Smart Thermostats Make Home Heating Sexy

Thermostats are like light bulbs, they haven't changed very much in years (the white sphere circle that gives actual and desired room temperatures was invented in 1953). Why? Because most thermostats are installed by home builders or HVAC (heating, ventilation and air condition) contractors and they're looking at the cost to build a house, not the utility bills that will ultimately be paid by homeowners.

We've had programmable thermostats for some time. Now someone from the technology world, Tony Fadell who worked on the iPad and iPhones, has introduced an innovative thermostat that makes controlling your home's temperature easy! The Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart thermometer that lets you program it … or it will program itself. It addresses the problem we've had for years — most people didn't learn how to use their programmable thermostats, so they didn't save you money.

Want to learn why you want to buy one or more of these thermostats?

Smart Thermostats are Like Smart Phones

Yes, programmable thermostats have been around a long time but they were difficult to use. My handyman technicians were often asked to help a homeowner set them up … and that was a challenge as they're all different. Now that we're getting used to all sorts of new applications that come on our smart phones, it shouldn't be a surprise that this same technology can be applied to other parts of our lives … our appliances, our cars and now, our thermostats.

Many homeowners have been wasting money for years, heating or cooling our homes unnecessarily when our thermostats aren't set correctly … or maybe you had a tight budget and had to live in a house that wasn't quite warm (or cool) enough? Suppose you could save money and live more comfortably?

Nest claims you can achieve up to 20% more savings on your heating and cooling bills, with a correctly programmed thermostat. On PC Magazine's review of the Nest Learning Thermostat, one Las Vegas homeowner with 2 Nest thermostats said he'd “… carefully programmed programmable thermostats for decades … and in the first 7 full months of use, his electric and natural gas bills were $620 less than the previous year. Most of this was electric for air conditioning”

New, Innovative Thermostats Learn from You

Unlike older programmable thermostats that you have to tell when to turn on and off, the Nest Learning Thermostat remembers what temperatures you like based on the temperature adjustments you make — time of day, day of week, temperatures selected. After  installation, you'll set the temperature for a few days to show the Nest what you like and then it will create a custom schedule for your home and takes over raising and lowering your thermostats. It can also sense when people are around or absent, and adjust the temperature accordingly.

Maybe you decide to leave work early? You can control the thermostat remotely, from a web app or your smart phone so get on the road and turn the temperature up for a warm, toasty home when you get there. Or maybe you're headed to the airport and no one will be home for the next 4 days — you can turn the temperature down to save energy and money.

Nest Thermostats Encourage Energy Efficiency

You probably don't have time to record your monthly utility bills (I don't) so you're never really sure how much you're spending. You get tools to help you learn your heating and cooling habits — a monthly energy report that shows when you were heating/cooling your home, along with trends in energy use and tips to use less energy. To remind you, there's a green Nest Leaf that tells you when you've selected a temperature that will help you save money, and the environment.

For those already saving money, please share your story below. If you're ready to order your Nest thermostat … be sure to order a 2nd generation thermometer (Amazon has them) or ask your questions below, to make your decision.

When are you getting your Nest thermostats?

… or tell us why you won't buy one.

For fun I searched Pinterest to see who's talking about thermostats and I do understand that many topics I write about aren't that sexy but they are important! This was a good lesson for me as I learned about another “smart thermostat” from Ecobee, so here's a video from their website. I've ordered both thermostats and plan to my experience with both of them soon, and now is good because we've still got snow on the ground in New Hampshire.