ecobee

ecobee is a Toronto-based Canadian home-automation company and smart-home brand founded by Stuart Lombard in 2007. It developed its first smart thermostat in 2008 and built its business around the idea that household heating and cooling can be made more efficient through connected controls, occupancy awareness, remote access, and software-based optimization. Its thermostat products can be operated through an integrated touchscreen, a web portal, mobile applications for iOS and Android, and, according to the product ecosystem, Apple Watch access. This combination of local controls and connected software has been central to the brand’s identity. The company’s product range expanded beyond thermostats into temperature and occupancy sensors, contact sensors, smart light switches, indoor security cameras, doorbell cameras, and subscription-based services. ecobee thermostats and cameras can function as hubs for other ecobee devices, allowing the company to present its products as an integrated home platform rather than as isolated appliances. Smart light switches can operate without an ecobee thermostat or camera, although they do not provide the same hub functionality. The company also offers services that connect its hardware with monitoring, automation, and home-comfort features. ecobee’s positioning emphasizes energy conservation, convenience, and a more responsive home environment. Its eco+ software initiative, introduced on a rolling basis from 2019, was designed to personalize thermostat operation according to the conditions and patterns of an individual household. The brand’s connected approach is intended to help users manage heating and cooling remotely while using occupancy information and other inputs to adjust comfort settings. Its Smart Security service extends the same sensor network into self-monitored home security, integrating information from compatible ecobee products. The company broadened its hardware portfolio with the Switch+ smart light switch in 2018, the SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors in 2020, and the Smart Doorbell camera in 2023. The camera portfolio added video, two-way communication, night vision, a wide field of view, and voice-assistant support. The Smart Doorbell also connected with ecobee thermostats by allowing users to view its live feed on a compatible thermostat display. In January 2025, ecobee unveiled the Smart Thermostat Essential, adding another thermostat offering to its established range. ecobee attracted recognition in Canadian green technology and building-automation contexts, including a Deloitte Technology Green 15 recognition and an AHR Expo Innovation Award in 2011. It raised CA$80 million in a Series C financing round in March 2018. In November 2021, Generac Holdings announced an agreement to acquire ecobee for US$770 million; the transaction closed in December 2021. ecobee therefore operates as a Generac-owned brand while retaining its identity in connected home-comfort and home-automation products. The available reference material does not establish a current chief executive, detailed employee structure, or a complete geographic sales breakdown.

ecobee was founded in Toronto in 2007 by Stuart Lombard. The company entered the connected-home market with a focus on smart thermostats, seeking to combine conventional heating and cooling control with network connectivity and software. Its first smart thermostat was released in 2008. Instead of limiting the thermostat to a wall-mounted control, ecobee’s model allowed users to interact through the device’s touchscreen as well as through online and mobile interfaces. This created a foundation for remote management and later integration with other smart-home products. During its early development, ecobee’s identity became associated with energy efficiency and building automation. The company received recognition connected with Canadian green technology, including a Deloitte Technology Green 15 award, and won an AHR Expo Innovation Award in the building-automation category in 2011. These recognitions reflected the company’s effort to position connected thermostats as tools for both household comfort and more efficient energy use. The company subsequently developed a broader device ecosystem. Temperature and occupancy sensors supplemented the thermostat by providing information from locations beyond the thermostat itself. ecobee later introduced subscription services and software features intended to make the platform more adaptive. Its eco+ initiative began rolling out in 2019 and was designed to personalize thermostat behavior according to the conditions of each home. The approach moved the brand beyond simple remote control toward software-assisted household energy management. In March 2018, ecobee raised CA$80 million in Series C financing. Around the same period, it expanded into adjacent smart-home hardware with the Switch+, a connected light switch released on March 26, 2018. The product included a microphone, built-in Amazon Alexa functionality, and occupancy and daylight sensors. Unlike ecobee thermostats and cameras, the Switch+ did not serve as a hub for the wider ecobee ecosystem, although it could operate without either of those devices. On April 15, 2020, ecobee added the SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors. The SmartCamera offered 1080p video, a 180-degree field of view, automatic pan and tilt, Amazon Alexa support, two-way talk, and night vision. The contact sensors extended the platform into awareness of doors, windows, and other points of contact. Together, these products supported ecobee’s Smart Security service, a subscription-based self-monitoring system that uses compatible ecobee sensors and devices as part of a home-monitoring setup. The company continued extending its home platform with air-filter services and a Smart Doorbell camera released in October 2023. The doorbell’s live feed could be displayed on an ecobee thermostat, reinforcing the role of the thermostat as a central home interface. In January 2025, ecobee unveiled the Smart Thermostat Essential, adding a new thermostat model to its product family. A major ownership change occurred in 2021. In November, Generac Holdings announced an agreement to acquire ecobee for US$770 million. The transaction closed in December 2021, making ecobee part of the American power and energy-technology company’s portfolio. The available reference material describes ecobee as continuing under its own brand, but does not provide enough information to document subsequent executive appointments, organizational changes, or detailed operating results.

