What will your thermostat be, without the Ecobee Power Extender Kit? You might have noticed that your thermostat comes with a Power Extender Kit (PEK) in the box. But do you know what exactly it does, and how does it works?
This article will enlighten you about the Ecobee Power Extender Kit and the basic things you should know about the Ecobee Power Extender Kit.
The Ecobee Power Extender Kit is a kit of wires that gets installed on your furnace control board and they work by connecting to your home’s existing thermostat wires to create a complete circuit. This complete circuit then provides continuous 24-volt AC power to your thermostat for homes that don’t have a C wire.
Ecobee Power Extender Kit usually comes with your Ecobee smart thermostats, even though you might not necessarily need to use the kit, which is the more you should go through this guide as it will help you determine if you need to use the PEK or not and how to install it if you do.
Do I Need The Ecobee Power Extender Kit?
Usually, smart thermostats require a C wire in their installation process, to provide constant electricity to the thermostat, because even when the thermostat is off, it still needs power to enable it to run the display screen and other essential functions.
So, it is this C wire (also known as a common wire) that helps create a complete circuit that allows 24V AC power from the R wire to flow continuously through the thermostat, and a lot of the time, many thermostats already have a C wire, but if yours doesn’t, then you will need to use the power extender kit because Ecobee Power Extender Kit works just like a C wire, to provide constant power to your Ecobee thermostat.
So basically, Ecobee Power Extender Kit comes in, in the absence of a C wire to enable you to keep your smart thermostats continuously powered. Once you have the four required wires for your thermostat to work with, then you are pretty much good to go.
Just in case you are wondering how to know which wires you have, you can check that by removing your old thermostat from the wall, then checking for a wire labeled C or one that is plugged into the C terminal on the thermostat.
Although the C wire could be any color, more often than not, it is usually blue or black. If after your check, it happens that you do not have a C wire installed, then you will need to use the Ecobee Power Extender Kit and right below, we will discuss how to go about that.
Ecobee Power Extender Kit Requirement
For you to use your Ecobee Power Extender Kit, you will need the following wires;
- The Green colored wire for the fan
- The R, RC, and RH (Red) colored wire for the 24V Power
- The White-colored wire or heat
- The Yellow-colored wire for Air Conditioner
Here are the best Ecobee power extender kit replacement.
How To Install Ecobee Power Extender Kit
The Power Extender Kit is usually installed at the furnace control board and then wired in with the thermostat wires to create a C, so to get your Ecobee Power Extender Kit installed, start by;
- Turning off the power to your HVAC system or furnace and then removing its cover.
- Then endeavor to take a picture of the wires connected to the control board, because you might need to refer to it later.
- Locate where your four thermostat wires (R, G, Y, W) are connected at your furnace control board. Ideally, they should be connected to the appropriate R, G, Y, W terminals on the board. There may be other wires but those are going to your A/C unit, so just let those be.
- From there, you disconnect the four wires from their current location and plug them into their respective terminals on the PEK (R, G, Y, W).
- You will also notice five wires coming off the other side of the PEK (R, G, Y, W, and C) connect these five wires to their respective terminals on the furnace control board.
- At this point, your Ecobee Power Extender Kit should be properly installed.
- Just go ahead and confirm that all wires are securely connected. Then, close the panel on your furnace.
- This should guide you on how to wire your Ecobee;
- R wire to the RC terminal
- G wire to the C terminal
- Y wire to the PEK terminal
- W wire to the W1 terminal
- Lastly, mount your Ecobee on the wall, power up your HVAC system, and your Ecobee will come alive and ready for use.
This is how to get your Ecobee Power Extender Kit properly installed and ready to run. If you are having reservations about installing the Ecobee Power Extender Kit yourself, then you can always hire an electrician to get it done for you.
Models of Ecobee Smart Thermostat
So far, there are three models of the Ecobee smart thermostat, each unique in its way. We have;
- The Ecobee smart thermostat with voice control which is the latest in the block(newly released)
- The Ecobee4(which is the most popular in the pack)
- The Ecobee3 Lite ( which allows you to save cost- budget-friendly)
One thing that is guaranteed with Ecobee smart thermostat is, they will give you a good run for your money. More so, all three models are duly compatible with the Ecobee Power Extender Kit, provided you can install both the thermostat and the Ecobee Power Extender Kit properly but unfortunately, the Ecobee Power Extender Kit is not compatible with other brands of thermostats. I guess it’s a case of go, save yourself.
Ecobee Power Extender Kit, like we earlier mentioned is synonymous with a C wire, but it is only needed when your thermostat does not have a C wire. The PEK works to keep your thermostat continuously powered even when power is out which is what makes it a “must-have”.
So, if you are looking to install an Ecobee smart thermostat, then plan to install the Ecobee Power Extender Kit alongside, to fully enjoy your thermostat.