Most smart thermostats draw power from a Common wire or rewiring your HVAC with adapters. Even with adapters, those thermostats often only work in a 4-wire modern HVAC system. But Crestron’s new $599 smart thermostat works with just two wires; no common wire or battery needed.
While Crestron’s Horizon smart thermostat is far more expensive than the competition, it’s compatible with more homes than most of its competitors. It will work even in a two-wire line voltage system, whereas most smart thermostats (including Nest and Ecobee) expect at least four wires and prefer a fifth common wire to draw power.
In Nest’s case, it uses a battery backup to forgo the common wire and recharges that during heating and cooling cycles. Ecobee thermostats come with an adapter system you need to install to overcome a lack of common wire, which can be difficult. You’ll open your HVAC system, disconnect wires, and wire the adapter into the system. Neither option works with a two-wire line voltage HVAC system.
If you don’t have a common wire or have a two-wire line voltage HVAC, the Crestron Horizon Smart Thermostat can work in your home. You’ll need add-on adapter, but it’s as simple as connect your two wires to the adapter, then connect the adapter to the thermostat. It’s small and easy to install. And, unlike Ecobee’s adapter, works in line voltage homes, the types that tend to rely on electric heating (like baseboards).
As for the Horizon Thermostat, you’ll find most of the usual smart thermostat options. That includes a 3.5-inch touch screen that wakes when you approach it, app control for scheduling and remote controls, wi-fi capabilities, and more. If you have other Crestron smart home products, it will integrate with them as well. And thanks to its touchscreen, you can get a weather forecast right on the thermostat. It comes in almond, white, or black.
At $599, the Horizon Thermostat is more expensive than Nest or Ecobee, but if you have a two-wire line voltage system, it will work without expensive retrofits to your HVAC, whereas the others won’t. You can pre-order it from Creston’s site today.