1. 2025Smart Thermostat Essential unveiled

   ecobee unveiled the Smart Thermostat Essential in January 2025.

   Source
2. 2023Smart Doorbell released

   ecobee released its Smart Doorbell camera, with live viewing available through compatible ecobee thermostats.

   Source
3. 2021Acquired by Generac Holdings

   Generac announced a US$770 million acquisition of ecobee in November, and the transaction closed in December.

   Source
4. 2020Camera and contact-sensor range launches

   ecobee released SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors, extending its platform into video and home awareness.

   Source
5. 2019eco+ begins rollout

   The company began rolling out eco+, a software feature intended to tailor thermostat operation to individual household conditions.

   Source
6. 2018Series C financing and smart-lighting expansion

   ecobee raised CA$80 million in Series C financing and released the Switch+ smart light switch.

   Source
7. 2011AHR Expo building-automation recognition

   ecobee received an AHR Expo Innovation Award in the building-automation category.

   Source
8. 2008First smart thermostat released

   ecobee released its first smart thermostat, beginning its focus on connected heating and cooling control.

   Source
9. 2007ecobee is founded

   Stuart Lombard founded ecobee in Toronto, Canada, establishing the company that would develop connected home-comfort products.

   Source

A connected, energy-conscious smart-home brand focused on intelligent heating and cooling, household sensing, remote control, and integrated home security.

• ecobee Smart ThermostatSmart thermostat2008

  ecobee’s core product family began with the ecobee Smart thermostat in 2008. The thermostats combine an onboard touchscreen with web and mobile control, including applications for iOS and Android and access through Apple Watch. They are designed to manage household heating and cooling while supporting remote access, connected automation, and integration with ecobee sensors and other devices. Later models include voice-control capabilities and can act as a hub for compatible ecobee products.

• eco+Thermostat software and subscription service2019

  eco+ is a software initiative that ecobee began rolling out in 2019. It is intended to personalize thermostat operation to the environmental conditions and usage patterns of an individual home. The service represents ecobee’s effort to add adaptive energy-management features to its connected thermostat platform rather than relying only on manual temperature settings.

• ecobee Switch+Smart light switch2018

  The Switch+ is a connected light switch released on March 26, 2018. It includes a microphone, built-in Amazon Alexa functionality, and occupancy and daylight sensors. The switch can operate without an ecobee thermostat or camera, but unlike those products it does not provide hub functionality for the broader ecobee device ecosystem.

• ecobee SmartCameraSmart home camera2020

  Released on April 15, 2020, the SmartCamera brought video monitoring into the ecobee ecosystem. The stated feature set includes 1080p video, a 180-degree field of view, automatic pan and tilt, Amazon Alexa support, two-way talk, and night vision. The camera can also serve as a hub for other ecobee devices and contributes to the company’s Smart Security service.

• ecobee SmartSensorContact, temperature, and occupancy sensor2020

  ecobee’s sensor products extend awareness beyond the location of the main thermostat. SmartSensor products are used for temperature and occupancy information, while contact sensors monitor whether doors, windows, or other access points are open or closed. The sensors support thermostat automation and can be incorporated into ecobee’s subscription-based self-monitoring security offering.

• ecobee Smart SecurityHome-security subscription service

  Smart Security is a subscription-based self-monitoring home-monitoring system. It integrates sensors and other compatible ecobee products into a security-oriented platform, using the company’s existing thermostat, camera, and sensing ecosystem. The service reflects ecobee’s expansion from heating and cooling controls into broader household monitoring.

