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Originally Posted by psicodude
I have owned a Nest for about 18 months and I love it. I am not a fanboy, however, and feel that I can give a somewhat unbiased opinion of the product.
The big difference between a Nest and a normal programmable thermostat is that Nest is "smart". It has software built into it and utilizes data on the internet to learn your habits as a homeowner and automatically adjust itself. For example, you tell the Nest where you live because it can check the local weather and get information like unusual temps and humidity and adjust accordingly.
This week is a perfect example: The Nest knows that I normally head out the door at about 6:10 am and my wife and kid get up around 7:00. The Nest has automatically programmed itself to fire up at 6:00 am and heat the house to 21. It knows how many square feet my house is and which floor the Nest is located on. It also knows that it was -26 and low humidity on Monday morning, so it automatically figures out exactly how long the furnace needs to be on to achieve the desired temperature. It doesn't just sit there and wait for the thermostat to reach 21 like a normal thermostat. It takes into account that the Nest itself may be far away from a heat register or in a corner or for whatever reason that it may measure the temperature lower than it actually is in the house (The hallway that the Nest is located may be 20, but the kitchen may be 22). It uses an algorithm to decide how long to keep the furnace on that should result in the furnace being able to turn off a few minutes quicker than a traditional thermostat.
Other cool features include the auto-away, Nest Sense (it will turn off your condenser and use the "coldness" in the coil to cool your house that last degree or so) the sun sensor (it won't let direct sunlight affect the temperature sensor) and of course the ability to adjust the temperature with your phone.
All of that being said, however, I don't know what the ROI is on this device. It's nearly impossible to compare year-to-year heating and cooling costs directly as there are so many variables to consider. I am confident in saying that my costs have dropped, but is it a quantifiable difference? I'm not sure. If it's only $5 per month, I am not sure it will ever pay for itself because I am assuming the thing will be dead in 5 years. I think it's important to note that there is no way the Nest would ever pay for itself if you do not have A/C.
I didn't mind spending the money on the Nest because I think it's really cool. It changes colours when it's cooling or heating (red or blue), allows me to adjust the temperature from my phone (awesome if you have been out all day and want to walk into a warm house) and sends me a usage report every month. I love it and would buy another, but yeah, $250 is a lot for a thermostat.
To summarize, if you are looking to purchase the Nest strictly as a money saving device, I think you will be disappointed. You need to be comfortable with spending money on some of the convenience features for it to be worth the money.
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This sells it for me right here. My existing thermostat is in direct sunlight in the middle of the day so in the winter my house is cold and in the summer my house is...freezing!
Payday tomorrow, I'm going to buy one