We recently replaced an Emerson Sensi Smart Thermostat for an Ecobee Essentials Smart Thermostat and had questions on which wires went to which terminals, but thanks to AI and a little common sense, we were able to correctly wire the new thermostat.
While installing a thermostat is a rather straightforward process not that different than hanging a picture on a wall, identifying where each of the wires goes can be tricky. Thankfully, we had labeled wires from our previous install but due to the terminal labels of the Ecobee backplate having a few different designations, it wasn’t 100% obvious where each wire went, so thankfully AI pointed us in the right direction. Check out the video below or continue reading further down the page
Steps for Installing an Ecobee Essentials Thermostat
1. Unbox Ecobee Smart Essentials and check contents to make sure you aren’t missing anything
2. Kill power to your HVAC system
3. Pull the old thermostat off the wall, most will simply come off as you pull them towards yourself
4. Make note of the wires. If they are not labelled, take the green labels from the Ecobee box and place them on each wire based on where they enter into your existing thermostat backplate. When you are done each wire will have a wire label
5. Loosen the screws holding in the wires of the old tstat backplate and pull the wires out. To be extra careful, avoid allowing the metal ends of the wires (where shielding is removed) to touch. There shouldn’t be power on the lines but in case there is, it’s better to be extra safe.
6. Remove the old backplate
7. Take the Ecobee Essentials backplate and slide the wires through the center hole.
8. Take a pencil and, using the built-in level, mark on the wall where the two holes need to be drilled.
9. Using a 3/16th drill bit drill two holes where the pencil marks are.
10. Insert plastic wall anchors, tap with a mallet or hammer
11. Tighten the two screws into the anchors, this will pull the backplate to the wall. Ensure it is still level.
12. Take a list of the labeled wires and enter them into an AI prompt. Here is an example below:
I have X (number of wires) thermostat wires labeled (wire label 1, wire label 2, etc). Where do I connect each one when installing a (brand and model of your thermostat) thermostat?
13. Take the answers from AI and see if they make sense. If you are unsure, hire a pro who can finish the job, but if you feel confident that AI got it right, proceed to fasten the wires to the locations instructed by artificial intelligence.
14. With the wires fastened, tuck them into the center and slide the Ecobee Smart Essentials t-stat onto the backplate until you hear and feel a solid connection.
15. Return power to the circuit and look for the screen to turn on with a HI greeting. This lets you know you wired it correctly.
16. Proceed to configure the Ecobee by setting schedules and other settings like F instead of Celsius if desired.
