermostat temperature.
- Alexa, increase (or decrease) the (thermostat name) temperature.
ecobee Plus Skill Commands List
Checking the Temperature
- Alexa, ask ecobee the temperature
- Alexa, ask ecobee the (thermostat or sensor name) temperature
- Alexa, ask ecobee what the thermostat is set to
- Alexa, ask ecobee what the (thermostat name) is set to
Changing the Temperature
- Alexa, ask ecobee to set the temperature to (desired number) degrees
- Alexa, ask ecobee to set the (thermostat name) temperature to (desired number) degrees
Decreasing or Increasing the Temperature
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m hot
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m hot in the (thermostat name)
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m cold
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m cold in the (thermostat name)
- Alexa, tell ecobee to raise (or lower) the temperature by (desired number) degrees
- Alexa, tell ecobee to raise (or lower) the (thermostat name) by (desired number) degrees
Resuming or Cancelling the Schedule
- Alexa, tell ecobee to resume schedule
- Alexa, tell ecobee to resume schedule in the (thermostat name).
Comfort Settings, Sleep and Home Settings
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m back home.
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m back home in the (thermostat name).
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m leaving.
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m leaving in the (thermostat name).
- Alexa, tell ecobee good night.
- Alexa, tell ecobee good night in the (thermostat name).
- Alexa, ask ecobee to set the thermostat to home or away or sleep.
- Alexa, ask ecobee to set (thermostat name) to home or away or sleep.
Checking the equipment
- Alexa, ask ecobee what equipment is running.
- Alexa, ask ecobee what equipment is running on the (themostat name).
Fan Commands
The following Alexa commands are for controlling the fans. Do note that these commands won’t work if the ecobee is set to OFF for system mode.
- Alexa, ask ecobee to turn the fan on.
- Alexa, ask ecobee to turn the fan on in the (thermostat name)
System Mode Commands
- Alexa, ask ecobee to switch to auto/cool/heat/off.
- Alexa, ask ecobee to switch to auto/cool/heat/off in the (thermostat name)
Vacation Commands
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m going on vacation.
- Alexa, tell ecobee I’m going on vacation from (start date) to (end date) in the (thermostat name).
Other Alexa Voice Commands and Bonuses
Of course, Alexa is more than just a useful voice addition for your ecobee. It doesn’t just make adjusting your heating as simple as issuing a voice command.
With Alexa and the built-in speaker that the ecobee4 and ecobee SmartThermostat have, you can check the weather, play music, hear Alexa’s jokes, and stay up to date on the news.
You can also search for additional add-on skills on Amazon’s site.
Top Useful Phrases for Alexa Voice Commands
In this section we cover how to perform a few basics like adjusting the volume when listening to music, or just ask “Alexa, what can I say?” to get suggestions from her.
- Alexa, turn up (or down) the volume
- Alexa, set volume to (number between 1 and 10)
- Alexa, what time is it?
- “Alexa, stop.”
Listen to Music and Media
You can listen to music playlists directly through your ecobee4 or SmartThermostat. However, at the time of writing this was limited to Amazon Music Library (available with an Amazon Prime membership), iHeart radio and TuneIn, with Spotify also supported on the SmartThermostat. You can also listen to audiobooks if you are subscribed to Amazon’s service.
Apple Music is not supported on any ecobee device.
Useful commands include: –
- Alexa, play some music
- Alexa, play (Song name)
- Alexa, play (Artist name)
- Alexa, shuffle
- Alexa, Stop shuffle
- Alexa, resume
- Alexa, stop
Ask Alexa: Questions and Answers
With Alexa, your ecobee thermostat can also act as a book of knowledge, your own encyclopedia. It’s an internet device, so Alexa will search the internet for answers.
Try some of the following commands:
- Alexa, what is the Spanish word for thanks
- Alexa, Wikipedia (Subject name)
- Alexa, how do you spell (word)?
Get Weather Forecasts
Before you can access location-based services and features, you need to allow Alexa access to your location details. To do this use the Alexa app or the Alexa web portal and login with your Amazon account. Once you have done this follow the instructions below: –
- Enter the Settings menu
- Select your Alexa or ecobee from the devices list
- Select “Device Location”, “Device Time Zone,” to set your location and time zone. If you want, you can also set the default measurement units from the same menu.
Once you have done this, Alexa will be able to provide you with a local weather forecast.
Examples of commands you can use are:
- Alexa, what’s the weather forecast?
- Alexa, will it snow tomorrow?
Add Tasks to To-Do and Shopping Lists
Alexa can also store shopping and to-do lists. Useful commands for this feature include:
- Alexa, add (item/task) to shopping/To-do list
- Alexa, what’s my shopping/To-do list?
You can also access your lists through the Alexa app or Alexa web portal.
Manage Your Calendar and Events
To activate Calendar service and features, you will need to synchronize Alexa to your calendar first.
Here are the steps to synchronize:
- Open the Alexa app or logon to the Alexa web portal
- Enter the Settings menu
- Select the Calendar and email option
- Then select the appropriate provider and follow the on-screen instructions to link it with Alexa
Once you have done this you can check or add items to your calendar using the following commands:
- Alexa, what’s on my calendar for tomorrow?
- Alexa, add an event to my calendar
- Alexa, add (name of event) to my calendar for (day and date) at (time)
For more Alexa articles, check these out:
