In the last month, at least two thermostat makers have introduced less-expensive versions of their flagship home wi-fi models. First, Honeywell introduced a $149 version of their Lyric thermostat then ecobee followed with a $169 “lite” thermostat, which is largely the same in functionality as the normal ecobee3 but lacks the remote room sensor that the company has offered for a couple years. As these product makers seek to drop prices while maintaining much of the functionality of their top-of-the-line units, it could open up the connected thermostat market (and any associated energy savings) to a group of consumers who have so far hesitated at the $250 price tag of many smart thermostats.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/honeywell-ecobee-launch-cheaper-yet-sleek-thermostats