Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Net loss (Numerator):
Net loss	$ (953)	$ (1,424)
Shares (Denominator):
Weighted average common shares outstanding	4,417	4,395
Shares used in basic computation	4,417	4,395
Common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options (treasury stock method)	0	0
Shares used in diluted computation	4,417	4,395
Net loss per share:
Basic and diluted net loss attributable to Echelon Corporation Stockholders	$ (0.22)	$ (0.32)