How to calibrate an ecobee
Use Temperature Correction, found on the thermostat itself under Main Menu > General > Settings > Installation Settings > Thresholds. It adjusts the sensor reading up or down by as much as 10°F. The setting is not available in the ecobee app, and ecobee says to change it only when the reading is off by a consistent amount.
What does Temperature Correction do?
It shifts the thermostat's own temperature reading by a fixed amount. The thresholds support page describes it as a setting that "Adjusts the temperature sensor (+/-10F/5.6C) reading for greater accuracy." So the most you can add or subtract is 10°F, which is 5.6°C.
That is the whole of what ecobee publishes about the range. The page does not give the step size, and it does not state the default value. If you want to be able to undo a change, write down the value shown before you touch it.
Note where it lives: under Installation Settings, next to the thresholds that control your equipment, not in the everyday preferences.
Where do you find the setting?
On most models the path is Main Menu > General > Settings > Installation Settings > Thresholds. On the Lite and Essential models the path is shorter: Main Menu > Settings > Installation Settings > Thresholds. Temperature Correction is in the list on that screen.
You have to do this at the wall. The thresholds page says: "Adjustments to thresholds can only be made on the ecobee thermostat itself, you cannot access via the ecobee app." If you look for the setting in the phone app, you will not find it.
The same screen holds settings that control how your heating and cooling equipment runs. The company adds a warning for that whole screen: "If you're unfamiliar with the capabilities of your HVAC equipment, we recommend contacting ecobee Support for assistance before making any changes." Change Temperature Correction and leave the neighboring settings as they are.
When should you change it?
Only in one situation. The thresholds page puts it this way: "Only adjust this if your temperature is a consistent -/+ amount from the actual temperature."
Consistent is the important word. Compare the thermostat with a reliable thermometer placed next to it at a few different times. If the gap is the same each time, a correction makes sense. If the gap grows in the afternoon, shrinks at night or jumps when the system starts, a fixed correction cannot follow it. The cause is something that changes during the day, and a correction would make the reading right at one moment and wrong at others.
What should you rule out before calibrating?
The ecobee page on inaccurate temperatures lists several reasons the number on the screen can look wrong while the sensor itself is fine.
- SmartSensors are averaging. If you have SmartSensors, the displayed temperature is the average of all the sensors currently participating. A cooler bedroom sensor pulls the number down. Check which sensors are taking part at Main Menu > General > Sensors before deciding the thermostat is off.
- The humidity adjustment is on. With the eco+ feature "Adjust the Temperature for Humidity" turned on, the screen shows a "feels like" temperature and the eco+ logo appears. That number is not a sensor reading, so calibrating against it gives the wrong result.
- The thermostat is in a poor spot. ecobee names return vents, windows, doors and direct sunlight as locations that make readings inaccurate. If you cannot move the thermostat, the company suggests using SmartSensors as the only temperature reading instead.
- Air from inside the wall. ecobee says the most common installation cause is air from the wall cavity behind the thermostat reaching the sensor. That is a job for the installer or a licensed HVAC technician, not something to fix with Temperature Correction.
How remote sensors and the thermostat sensor share the job is covered in room sensors vs the thermostat sensor.
What else is on the Thresholds screen?
Two other entries also deal with sensor readings. The support page describes all three briefly and publishes a range for only one of them:
| Setting | What the support page says it does | Range(°F) | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature Correction | Adjusts the temperature sensor reading for greater accuracy | minus 10 to 10 | Not stated |
| Humidity Correction | Adjusts the humidity sensor reading for greater accuracy | Not stated | Not stated |
| Thermal Protect | Sets the temperature reading difference that triggers ignoring an inaccurate sensor reading | Not stated | Not stated |
Thermal Protect is easy to confuse with calibration. Going by ecobee's description, it does not shift a reading; it decides how far apart readings can be before the thermostat treats one as inaccurate and ignores it.
What happens if the correction is set wrong?
Every reading the thermostat takes from its own sensor is shifted by that amount, and it stays shifted until someone changes it back. A correction entered in the wrong direction doubles the error instead of removing it. If the screen suddenly reads far from what you feel, and nobody moved the thermostat, check this value before anything else.
Calibration only fixes a steady offset in the reading. If the number is right but the room still is not comfortable, the cause is elsewhere: see why the room never matches the set temperature. For a general look at why thermostats of every brand disagree with thermometers, and how other brands offset their reading, see thermostat shows the wrong room temperature. The ecobee-specific version of that problem is on ecobee temperature different from the room.
For more ecobee settings and messages, see the ecobee hub.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I calibrate my ecobee from the app?
- No. The support page for thresholds says adjustments can only be made on the ecobee thermostat itself and cannot be accessed through the ecobee app. Go to the thermostat and open Installation Settings, then Thresholds.
- How far can Temperature Correction move the reading?
- Up to 10°F (5.6°C) up or down, according to the support page that lists the threshold settings. The page does not say what step size the setting uses or what its default value is.
- Why does my ecobee show a different number than its own sensor measures?
- With SmartSensors, the screen shows the average of every sensor currently participating, not the thermostat alone. If the eco+ option to adjust the temperature for humidity is on, the screen shows a "feels like" value and the eco+ logo.
- Should I call ecobee before changing Temperature Correction?
- If you are not sure what the threshold settings do, yes. The company recommends contacting ecobee Support before making changes on that screen if you are unfamiliar with the capabilities of your heating and cooling equipment.