The short version: The EcoNet Smart Thermostat is Rheem’s touchscreen Wi-Fi thermostat, notable for being one of the only thermostats built to also monitor a Rheem water heater from the same app. It’s sold mainly through HVAC dealers rather than retail, so independent owner reviews are limited. Based on the spec sheet and manufacturer/industry coverage we could find, it’s a capable, straightforward smart thermostat best suited to households already invested in Rheem equipment.

A note on sourcing: Rheem sells the EcoNet primarily through its dealer network, with limited retail availability (some listings on Amazon.com). That means there isn’t a large base of independently verified owner reviews to draw on. This review leans on the manufacturer’s stated features and general category performance rather than owner sentiment we couldn’t verify.

Who It’s For

Homeowners with Rheem HVAC equipment, and especially those who also have a Rheem EcoNet-enabled water heater and want both appliances visible in one app. It’s a reasonable general-purpose forced-air thermostat too, but its standout feature (cross-appliance monitoring) only pays off if you have compatible Rheem equipment elsewhere in the house.

Design, Setup & Compatibility

The EcoNet uses a full-color touchscreen designed for minimal-click navigation — the interface aims to reduce the number of taps needed for common actions like adjusting temperature or switching modes. It supports humidity monitoring alongside standard heating/cooling control. Installation is generally handled through a Rheem dealer alongside HVAC work; as with any contractor-channel thermostat, confirm C-wire and system compatibility with your installer before purchase, since Rheem doesn’t publish the same self-service compatibility checker that retail brands like ecobee do.

App & Ecosystem

The EcoNet app covers scheduling, energy monitoring, utility program enrollment, and real-time alerts, and supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control. Rheem markets EcoNet as the only thermostat platform that can also monitor and control a compatible Rheem water heater’s temperature and system status from the same app — a genuinely differentiated feature if you have Rheem water heating equipment, since heating, cooling, and water heating together account for most of a home’s energy use.

We didn’t find a substantial base of independent, verifiable owner reviews (forum threads, professional review-site testing, or aggregated retailer ratings) specific to the EcoNet thermostat. Treat the app-quality and reliability claims above as manufacturer-stated rather than independently confirmed.

Price & Value

Rheem EcoNet Smart Thermostat
Price (USD) Roughly $180-$260, often installed through a dealer
Warranty Follows Rheem’s standard terms — confirm with your dealer
Subscription No subscription required for core app features

As with most dealer-channel thermostats, get a written, itemized quote separating thermostat cost from installation labor if you want to compare pricing across contractors.

Pros & Cons

Pros:
– Full-color touchscreen designed for quick, low-click navigation
– Unique cross-appliance monitoring with compatible Rheem water heaters
– Alexa and Google Assistant support
– Energy monitoring and utility program enrollment built into the app

Cons:
– Sold mainly through dealers; limited retail availability
– Independent owner reviews are scarce — hard to verify real-world reliability
– Full water-heater-monitoring value requires owning compatible Rheem equipment
– No public compatibility checker comparable to retail competitors

The Recommendation

If you already have (or are installing) Rheem HVAC and/or water heating equipment, the EcoNet is worth asking your installer about, mainly for the combined-appliance monitoring. If you don’t have Rheem equipment elsewhere in the home, there’s no strong reason to seek this out over a retail thermostat with a larger independent review base, like ecobee or Honeywell. Given the thin independent review pool, ask your installer for recent customer references before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Rheem EcoNet thermostat control a water heater too?
It can monitor and interact with a compatible Rheem EcoNet-enabled water heater from the same app, alongside standard HVAC thermostat functions.

Is the EcoNet thermostat sold at retail?
Mostly no — it’s sold primarily through Rheem’s HVAC dealer network, with limited listings on Amazon.com.

Does the EcoNet thermostat work with Alexa and Google Assistant?
Yes, both are supported through the EcoNet app.

Why can’t I find many owner reviews of this thermostat?
It’s a dealer-channel product without the retail sales volume (and public review counts) of brands like ecobee or Nest, so independent buyer feedback is inherently limited.