Like many of you, I never really gave much idea to something as bones equally my thermostat. And then long every bit it kicked on the heater or air conditioner when I needed it to, I was happy. Still I'll admit I was a fleck intrigued when I read about the Nest Learning Thermostat when information technology was announced back in October 2022 merely even then, the thought of purchasing one never really crossed my mind.

I followed Nest and the success they were having with their connected thermostat over the form of the past two years and after making the decision to replace all incandescent low-cal bulbs in my apartment with energy efficient LED units, I as well decided it would be as good a fourth dimension every bit any to see exactly what the Nest was all almost.

The Nest Thermostat is currently in its 2d revision and has been for a little over a year now. When asked almost a possible third generation unit, a representative for Nest's PR bureau told me they had nothing to share on the subject and were instead focusing their efforts on the Nest Protect. Fair plenty.

With that knowledge in mitt, I felt less apprehensive about buying something that was already a year old. And fifty-fifty if a new model was on the horizon, the Nest had to exist better than the basic not-programmable Honeywell model I've been using for the by v years.

A quick check of Nest's online compatibility checker revealed my heating and cooling systems were indeed compatible with Nest's offering. An order for the thermostat was placed presently thereafter.

Installation and Setup

The Nest arrived in a chocolate-brown cardboard box with a basic slide-on sleeve. I one-half expected a bit more flare from the retail packaging of a production co-designed past former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers but and so over again, perhaps they're confident plenty in their production that they don't need to oversell users on the packaging.

You'll find everything y'all need to get started within the retail box including the thermostat itself, the mounting base, all of the necessary mounting hardware like wall screws and optional steel plate screws, a screwdriver, a trim kit, an optional mounting bracket and detailed installation instructions.

Nest claims most users can install the thermostat themselves in thirty minutes or less. Bated from the included installation manual, Nest has an installation video on their website and a detailed .PDF file to assist walk you through the process. In the event you don't want to try and tackle the projection yourself, you tin observe a certified installation professional straight on the visitor's website. Pricing will vary by company, of form, and nearly every service provider in my area needed to exist contacted directly for pricing.

Instead of installing the device past myself, I recruited a friend with an electrical background to lend a hand. In retrospect, I could have easily done it myself but something well-nigh working directly with electricity scares me.

Later cutting ability via the circuit breaker, we removed the onetime thermostat, connected 4 wires to the mounting base, attached the included trim kit and and so plugged in the Nest. The trim kit will likely be a necessity for nearly users as I constitute a gaping hole in the wall later removing my stock thermostat. Perhaps if you were edifice a new house or relocating your thermostat controls, a trim-free installation would suffice but otherwise, the trim piece volition be needed.

Nest thoughtfully included a bubble level directly on the mounting base of operations to help ensure you don't fudge upwards the installation in terms of beingness aligned properly. Zilch perturbs me more than seeing something installed kleptomaniacal (think bumper stickers, window decals, framed photos) then having a level built in was a prissy added touch.

In one case continued, the Nest enters setup mode where you tin can input basic data like heating and cooling preferences, wireless settings and location data. It'd probably be a skilful idea while in the settings to check for a firmware update. Nest has been known to roll them out occasionally and of grade yous'd want to get-go with the latest and greatest.

Features

The Nest features a respectable color display although it isn't impact-enabled. Instead, the outer metallic ring of the thermostat is used to control everything. Spin the dial right or left to bike through menu options in the direction you wish to travel. To make a selection, only press the dial toward the wall.

The display remains off to conserve energy while you are not interacting with information technology yet when you arroyo, the screen comes to life courtesy of a built-in proximity sensor. The backlighting matches the system yous are controlling at any given time – orange for heat, bluish for air or blackness when neither system is selected. Well-nigh carte du jour options are either blue or white and are all tasteful and like shooting fish in a barrel to read.

Another nice feature is the fact that the Nest doesn't require any batteries. Not that replacing the batteries in my old thermostat one time every twelvemonth or then was a elevate, only information technology'due south one less thing I have to worry with now.

After configuring the Nest and connecting to your home Wi-Fi network, you lot can command the thermostat remotely from your estimator, smartphone or a tablet either by visiting Nest's website or downloading the app for your mobile device.

You'll need to give the Nest a solid week or so to acquire your habits, a feature known as Nest Sense. The unit of measurement includes three temperature sensors also as a humidity sensor to help accurately guess the temperature inside your domicile.

I suspect virtually people operate on a pretty routine schedule in which they wake upwardly, go to work so come home in the evening and repeat the process once more the next 24-hour interval. The weekends volition probable be a crapshoot simply the good affair is yous tin can ever manually accommodate temperatures as yous run into fit.

One time Nest has learned your schedule, it volition begin to make adjustments on your behalf. For example, if y'all typically pass up the heater / Air conditioning during the day while at piece of work or turn it off completely, Nest will learn this behavior and save you from having to do it each mean solar day. A one-off change won't throw off Nest'south learned behavior but if yous consistently modify temperatures a few days in a row, it'll take hold of on and adjust automatically.

Another do good of Nest Sense is the fact that when you conform the temperature, it'll give you an guess of how long information technology'll take to reached the desired temperature.

The trouble with many programmable thermostats on the market is that they can be so difficult and time consuming to prepare upward and maintain that many people oftentimes grow tired of fooling with it and revert back to manually adjusting temperatures. Nest Sense finer eliminates this nuisance.

