The Nest Thermostat

[Wylaco]

Anyone use it? Looking for some different ideas for presents. Anyone have any thoughts? Pretty cool for a programable T-Stat I guess?

Here is a link if you are not familiar with it.


https://nest.com/

 

[schmelpboy]

If you do a quick search, this has been discussed before, probably around last Christmas. You'll get both sides of the argument and some alternative choices.

For me, it's NEST all the way. I have one, and have 2 of the CO2 detectors, but that is just one person's opinion.

 

[bzinsky]

It's a great present, but only if they have a C wire. If not the recipients will probably be wanting an even larger present by having you run 24 volts to it.

It's a fancy looking wifi thermostat IMO, but fancy looking shouldn't be discredited, it's just expensive.

That's a pricey present, I'd think an engraved bottle of blue label would go over better for less money lol.

 

[Trey T]

I'm at home on consistent schedule and I can't justify spending money on Nest thermostat ($150 for 2nd gen @ low discount) when I already have a typical programmable thermostat. The "smart" thermostat is not much smarter than my cheap Honeywell programmable thermostat. My home is outfitted w/ smart switches, outlet, and sensors controlled by Vera 3 (Z-wave technology) and I understand home automation but Nest for me is not yet justifiable.

Nest thermostat is still "stupid" because it only sense the temperature and movement in one area. If Nest have ways to learn where the people are located at certain time and changes the temperature accordingly, that's a true "smart/learning" thermostat. To get to that "smart" level, air ducts must be outfitted w/ flow regulator to balance the temperature across the entire house.

 

[scoob8000]

I've looked long and hard at nest. Then looked elsewhere, and back again.

There are a few other alternatives worth looking into. (Ecobee and Honeywell wifi tstats).

There's always a few stickig points that keep me from buying any of them. Mostly dependency on their servers for remote connectivity.

Now that Google owns nest, should they nix the project you could end up with no remote control functionality. But this seems to be the case with any "smart" thermostats.

 

[oscar80]

My first Gen broke twice and I gave up. Great idea but from my understanding the nest is fragile.

 

[tyndall]

I love the look of the Nest but after owning one I couldn't wait to be rid of it. If all you care about is energy savings, Nest is for you. If you put comfort over savings, it ain't.

After years of customer complaints, Nest still won't let you set the temperature spread between on and off. Their excuse is that it prevents damage due to cycling. Yet HVAC manufacturers that build their own thermostats allow tighter spreads.

It still doesn't know how to deal with cold weather and a multi-stage furnace. When warming up the house in the morning it will try to heat >5 degrees on the first stage only. It puts savings over comfort every time.

Another odd one is you better hope your home wireless network is compatible. A lot of popular brands aren't. What happens is the Nest keeps the connection open instead of going into low power mode. The extra load on the processor generates a bit of heat that then makes the thermostat think the room is warmer than it is. Oops.

Just a few reasons why you don't buy a critical environmental device from a company with no prior experience designing such devices. Honeywell and Ecobee might not be as pretty, but at least you can count on them.

 

[Jobes]

I have a first gen and second gen love them both

 

[wyattoil]

I have the 2nd gen, bought it mainly to control via app and because it also controls our whole house humidifier. Love it.

 

[Trey T]

If I didn't have a programmable thermostat, I would go w/ the Nest in a heart beat - NO DOUBT!

It's sleek, it works well, and it's easy to use.

 

[Peters44]

Just installed a new NEST thermostat to my hot dawg heater and couldn't be happier.
This thermostat works best for me because I can turn on the heat from work on my iPhone to heat up the garage before I get home. Thermostat can be shut completely off or set at desired temperature.
Very easy to install.

Peter

 

[Kainedogg]

Just installed a new NEST thermostat to my hot dawg heater and couldn't be happier.
This thermostat works best for me because I can turn on the heat from work on my iPhone to heat up the garage before I get home. Thermostat can be shut completely off or set at desired temperature.
Very easy to install.

Peter

Same here. I love mine. I keep my Malamute in an airconditioned bathroom outside and it's cool to be able to modify the temp as needed while at work. Also great way to piss the wife off (Don't do it)

 

[Scott65]

One in the house and one in the garage. Easy to control, learning feature is nice as well as the auto away. Thermostat should be in a high traffic area for it to function as intended. They have consistently added functionality and improved the software over time. I am sure that there may be a "smarter" option but this does everything that I need and the price when compared, option for option, with some of the others available make the Nest the clear winner. iPhone app to control Nest sense and other functions is easy enough for a child to use.

 

[shaun oriold1]

I've got two as well, in separate houses. 1 house is used an office, and its nice to turn the heat off if nobody is there for an extended period of time without having to go the the house.

We didnt want to buy a second one, as at the time we were ordering them from the US- before it was available here in Canada) so we tried the honeywell one from HD which is wifi compatible. I was a pain in the *** to install, and after 2 hours I gave up. It required me to re-wire something in my furnace. I ordered a nest, and installed it in 2 minutes, and its flawless.

Both mine are 1st generation. My new house is going to get one too! After using it, you cant go back.