• ecobee Smart DoorbellVideo doorbell2023

  The Smart Doorbell camera was released in October 2023. Its integration with ecobee thermostats allows users to view the doorbell’s live feed on a compatible thermostat display, making the thermostat a central interface for another home-security device.

• ecobee Air FiltersHVAC consumable subscription

  ecobee Air Filters is a service associated with household heating and cooling maintenance. The service automatically sends replacement furnace filters when the current filter is identified as needing replacement, extending ecobee’s relationship with customers beyond the thermostat hardware itself.

• ecobee Smart Thermostat EssentialSmart thermostat2025

  The Smart Thermostat Essential was unveiled in January 2025. It adds a newer thermostat offering to ecobee’s established smart-thermostat portfolio, although the available reference material does not provide a full specification or detailed market-positioning description.

• 2023Add a smart doorbell to the ecosystemProduct launch

  ecobee had expanded into cameras and self-monitored security and continued adding household-entry products.

  What changed. The company released the Smart Doorbell camera and connected its live feed with compatible ecobee thermostat displays.

  Aftermath. The thermostat gained another role as a central interface for ecobee home-security hardware.

  Source
• 2021Accept acquisition by Generac HoldingsM&A

  Generac Holdings announced an agreement to acquire ecobee as part of its expansion in energy and connected-home technologies.

  What changed. ecobee agreed to be acquired by Generac for US$770 million. The transaction was announced in November and closed in December 2021.

  Aftermath. ecobee became a Generac-owned brand while continuing to operate under the ecobee name in the available reference material.

  Acquisition value. US$770 million (Announced November 2021; transaction closed December 2021)

  Source
• 2020Build an integrated security platformProduct launch

  ecobee’s thermostat and sensor ecosystem provided a base for extending the brand into household monitoring.

  What changed. The company launched SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors and connected them with its Smart Security subscription service.

  Aftermath. ecobee expanded from climate control into cameras, contact awareness, and self-monitored home security.

  Source
• 2019Introduce adaptive thermostat optimization through eco+Strategy

  The company was developing software features intended to make connected thermostats more responsive to individual homes and environmental conditions.

  What changed. ecobee began rolling out eco+, a personalization and optimization initiative for its thermostats.

  Aftermath. eco+ became part of ecobee’s broader energy-management and subscription-service direction.

  Source
• 2018Expand from thermostats into smart lightingProduct launch

  ecobee had established its brand around connected thermostats and sought to broaden its presence in the smart-home category.

  What changed. The company released the Switch+ smart light switch with Alexa, occupancy sensing, and daylight sensing.

  Aftermath. The launch expanded ecobee’s hardware range, although the Switch+ did not provide hub functionality for the wider ecobee ecosystem.

  Source

• 2025ecobee unveils Smart Thermostat Essential

  The company unveiled the Smart Thermostat Essential in January 2025.

  Product launchProduct generation
  Source
• 2023ecobee introduces Smart Doorbell

  ecobee released its Smart Doorbell camera in October 2023, with live-feed viewing available through an ecobee thermostat.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2021Generac announces acquisition of ecobee

  Generac Holdings announced in November 2021 that it would acquire ecobee for US$770 million.

  M&A
  Source
• 2021Generac completes acquisition of ecobee

  The acquisition of ecobee by Generac Holdings closed in December 2021.

  M&A
  Source
• 2020ecobee launches SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors

  On April 15, 2020, ecobee released its SmartCamera and SmartSensor contact sensors, extending its platform into video and entry or contact awareness.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2019ecobee rolls out eco+ thermostat optimization service

  ecobee began rolling out eco+, a software initiative intended to personalize thermostat operation to a household’s environment.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2018ecobee raises a Series C financing round

  ecobee raised CA$80 million in Series C funding in March 2018.

  Other
  Source
• 2018ecobee expands into smart lighting with Switch+

  The company released the ecobee Switch+ smart light switch on March 26, 2018, adding voice control and occupancy and daylight sensing to its connected-home portfolio.

  Product launch
  Source

1. Ecobee
2. ecobee official website