Want to automatically set your thermostat to a specific temperature with each booking?
If so, you've come to the right place. AllBooked integrates with smart thermostats, which can be connected through IFTTT to automatically set your spaces to the perfect temperature at the start of each booking—and reset it to default when the booking ends.
Why set this up?
It gives you the best of both worlds. Save on energy costs when no one's using the facility, and create a comfortable experience for your customers during scheduled bookings.
It can also open the door to more revenue by powering a 24/7, 365 operating model—without extra overhead from onsite staff.
Follow this step-by-step guide to set up an IFTTT connection with Ecobee, a smart thermostat system, to adjust the temperature when a booking begins, and reset it when it's done.
What is Ecobee?
Ecobee is a leading provider of smart home technology, and the company you'll be buying your smart thermostat from.
What is IFTTT?
IFTTT is a platform that helps you automate smart devices—like lights, thermostats, and security systems—so everyday tasks are handled for you. It's a simple way to cut down on energy costs and run your venue 24/7. You can think of IFTTT as a middle man that lets two platforms exchange data.
Before starting:
Connect your AllBooked account with Google Calendar to have bookings automatically show up in your Google calendar.
By default, bookings from all spaces are included in your calendar link—unless you uncheck the spaces in your AllBooked account. Follow the instructions below to set up your calendar links, based on which scenario applies to your venue.
Scenario 1: One thermostat per room
If each room has its own thermostat, you’ll need to set up a separate calendar link for each room. See video below for how to select rooms and copy the calendar link.
Important: Bookings can take a while to show up in Google Calendar because of how Google handles syncing. Follow the instructions in this video to run a quick script to speed things up. Here is the code referenced in the video.
Scenario 2: One thermostat controls multiple rooms
If multiple spaces share one thermostat, you’ll need to group their bookings into a single calendar link so the thermostat adjusts correctly. To do this, group those rooms under one calendar link and uncheck all others (see video below for instructions).
Important: You’ll also need to run a Google script to merge overlapping bookings across rooms into a single booking. This ensures the thermostat remains on for the full duration of the overlap. For example, if Studio A is booked from 9:00–10:00am and Studio B is booked from 9:30–11:00am, the script will combine them into one booking from 9:00–11:00am so the thermostat stays on for the full duration.
1. Follow the instructions in this video to set this up.
2. Follow these instructions to add your calendar links to Google Calendar.
3. Here is the code referenced in the video.
As noted in scenario 1, bookings can take a while to show up in Google Calendar because of how Google handles syncing—good news! This script also speeds up bookings in Google.
Purchase the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential and install it. As part of installation, set up an Ecobee account and register your device with it.
Note: You will need to replace your current thermostats with Ecobee smart thermostats.
Download the Ecobee app to your smartphone by visiting the App Store or Google Play.
Note: Do not opt for the free version because automations can take an hour to process.
Required connections for every thermostat
As noted above, each thermostat requires it's own integrations. Create the following two integrations for each thermostat so that temperatures are adjusted with the start and end of each booking.
Connection #1: Set temperature when booking starts
Trigger
Login to IFTTT.
Click Create in upper right hand corner of screen.
Click Add and search for Google Calendar.
Select Any event starts.
Click Connect and login to the Google account that your Google Calendar is associated with.
Under Which Calendar?, choose the applicable calendar.
Set Time before event starts to 0 minutes.
Select Create Trigger.
Delay
Add a short 1 -minute delay to your workflow to give your integrations time to trigger. This is important with back-to-back bookings to give your thermostat time to set, reset, and adjust the temperature exactly as intended.
Click the plus sign and select Delay.
Set the delay to 1 minute and click Apply.
Action
Next to Then That, select Add.
Search for Ecobee.
Select Set Thermostat Indefinite Hold.
Click Connect and login to your Ecobee account.
Under Thermostat Name, select your thermostat.
Under Desired Temperature, set the temperature you want the space to be during bookings.
Select Create Action.
Connection #2: Set temperature back to default when booking ends
Trigger
Click Create in upper right hand corner of screen.
Click Add and search for Google Calendar.
Select Any event end.
Select the Google account that your Google Calendar is associated with (it may already be pre-populated).
Under Which Calendar?, choose the applicable calendar.
Select Update Trigger.
Action
Next to Then That, select Add.
Search for Ecobee.
Select Set Thermostat Indefinite Hold.
Select your Ecobee account (it may already be pre-populated).
Under Thermostat Name, select the name of your thermostat.
Under Desired Temperature, set the default temperature you want the space to be when no bookings in progress.
Select Create Action.
You've successfully configured your Ecobee to switch temperatures with bookings! Should you have any questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@allbooked.com—we're more than happy to help.
FAQs
What if I don’t need the temperature adjusted—say, for example, during internal meetings?
Good news—all you’ll need to do is set up another calendar directly in Google Calendar and use it exclusively for internal bookings (no IFTTT integration required). Simply create the booking in that Google Calendar, share it with your team members, and then block off the corresponding space and time in AllBooked using booking conditions to keep it unavailable to users. Once your meeting's over, just delete the booking condition.
Can I do this with a Microsoft Outlook calendar or do I have to use Google Calendar?
While you can set up this integration the same exact way with your Microsoft Outlook Calendar, it's common to experience a slow sync time with Outlook—bookings generally take about 24 hours to populate. This unfortunately can’t be changed with a script, like it can with Google Calendar.
We recommend testing out how long it takes for bookings to sync with your own Microsoft account and determine a lock-in period to ensure bookings are in Outlook when the workflow is triggered.
What else can I automate with AllBooked?
The possibilities are endless. With AllBooked's integrations feature, you can connect with thousands of popular apps through Zapier—a tool that works like IFTTT to automate your workflows.
Can I send data into AllBooked from other apps?
Not at this moment. AllBooked's integrations are one-way only (from AllBooked to the outside app).