Anyone using a NEST

thsmith

Just installed one in my house today.

Very well thought out from packaging, install, tools, setup and function.

Pricey for a thermostat but I bet it pays for itself before summer is over.

Kewl factor is off the charts.

Syndil

Not a NEST, but a fully-programmable (7-day, 4-period) thermostat.

They can save you money, but it isn't guaranteed. I've got an electric heat pump and if I let the temp fall too low in the winter it will put it into emergency heat mode when it comes back on, which causes the electric meter outside to spin like a top. So I keep it set at a constant temp 24/7. Costs me far less to maintain a temp than it does to change the temp. Might work better for you if you have gas heat.

thsmith

Heat is not ths issue in Texas it is AC.

I had one of 7/4 programmable thermostats too but it is not smart enough to know I have left the house amoung other things.


At about 1.5 times the price of my Honeywell I think the NEST is still worth the price of admission.

nooshinjohn

Rather than forcing us to conserve everything fom electicity to paperclips, they need to turn the juice back on and build some more powerplants.

VR3

Some reason this makes me think of the Umbrella Corporation and that creepy little girl hologram.. lol

DMara

I'm used to walking over the thermostat to turn it up before leaving the house, so I guess I can live without this NEST :biggrin:

nooshinjohn

DMara wrote: »

I'm used to walking over the thermostat to turn it up before leaving the house, so I guess I can live without this NEST :biggrin:

+1,000,000

If I can adjust the temp through my I-phone, that means the Government can do so as well. If I want my living room to be colder than a meat-locker, that's my choice. I fear that soon enough though such devices will be made mandatory so Al G. can fly over in his mega jet and see what temp you have set, then turn off your power for using too much.

thsmith

You guys crack me up.

I am digging it.

thsmith

http://reviews.cnet.com/appliances/nest-learning-thermostat/4505-17889_7-35179222.html?tag=rvwBody;paginate

exalted512

Co-worker of mine has one. I think it's cool. i like that you can remote in to it and change the temp, that way it'll be cool when you get home if you're on a short vacation or something.
-Cody

thsmith

nooshinjohn wrote: »

+1,000,000

If I can adjust the temp through my I-phone, that means the Government can do so as well. If I want my living room to be colder than a meat-locker, that's my choice. I fear that soon enough though such devices will be made mandatory so Al G. can fly over in his mega jet and see what temp you have set, then turn off your power for using too much.

Sounds like something that COULD happen in Cali.

Must be daunting to have such fears about our goverment, I think you give them to much credit personally.

Anyways, It surprises me you even have internet and would post on any forum with those concersn.

Its just a freaking thermostat with a very high cool factor that I like.

exalted512

You can just leave with that type of logic thsmith. You're making entirely too much sense to be talking about government conspiracy.

-Cody

Dave918

I installed one a few weeks ago. It pretty much has the schedule built now, although I did have to make some tweaks. Will be interesting to see how it does this summer. The Airwave feature is cool and really seems to work. The enhanced history is also pretty handy.

thsmith

One thing I have notice is how much more accurate the temp gauge is and how it stays closer to the set temp than my Honeywell. The Honeywell seemed to get to warm before turning on AC and too cool by the time it turned it off.

So far the NEST seems to cycle more often but for shorter periods.

Dave918

That's where I've noticed the Airwave helping out, keeping it from running the temp down a degree or two below the set temp. Mine seems to be running less while maintaining the set temp better. I'll know more once I have a full month of data.

thsmith

Dave918 wrote: »

That's where I've noticed the Airwave helping out, keeping it from running the temp down a degree or two below the set temp. Mine seems to be running less while maintaining the set temp better. I'll know more once I have a full month of data.

WHere do you live ?

Dave918

thsmith - looks like we will be dealing with about the same amount of heat this summer. I'm about 3 hours north of you in southeastern Oklahoma.

mdaudioguy

Syndil wrote: »

Not a NEST, but a fully-programmable (7-day, 4-period) thermostat.

They can save you money, but it isn't guaranteed. I've got an electric heat pump and if I let the temp fall too low in the winter it will put it into emergency heat mode when it comes back on, which causes the electric meter outside to spin like a top. So I keep it set at a constant temp 24/7. Costs me far less to maintain a temp than it does to change the temp. Might work better for you if you have gas heat.

Why have a programmable when you leave it on a constant temp??

Btw, the NEST seems pretty cool to me.

