Heating and cooling bills are like getting test scores back, you don't even want to look at that piece of paper because it just might ruin your day. One of the biggest reasons we crank up that A/C is because were not satisfied with the temperature, especially when you go up stairs and it feels like a furnace. The same goes for heating, sometimes it's nearly impossible for all the rooms of your home to be similar temperatures. In order to better regulate indoor climate controls, Canadian company Ecobee, the first to ever create a Wi-Fi connected thermostat, is now making a comeback against its biggest competitor, the Nest thermostat, with its third-generation smart thermostat, Ecobee 3.

Ecobee 3 looks a lot different than its predecessor, which was a white rectangular thermostat sold with patterned and customized stickers to make it look “hip”. Now this little box made a come back, this time sporting a sleek black physique (no need for stickers here), and a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display. Using tiny companion sensors that hang out in designated rooms, Ecobee sends that room's temperature information to the device. Additionally, the sensors know whether or not you are in a room by reacting to activity in the moment. This would work great if you were upstairs in a hotter room. Ecobee could sense that you were there, and cool down the place a couple degrees for you.

Up to 32 independent room sensors can be linked to Ecobee. Once the device learns your habits (which rooms you tend to hang out in the most), the thermostat will optimize for comfort. Ecobee also notices timing patterns. Say you go to bed around 10:30 every night, Ecobee could begin pre-heating the home 30 minutes prior, at 10:00. So far, zone heating and cooling such as this has been used in commercial offices. Ecobee decided to take an old trick and put it to use where it matters most. We're not only talking optimal comfort here, but huge energy savings too. The Ecobee 3 unit runs for $249, and will be available September 29th. It comes with one built-in sensor and one extra battery-powered sensor to put in the room of your choice. Additional sensor packs come in a pair for $80.