Is Nest the Best? A Smart Thermostat that Learns Your Habits
A couple of weeks ago my mom told me that she had purchased a Nest thermostat – I had never heard of it before, and it sounded like something I might like to have in my house. Plus smart thermostats have been a popular item around Salt Lake, and it may be a good way to cost effectively make your home more appealing to prospective buyers. So I decided to check it out.
Nest is a WiFi thermostat that learns your habits as you adjust the temperature and programs itself around your schedule. I’ll admit that at first I was skeptical because when WiFi thermostats were first becoming popular I worked at a company that sold and serviced them, and they were our biggest source of problems. But after a little research, it looks like this technology has come a LONG way since then. Here are ratings of the top WiFi thermostats this year, and it looks like in many categories Nest is indeed the best. When I searched for thermostats that learn like this one does – all that came up was Nest.
Via thermostatic.com
Besides programming itself in response to your temperature adjustments and seasons, Nest also alerts you when it’s time to change your furnace filter, or if the house is getting too hot or cold so that you can address any problems with the furnace or AC immediately. The alerts are sent to your phone, where you can control the temperature on the go, and it can even sense when you leave the house based on your phone’s location so that it can turn down the heat to save energy.
Speaking of saving energy, according to Nest, your heating and cool systems are responsible for half of your energy bill. That’s a lot! The thermostat displays a green leaf to guide you toward more energy efficient temperature settings, and provides an energy report for your home. They claim that on average Nest users save 10-12% on their heating bill and 15% on cooling. So if you’re looking to go green or save some money – it may be worth checking out. Questar Gas will even give you $100 rebate for using a smart thermostat!
The 3rd Generation Nest retails at $249, so after your rebate only $149. I know that still sounds pricey, but when comparing to other WiFi and smart thermostats it’s pretty competitive. Home Depot does have the option of purchasing a refurbished one for $179, and you still get the rebate from Questar.
Many WiFi thermostats are tied into a larger home automation or alarm system, which are very popular here in Salt Lake. The Nest thermostat is compatible with other products, however one big bonus is that it does not require to go all out with a big expensive system, and you can opt to only have the thermostat which can save you a good chunk of change. If you wanted to purchase additional products, it can work with lights, locks, Nest Protect, and even Google Home, so you can adjust the temperature via voice control.
Pretty neat, huh?! I’ll bet we’ll start seeing more of these in upgraded homes around the Salt Lake Valley over the next couple years.