Syndil

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Why have a programmable when you leave it on a constant temp??

When I first got it I had it programmed to change the temp throughout the day based on who was home. Quickly learned that was not doing me any favors on my electric bill. So yeah, I don't really need a programmable one now. Although it does have a handy feature I still use called autochange. It automatically switches itself between heating and cooling without me having to press anything on it. I basically never have to touch my thermostat again.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Right now I have an electronic thermostat with an LCD readout in our condo, but it's not programmable. Think this will drop in, or are there special requirements?

Dave918

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Right now I have an electronic thermostat with an LCD readout in our condo, but it's not programmable. Think this will drop in, or are there special requirements?

Drop in for most systems. They have pretty detailed information on compatibility on their web site. I even sent them a photo of my wiring so that they could confirm.

DMara

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Right now I have an electronic thermostat with an LCD readout in our condo, but it's not programmable. Think this will drop in, or are there special requirements?

http://support.nest.com/#compatibility

exalted512

Yup, I've heard it's pretty much drop in and the installation is damn near idiot proof. My co-worker that has one didn't push one of the wires in all the way and it told him "hey stupid, you forgot a wire"...or something along those lines.
-Cody

mrbiron

That thing looks pretty sweet. I have an HVAC guy coming over to do the final wiring on my newly installed condenser. Once he's set and has the wiring correct, i may think about picking one of these gizmos up!!

thsmith

The video on CNET pretty much sums it up. The only way it could be easier would be to have legs and hand built in that would climb out of the box and install itself.

THe base even has a level built in. In case the area around the old stat is unpaited they provide 2 different base plates to mount the unit that covers up the unpainted area.

thsmith

Dave918 wrote: »

thsmith - looks like we will be dealing with about the same amount of heat this summer. I'm about 3 hours north of you in southeastern Oklahoma.

We are moving to Kansas City so I will be about 5 hours North of you.

Since my son will be renting our house in Plano and paying the utilities I figured this would help cut the cost.

mark090852

I've been reading some very good reviews of the "Nest" and certainly am impressed by the "wow" factor. We heat and cool with two heat pumps, each with its own zone. I think I'm going to get one, for one of the zones, and give it a try.

mark090852

Now that you have had it for almost 6 months, what are your thoughts on it? I'm going to be getting a 2nd generation Nest very soon and wonder if it has lived up to your expectations so far?

thsmith wrote: »

Just installed one in my house today.

Very well thought out from packaging, install, tools, setup and function.

Pricey for a thermostat but I bet it pays for itself before summer is over.

Kewl factor is off the charts.

breal74

When we purchased our house five months ago I installed a first gen on our 15 year old heat pump before it died 3 weeks later. Had a new Trane heat pump and two stage air handler installed and the first gen was not compatible so we were stuck with the Trane theromstat until the second gen came out. The wife hated that thing! It was a little confusing to use after you get use to the Nest. We have used the second gen Nest now for a little more than a month and could not be happier. Once you install it you will wonder why it has taken so long to make such an easy to use energy saving thermostat. It is simply awesome!

rpf65

First time I ran into one of those was about 1 1/2 years ago. I asked the customer if I could remove it, and look a little more. I had 2 comments on that one; for the price you would think it would be compatable with 2 stage cooling and 3 stage heating, and it would have an auto change over function.

I did think it was pretty cool looking, but they still have a ways to go before becoming as good as Carrier Infinity/Bryant Evolution. Of course those 2 are specificallly designed for a particular series of furnaces/air handlers. On the plus side the nest has a internet ad, while infinity/evolution doesn't.

tonyb

nooshinjohn wrote: »

+1,000,000

If I can adjust the temp through my I-phone, that means the Government can do so as well. If I want my living room to be colder than a meat-locker, that's my choice. I fear that soon enough though such devices will be made mandatory so Al G. can fly over in his mega jet and see what temp you have set, then turn off your power for using too much.

Not so far fetched, conspiracy theorys aside. When energy consumption is being detailed over the internet, who's looking to control the internet ? United Nations ring a bell ?
New electric grid that gives the powers at be your info daily ? What usually follows too much information is taxes.
It won't be long before your taxed for using energy outside some stated guidlines. Kinda like a carbon tax which we all know is still being pushed. Imho, you can no longer say "that will never happen " or "not in this country", because as we have already learned, it can happen in this country. Think of what has already transpired that we thought just a few years ago could never happen here.