Having a Smart Thermostat is a must for any Smart Home, and Ecobee is one of the best options on the market. Traditional thermostats are installed with the wiring from your home, so the power needs to be turned off for the process. But what about the Ecobee thermostat? Can you install it without turning off the power?

The good news for homeowners is that you can install the Ecobee thermostat without turning off the power. And, the even better news is that you can install the Ecobee thermostat yourself.

Now that you’ve made the (fantastic) decision to install a smart thermostat and you’ve chosen Ecobee, it’s time to get the process started. Keep reading to find out how to install the Ecobee thermostat without turning off the power.

Installing the Ecobee Thermostat Without Turning Off the Power

We’ve established that the process to install an Ecobee thermostat is quite simple, and you can do it yourself… without turning off the power to your home. Up next, we’ll outline the steps you need to take to install the Ecobee thermostat without turning off the power.

You will need to turn off the power to your home’s HVAC system. Go to the breaker box and make sure you switch the appropriate breaker into the OFF position.

Fixing the Base Plate on the Wall

To fix the base plate on the wall, you can proceed with the steps below:

  • Take the base plate of the Ecobee and place it on the wall where you desire the thermostat to be. And as you do this, the wire will start entering the hole in the center. Level the arrangement with a built-in leveler at the bottom. And from there, make use of a pencil to mark where the two screws need to go – one has to be at the bottom, and another one must be at the top.If you see a stud just behind the wall where you need the screw to go in, then pilot holes will have to be drilled first before you screw in the base plate. There are drywall anchors in the installation kit, so depending on the location of your Ecobee, you might need to use those too.Once you are good to drive the screws in (you would need a drill for this activity), position the base plate back on the wall where you need it to be and then feed the wires through the hole. Pick the two screws and then drive them properly inside the wall, but you will need to ensure that the plate actually remains leveled as you do this. Make sure that you screw the top screw first, and then do adjustments to make the base plate level out before you proceed to screw in the bottom screw.

Adjust the Wires Inside the Base Plate

Now, the next thing is to plug the wires inside the base plate. But before you do this, you will have to check whether there is a need to install the Power Extender Kit (PEK) included in the pack.

  • The PEK is actually a small device that can be installed on the furnace unit through the circuit board and will help adds a “C” wire to the whole setup if your setup does not already have a “C” wire. If the setup does not have a C wire, then it is necessary to install the PEK.The good thing is that your Ecobee thermostat will come installed with the C wire, so there may not be any need to install the PEK.The last step is to plug the C wire inside the base plate of the Ecobee, and there you have it.Since you did not turn off any circuit and you didn’t remove the device from the wall socket, the Ecobee will turn on automatically installed.

Is it Safe to Install the Ecobee Thermostat While the Power is On?

As long as you follow the proper protocol in turning off the HVAC system, then you can install the Ecobee thermostat safely without turning off the power to your entire home. However, this is also all contingent upon how safe you are during the installation process, including following all of the other safety protocols in the directions.

Conclusion

Now that you have seen how to install the Ecobee thermostat in your home, regulating your house’s temperature becomes a lot easier. Just remember you do need to shut off power to your HVAC system before you install, but you don’t need to turn off the power to your entire home.