There are going to be times when you may need to reset your ecobee smart thermostat. Any number of reasons could lead you to needing to reboot or factory reset your device.
In this article, I detail the main reasons to reset your ecobee and the methods you can use to achieve it.
These instructions are relevant for ecobee’s thermostat portfolio: ecobee3 lite, ecobee4, and ecobee SmartThermostat.
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Why Reset An ecobee Thermostat?
Some of the main reasons you may need to reset your ecobee are detailed below.
1. Wi-Fi Not Connecting – Your ecobee may lose its Wi-Fi connection, which hurts its main feature as a wireless thermostat. Sometimes the solution to this issue is to reset your ecobee.
2. Moving House – If you are moving to a new house and taking your smart thermostat, then it will need to be set up for your new house and HVAC system.
3. The Thermostat Isn’t Functioning Correctly – All thermostat models can malfunction, like most electronics. Resetting your ecobee in these circumstances is sometimes the best solution.
4. Selling Your Thermostat – If you are selling your ecobee, it’s good practice to reset it first. The device is going to a new home after all.
What To Know Before Resetting An ecobee Thermostat?
There are some options to select from when resetting your thermostat. Depending on which of these you select will erase various settings and preferences on the thermostat.
Here’s a quick guide to the reset options available and what you should be aware of before selecting each option.
1. Reset All (Factory Reset) – Selecting this option will wipe your ecobee clean and return it to factory default settings. This selection will also delete your ecobee account and all preferences, thermostat settings, HVAC equipment settings, and other configurations that were set up. With a factory reset, it’s important to note that the ecobee will need set up from scratch again, so always note down any settings you may want to reconfigure.
2. Reset Schedule and Preferences (Schedule Resetting and Preference Settings) – This option will reset your schedule and preferences. This includes your current schedule and preferences, such as the date and time, hold action, location, and temperature range. Your thermostat will retain some information, such as your account details and equipment configuration.
3. Reset Registration (Registration Resetting) – This option is useful for changing the email address or password associated with your ecobee, without erasing your account. Also, this option will not affect other settings like schedule, preferences, or equipment configuration.
Whichever method you select, I’d recommend writing down settings that you don’t want to lose, just in case.
I’ve experienced freezes in the past during resets with other devices and I had to do a factory reset in the end to start the devices up again. That’s never fun.
How To Reset Your ecobee Thermostat
All the following steps can be performed using either the touchscreen on the thermostat itself, the ecobee mobile app, or the ecobee website. The steps are identical whichever method you choose to perform the reset.
Reset All (Factory Reset)
This is the reset method that is best used only if you are selling the ecobee on, or if other reset methods haven’t corrected a recurring problem with your ecobee.
As noted, if you are using this method to correct a problem, then it is essential to keep a record of any configuration settings you want to keep before performing the reset. There might be some custom comfort settings you want and you’ll need to reconfigure those settings again.
1. From the touchscreen, select the Main Menu option.
2. Select the Settings option
3. From within the Settings menu, select the Reset menu
4. Select the option labeled Reset All
Your ecobee will now restore itself back to the default factory settings.
Reset Schedule and Preferences
Selecting this method can be useful if you want to start fresh with configuring more comfortable settings with temperature and schedule, but don’t want to start from complete scratch.
Maybe you purchased ecobee’s SmartSensors (temperature sensors) on Amazon and want to reset settings with the new sensors. Here’s how to reset the settings:
1. From the touchscreen, navigate to the Main Menu option.
2. Choose Settings
3. From within this screen select the Reset menu
4. Select Reset Schedule and Preferences
The ecobee will now reset these settings and they can be reconfigured as desired.
Reset ecobee Registration
This option should be used to reset details of your account like password or email, without actually deleting your account or any other settings held by the thermostat.
1. From the interface, select the Main Menu option.
2. Navigate to the Settings menu
3. Choose the Reset option
4. Select Reset Registration and follow the onscreen instructions to reset your email or password as desired.
How to Reboot Your ecobee
The steps detailed above showed how to reset your ecobee, but you might not need to do any resets and erase preference settings. You can sometimes start with a simple reboot. It’s like restarting a computer.
This should not remove any of your settings, however, it’s still a good idea to make a note of these before performing this step.
One complaint that some users have with the ecobee though is the lack of an easy way to simply reboot through the app or device itself.
Here are a couple of the reboot methods.
1. Method 1 – Pull the breaker that controls your HVAC system. This will cut the power to both your HVAC system and the smart thermostat. Leave the breaker turned off for at least 30 seconds before restoring power.
2. Method 2 – Remove your ecobee from its wall housing. This will cut the power to the device. Leave it removed from the wall for at least 30 seconds before placing it back in the housing.
Either of those should reboot your ecobee.
How to Reset ecobee Without Password or Access Code
What if you purchased a used ecobee thermostat and the previous owner’s information is still on it, including an access code?
You’ll need the access code to be able to perform the reset steps above. You won’t be able to reset the ecobee on the device otherwise.
If you want to reset on ecobee’s website, you’ll need to have it registered to your email account. So you have a couple of options here.
- Previous Owner Resets: Ask the previous owner perform a Reset All (factory reset), so all the information is wiped.
- Change Email Account to Yours: Ask the previous owner to change the email account associated with the ecobee to you. That will give you access to the ecobee and you can reset it on the ecobee.com or mobile app without the access code.
If those both fail, you can try contacting ecobee support and asking them to reset the ecobee.
Final Thoughts
If you are selling your ecobee or simply want to reconfigure it from scratch, then these are simple steps that can be easily followed.
However, like all devices, ecobee thermostats can glitch from time to time. In these cases, following these instructions may resolve the issue. It is best to try the less comprehensive reset options before using the “Reset All” option.
If you continue to have issues after performing a reset, then ecobee support is always on hand to help.
If you’re having other issues with the ecobee, check out these articles:
