Best Smart Thermostats for Heat Pumps and Electric Baseboard Heat

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Most of a smart thermostat's saving comes from setbacks happening reliably — overnight and when nobody is home — which a programmable thermostat can also do if someone actually programs it. The premium is worth it when the household schedule is irregular, when the thermostat's room isn't representative of the house, and above all on a heat pump.

On a heat pump with electric backup, the wrong thermostat costs money. A large recovery from a setback calls auxiliary heat, which is electric resistance at roughly three times the running cost of the heat pump. What prevents that is a thermostat that starts recovery early and ramps gently, and one that lets you lock out auxiliary heat above an outdoor temperature. Every low-voltage pick here does both, and supports reversing-valve (O/B) control, auxiliary and emergency heat, and dual fuel.

Check your wiring before you buy. Most smart thermostats want continuous power from a C (common) wire, and many older heat pump installs have no spare conductor at the thermostat. Pull the old thermostat off the wall and photograph the terminals: each maker's online compatibility checker tells you what works with what you have.

Electric baseboard heaters are a different system. Their thermostats switch 120 or 240 V directly, so a furnace or heat pump thermostat will not work and is not safe there. Baseboard heat needs a line-voltage thermostat rated for the heaters it controls, which is why it has its own pick on this page.

How we picked

Heat pumps: O/B reversing valve, staged auxiliary and emergency heat, and an outdoor-temperature aux lockout the owner can set
Early or adaptive recovery, so the heat pump — not the strip heat — brings the house back up after a setback
Dual-fuel support for heat pumps paired with a furnace
A stated answer for homes without a C wire
Remote room sensors, for houses where the thermostat's room isn't representative
ENERGY STAR certified; no subscription needed for heating and cooling control
Baseboard: rated for line voltage and for the total wattage of the heaters it switches

We do not accept payment for placement and we do not publish star ratings we did not measure. Specifications come from each manufacturer's published spec sheet.

Side by side

Product	Type	Best for	Systems	Certification	Warranty	Heat pump controls	Early recovery	Outdoor temperature	In the box	No C wire	Built in
ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium	Smart thermostat (24 V) with room sensor	A heat pump with electric backup, especially in a house where the thermostat's room isn't representative	24 VAC; heat pump 2H/2C + 2 aux stages; dual fuel; up to 4H/2C	ENERGY STAR	3-year limited	O/B; outdoor aux lockout; compressor min outdoor temp	Pre-Heat / Pre-Cool	Online weather	SmartSensor, Power Extender Kit	Power Extender Kit (needs R, G, Y, W; not dual-transformer or heat-only)	Radar occupancy, humidity, air quality monitor, smart speaker (Alexa Built-in, Siri)
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)	Smart thermostat (24 V) with room sensor	A heat pump home without a C wire that wants a remote sensor	24 V (20–30 VAC); heat pump with aux + emergency heat; dual fuel	ENERGY STAR	2 years (retail purchase)	O/B; Heat Pump Balance; aux lockout (default 40 °F); compressor lockout	Early-On	Online weather	Nest Temperature Sensor (2nd gen)	Not needed in most homes (Google: under 1% need one)	—
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced	Smart thermostat (24 V)	A heat pump with a single stage of backup heat, on a budget	24 VAC; heat pump 2H/2C + 1 aux stage; dual fuel; up to 3H/2C	ENERGY STAR	3-year limited; 5 years when installed by a pro	O/B (shared W2/OB terminal); outdoor aux lockout; compressor min outdoor temp	Pre-Heat / Pre-Cool	Online weather	Power Extender Kit (sensors sold separately)	Power Extender Kit (not dual-transformer or heat-only; drops accessory control)	Radar occupancy, humidity, temperature
Mysa Smart Thermostat V2 for Electric Baseboard Heaters	Line-voltage smart thermostat (120–240 V)	One room of electric baseboard heat, replacing a dial or basic line-voltage thermostat	Line voltage 120–240 VAC: electric baseboard and fan-forced heaters	UL 60730	5-year coverage	—	—	—	—	—	—

The picks

#1 · Smart thermostat (24 V) with room sensor

ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium

Check price on Amazon(paid link)

ecobee's top thermostat: heat pumps with two stages of auxiliary heat, an outdoor-temperature aux lockout, a remote SmartSensor in the box, and the Power Extender Kit for homes without a C wire.

Best for: A heat pump with electric backup, especially in a house where the thermostat's room isn't representative

Systems: 24 VAC; heat pump 2H/2C + 2 aux stages; dual fuel; up to 4H/2C
Heat pump controls: O/B; outdoor aux lockout; compressor min outdoor temp
Early recovery: Pre-Heat / Pre-Cool
Outdoor temperature: Online weather
In the box: SmartSensor, Power Extender Kit
No C wire: Power Extender Kit (needs R, G, Y, W; not dual-transformer or heat-only)
Built in: Radar occupancy, humidity, air quality monitor, smart speaker (Alexa Built-in, Siri)
Certification: ENERGY STAR
Warranty: 3-year limited

Both heat-pump settings our guides ask for: an outdoor-temperature lockout for aux heat and early recovery that lets the heat pump, not the strips, bring the house back up
Two stages of auxiliary heat, so larger strip heaters stage in rather than all at once
A remote sensor in the box — the thermostat can follow the bedroom at night instead of the hallway
Power Extender Kit included for homes without a C wire

The aux and compressor thresholds are set on the thermostat's installation menu, not in the app
Not for line-voltage systems (electric baseboard), millivolt heaters or proprietary communicating equipment
Intruder and smoke-alarm alerts need a paid ecobee Smart Security plan; heating and cooling don't

Read the full write-up →

#2 · Smart thermostat (24 V) with room sensor

Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)

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Google's learning thermostat, sold with a Nest Temperature Sensor, that works without a C wire in most homes and adds Heat Pump Balance and an adjustable aux lockout for heat pumps.

Best for: A heat pump home without a C wire that wants a remote sensor

Systems: 24 V (20–30 VAC); heat pump with aux + emergency heat; dual fuel
Heat pump controls: O/B; Heat Pump Balance; aux lockout (default 40 °F); compressor lockout
Early recovery: Early-On
Outdoor temperature: Online weather
In the box: Nest Temperature Sensor (2nd gen)
No C wire: Not needed in most homes (Google: under 1% need one)
Sensors: Up to 6 Nest Temperature Sensors per thermostat
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4 / 5 GHz; works with Google Home and Matter
Certification: ENERGY STAR
Warranty: 2 years (retail purchase)

Works without a C wire in nearly every home, per Google — the easiest retrofit on an older heat pump
Heat Pump Balance and an adjustable aux lockout give heat pump owners direct control over when backup heat runs
Temperature sensor in the box, expandable to six
Matter support, so it isn't tied to one smart-home ecosystem

Heat Pump Balance isn't available on dual-fuel systems; the switchover is set manually, and Google strongly recommends a professional install for dual fuel
Not compatible with high-voltage systems such as electric baseboard, or with proprietary systems
2-year retail warranty, shorter than ecobee's 3 years

Read the full write-up →

#3 · Smart thermostat (24 V)

ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced

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The same ecobee heat-pump logic — outdoor aux lockout, Pre-Heat recovery, dual fuel — with one stage of auxiliary heat, the Power Extender Kit, and room sensors sold separately.

Best for: A heat pump with a single stage of backup heat, on a budget

Systems: 24 VAC; heat pump 2H/2C + 1 aux stage; dual fuel; up to 3H/2C
Heat pump controls: O/B (shared W2/OB terminal); outdoor aux lockout; compressor min outdoor temp
Early recovery: Pre-Heat / Pre-Cool
Outdoor temperature: Online weather
In the box: Power Extender Kit (sensors sold separately)
No C wire: Power Extender Kit (not dual-transformer or heat-only; drops accessory control)
Built in: Radar occupancy, humidity, temperature
Certification: ENERGY STAR
Warranty: 3-year limited; 5 years when installed by a pro

The same outdoor aux lockout and Pre-Heat recovery as the Premium
Dual fuel supported
Power Extender Kit included, and a 5-year warranty with a professional install

One stage of auxiliary heat only — a system with two aux stages needs the Premium
No sensor in the box; SmartSensors are an extra purchase
No speaker or air quality monitor (it works with Alexa and HomeKit as an integration)

Read the full write-up →

#4 · Line-voltage smart thermostat (120–240 V)

Mysa Smart Thermostat V2 for Electric Baseboard Heaters

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A line-voltage smart thermostat for electric baseboard and fan-forced heaters, rated 16 A — 3,800 W at 240 V — with schedules, geofencing and energy charts, and no subscription.

Best for: One room of electric baseboard heat, replacing a dial or basic line-voltage thermostat

Systems: Line voltage 120–240 VAC: electric baseboard and fan-forced heaters
Max load: 16 A — 1,900 W at 120 V, 3,800 W at 240 V, for all heaters on the thermostat combined
Min load: 250 W
Circuit: Install on a 20 A breaker
Wiring: Needs a neutral or L2 wire (3–4 wires); single-pole internally
Features: Schedules, geofencing, humidity sensor (±2%), energy charts and monthly report
Works with: Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home; Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz
Certification: UL 60730
Subscription: None
Warranty: 5-year coverage

Built for line voltage — the only kind of thermostat that is safe on a baseboard heater
Tight electronic control instead of a dial's wide swings, which our baseboard guide credits with less overshoot
Per-room schedules make baseboard heat's real advantage — heat only the rooms in use — automatic
No subscription, ever, per Mysa

Not for low-voltage (24 V) furnaces, central air or heat pumps, millivolt gas fireplaces, boilers or electric in-floor heat
Needs a neutral or L2 wire at the box, and the heaters on it must total 250–3,800 W at 240 V
Line-voltage wiring: if you aren't comfortable working on a 240 V circuit, have an electrician fit it

Read the full write-up →

Working out what you need before you buy? Read the heating, cooling & water heating guides.