In the event y'all have children or plan to install the device in a public location such as a business organisation, y'all can enable a 4-digit Pivot lawmaking to forbid anyone from tampering with temperatures. That'd be much more user-friendly than having to lock controls behind a box like I've seen in countless stores.

Another nifty feature is the Nest Leaf, an icon that appears when y'all brand an free energy-efficient temperature change. For example, if you typically run your AC at 73F during the day only decide to manually conform the air to a warmer temp or turn information technology off completely, yous'll earn a Leaf as an indication that yous're saving free energy and ultimately, coin.

Nest keeps track of how many Leafs (that's correct, not Leaves) you earn per calendar month, a figure that is reported in each monthly free energy report. For some, earning Leafs can be a fun way to salvage energy – think of them as an achievement in a game.

Nest owners can also have advantage of Airwave, described by the company equally exclusive software algorithms designed to automatically lower air conditioning costs. To understand how Airwave works, yous need a basic understanding of the Ac system in your home.

Your air-conditioning system is comprised of two energy-consuming components: the compressor and the fan. The compressor uses a not bad deal of energy while the fan sucks down very little power. While many thermostats simply reach a desired temperature then turn off completely, the Nest is unlike.

The compressor coils can remain cold for five to x minutes later on your AC shuts off. To take advantage of this, Airwave will turn off your compressor when the organisation is close to the desired temperature but go along to run the fan to use the common cold compressor coils to their maximum potential. All of this happens automatically in one case the relative humidity in your home reaches a certain level and things are timed just correct then that you all the same reach your desired target temperature merely without consuming as much free energy to practice and then.

Usage, Findings and Decision

I've been using the Nest for nearly two months now and without jumping right to the conclusion, I can say it is an fantabulous and well-rounded product in terms of hardware as well every bit software.

I was initially drawn in past the lure of lowering my monthly energy bill but unfortunately, I'thousand unable to determine if that's actually happening or not. This time a twelvemonth ago, I was living past myself but at present with a girlfriend staying in more often than non, that means more cooking, more laundry and more energy usage in general, so of grade I'm using more than ability and my pecker is higher than it was a year ago.

To go a somewhat accurate assessment of whether or not the Nest is saving me a considerable corporeality of money, I'd demand several more than months of usage information so I could compare yr-over-yr with and without the Nest based on my current living system.

With free energy usage existence inconclusive, the second major selling point for me was the ability to control the thermostat remotely via my smartphone. I can't count how many times I've left home for an extended period of time and forgot to turn off the AC / heater. There'south no sense in cooling or heating my pad when I'm not in that location and that'south just coin down the drain.

That's no longer a business organization as I tin can adjust the thermostat anywhere I have an Cyberspace connection. This is useful for the above mentioned situation but for many others besides. For instance, now that information technology's getting cold out, it'll be overnice to kick on the heater a few minutes before I arrive home from running errands for the day.

But above all else, I simply honey existence able to adapt the thermostat without having to go out of bed. I like it really cold when I slumber at night so I set the air to 64F before bed. The problem with this is that it's ever ice common cold when I crawl out from under the covers in the morning. Not anymore – I simply plough off the AC when I wake upward, turn on the heater and wait a few minutes before getting upward. Ahh, perfection!

When I outset started using the Nest, the mobile app was extremely lacking. It looked as though the company simply whipped something up overnight with simply the almost basic of controls. A recent update, however, remedied this trouble and now the app looks great. Unfortunately, Nest didn't practise a corking job of making it clear how to access some settings which left many users frustrated. The about recent update pushed out just a few days agone makes these features more visible, we're told.

I've always been curious just how frequently the AC kicks on at night while I sleep, specially during the wintertime when information technology'due south already really cold exterior. Thanks to Nest'southward daily energy history reports that are accessible from the thermostat, the mobile app or online at Nest's website, I now know the answer.

The energy report gives a breakup of how much time was spent heating and / or cooling your home each day. Excavation in deeper, you can meet exactly when each system turned on and how long it ran for as well as learn about any factors that may have affected usage that day (higher or lower than boilerplate temperatures in the region, for example).

My only complaint virtually the free energy history written report is that it but dates dorsum ten days. It'd be much more than useful if Nest could provide a monthly breakdown at the very least and preferably, have your unabridged energy history on tap to view. With any luck, this volition be addressed in a hereafter update.

All things considered, I'g happy with my Nest buy. The device affords a level of convenience that just wasn't possible with my bones Honeywell thermostat. Sure, there are other connected thermostats on the market place but even some that are priced in the same range as the Nest don't come up shut to matching information technology in terms of aesthetics. It looks right at home in my living room.

I can't speak to the performance of other smart thermostats but I tin say the Nest is incredibly easy to utilize. Afterward all, it programs itself automatically during the first week of use. How many other devices can say that?

Aside from the aforementioned energy history limitations, the just other metric that volition probable go along more people from purchasing a Nest is the price tag. At $250, it is much more expensive than a bones thermostat or even a mid-range programmable device. But in my eyes, this is another case of getting what you pay for and the Nest is a winner in my volume.

Pros: Sleek design, piece of cake to install, piece of cake to use, learns your heating and cooling habits, can be remotely controlled via a smartphone or browser.

Cons: Expensive, free energy history written report but dates dorsum 10 days.