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Daarken
Rara Avises
Premium Member
join:2005-01-12
Southwest LA

Daarken to Krisnatharok

Premium Member

to Krisnatharok

Re: anyone use the NEST thermostat?

I have a Nest.
Sure it costs more then some of the other thermostats out there but its like a certain smart phone.
It is simple to use.
It is absolutely impressive to look at.
It provides you usage reports.
It is remotely accessible via smart phone / internet connection.

In June, my electric bill was lower then the previous year.

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

what's you ROI?

ropeguru
Premium Member
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA

ropeguru to Daarken

Premium Member

to Daarken
said by Daarken:

I have a Nest.

In June, my electric bill was lower then the previous year.

Was the cost you are charged from your electric company the same? Was the temperature cooler, the same, or warmer than last year?

Just because your bill is lower means nothing. Too many variables.

alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

alkizmo to Daarken

Member

to Daarken
said by Daarken:

In June, my electric bill was lower then the previous year.

As others have said, it means nothing to compare one month to another, heck even a year to another year can't compare, temperatures vary too much, and not just vary on average, but WHEN in the day it happens.

High temps during day time on a weekday while the thermostat is set to keeping the temp down to a higher level is different than the same high temperature on a weekend when everyone is home and the thermostat is set to a lower temperature.

Basically a 7 day thermostat that's properly programmed can do an efficient job. A Nest won't make cooling/heating use up less energy.

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

said by alkizmo:

Basically a 7 day thermostat that's properly programmed can do an efficient job. A Nest won't make cooling/heating use up less energy.

supposedly the nest can determine if the house is occupied or not. So it bumps the temperature if the house is unoccupied.

alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

alkizmo

Member

said by AVD:

supposedly the nest can determine if the house is occupied or not. So it bumps the temperature if the house is unoccupied.

If you have a steady work schedule, leaving at the same time and arriving at the same time, then a 7 day programmable thermostat will do the trick.

And I don't believe it can really tell if the house is occupied. It might as well turn off the heating just because you haven't passed by the lobby in a couple of hours during the day, but you're in fact upstairs or in the basement.

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

I don't know what detection system it uses. I would use a bluetooth connectio to my cellphone, or even snoop the wifi network, or if I was really sophisticated power surges or drops in the home power system; but then again I'm not in the overpriced thermostat design business.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

It uses a motion sensor.

If you guys watch the video on their website, it answers many questions.

I'm looking at purchasing the nest when I get a house, just more home automation!

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

they really need a slave unit for each room.
AVD

AVD to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

I'm looking at purchasing the nest when I get a house, just more home automation!

I would think it is better suited for a small apartment.

alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

alkizmo to Gbcue

Member

to Gbcue
I quote the nest website: "Only 10% of programmable thermostats are programmed to save energy, but thanks to learning, 99% of Nests have schedules that reflect their owner's lives --- Nests saves the most when you teach it well"

In other words: People don't program their thermostats, they just adjust it manually every time. Nests learns from manual adjustments so you don't have to make the effort of programming a schedule.

Hmmmm... 250$ so I don't have to set up a 7 day schedule. No thanks.

Though if I had to buy a NEW thermostat.... then MAYBE, but I'd be more inclined to spend 100$ on a 3M filtrete wifi thermostat than 250$ on a little gadget whose novelty wears off quickly for the 9-to-5 5-days-week plain generic schedule people.

ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI

ArgMeMatey

Member

said by alkizmo:

Hmmmm... 250$ so I don't have to set up a 7 day schedule. No thanks.

I agree. Their market seems to be people who find it too cumbersome to program a thermostat. Again, not the folks on this forum.

I did read Pogue's review and check a few questions in their support database.

Keep in mind I am a skeptic when I make these points:
1. It will probably save you money if you don't already actively manage a manual or programmable tstat.
2. It won't save you money if you tweak your settings or if it learns from users who put comfort ahead of savings.
3. It doesn't offer fan programming independent of Heat/Cool settings. Outside of laziness and saving money on software costs, why would they not allow me to set a schedule for circulation?
4. It looks like it has a decent algorithm for W2 (second stage) heat.
5. I don't see any evidence of a heat anticipator algorithm. Honeywell's is not that smart, but better than nothing.
6. I don't see that it has anything like Honeywell's AIR. I don't use it, but, for example, it lets you set the system so that it reaches the set point at 5 PM rather than just turning on the furnace at 5 PM.

For my money, any old 7-day programmable with fan scheduling and auto changeover would fit the bill. I like the outside temp sensors on my T8602Ds.

I do have a Radio Thermostat CT80 on one zone so my wife can control it from her phone. It's far from perfect but slightly cheaper than the Nest. I will concede that had the Nest been available when I installed the CT80, I might have bought it. Now, it's a sunk cost. If you want to buy my CT80, I'll buy a Nest and let you know what I think!

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by ArgMeMatey:

2. It won't save you money if you tweak your settings or if it learns from users who put comfort ahead of savings.

I thought the sole reason for climate control (Heating and Cooling) was comfort and health.

As I've said many times before I heat to 72, 24/7 and cool to 75, 24/7.

I am not so financially destitute that I have to be uncomfortable in my later years just to save a very few dollars if any in reality.

ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI

ArgMeMatey

Member

said by Jack_in_VA:

I thought the sole reason for climate control (Heating and Cooling) was comfort and health.

As I've said many times before I heat to 72, 24/7 and cool to 75, 24/7.

I am not so financially destitute that I have to be uncomfortable in my later years just to save a very few dollars if any in reality.

Jack! What took you so long?

Clearly, you are not the customer the Nest is looking for.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by ArgMeMatey:

said by Jack_in_VA:

I thought the sole reason for climate control (Heating and Cooling) was comfort and health.

As I've said many times before I heat to 72, 24/7 and cool to 75, 24/7.

I am not so financially destitute that I have to be uncomfortable in my later years just to save a very few dollars if any in reality.

Jack! What took you so long?

Clearly, you are not the customer the Nest is looking for.

Reading all these comments I just couldn't resist. My wife and I are both home all the time so there is no reason to nor do we want to vary our temperature. Right now in my computer room it's 75.4 degrees. Very comfortable. We have a programmable thermostat but don't use it. run it in manual set mode. Outside temp according to my NOAA readout is 76.8. Not bad for August 13.

Heck after a lifetime dealing with the high tech process controls and powerhouse operation with co-generation I'm burned out on technology. I don't even turn my cell phone on unless it's a necessity. I refuse to be a slave to a smart phone having to walk, eat and live with one in my hand. I get a kick out of my two son-in-laws. They are eat up with it. Every waking minute they are doing something with them.

ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI

ArgMeMatey to Daarken

Member

to Daarken
said by Daarken:

It provides you usage reports.

Do the usage reports show separate hours of runtime for W1, W2, and Y1? aka Heat 1, Heat 2, Cooling? Do they indicate run start/stop time-of-day?

Those would be useful in plotting runtime vs. time of day, and figuring the ratio of runtime per degree day in a zoned system. I haven't found anything with a sophisticated enough system to give me useful usage reports in a zoned system.