Staying cool with my new learning thermostat
Like most couples, my husband and I have a few topics that we, uh, debate about. The dirty clothes tossed on the floor. The ice cube trays left out on the counter. But mostly, it’s bills. And lately, it’s been the electric bill. We never seem to remember to turn down the AC (or the heat in winter) when we leave the house. We have two little kids and between all the whining and the tears, the trips to the potty and tantrums over misplaced toys, it feels like a miracle just to get out the door. I’m usually a mile down the road, when I realize that the AC is still blasting away, cooling an empty house. So my husband and I decided to try the Nest Learning Thermostat. It actually teaches itself to adapt to our schedules. We don’t need to program it, or try to remember how to reprogram it if our schedules change. Nest’s Auto-Away feature helps it notice when we leave the house and adjusts the temperature accordingly—saving energy and money. And we can use the Nest app to change the temperature when we’re away, so we can crank up the AC before we get home on hot days. “Not having to program Nest is one of the big advantages over a programmable thermostat,” said Jeff Stagnoli, general manager of Blue Dot HVAC Services of Maryland. “People spend a lot of money on a programmable thermostat, but then life gets in the way and they forget to use it,” he said. “Since Nest sets itself, the best thing you can do is walk away and leave it.” In other words, Nest will keep working to help us save energy without us having to lift a finger. Sounds good to me. In independent studies, Nest customers saved an average of 10-12 percent on their heating bills and 15 percent on cooling bills. But Stagnoli said that he has seen people cut their bills by nearly a third.
Extra savings from your energy company
One of our first steps was to check for rebates and incentives from our energy provider. Many energy companies cover part or all of the cost of a Nest Thermostat. That means that in addition to the money you save while using Nest, you might be able to get the device for free, or, at least, a reduced price. So why is this? It seems a little counterintuitive that energy companies would want you to use less energy. I asked Ellen Pfeiffer, lead analyst for customer strategy at a New England energy provider, National Grid. “Our revenue is determined completely separately from the amount of energy we sell,” Pfeiffer said. “The more energy efficiency we promote, the more we are incentivized.” In other words, everyone wins when people use Nest: customers can save on their energy bills, providers receive additional revenue and we all benefit from lower energy consumption.
Squabble-free setup
It was time to set up our Nest Thermostat. My husband loves any kind of technology, so he was super excited about it. I was a little wary, given our tendency to butt heads over anything with an instruction manual. We’ll never quite get over “The Great Crib Debacle” or “The Train Table That Nearly Stole Christmas.” I slipped open the package and opened the box. The first thing I noticed is that Nest is a darn good looking thermostat. It has a clean, simple design, unlike the clunky old one it is replacing. It has a hefty stainless steel base and a gleaming display and it ’s going to look great on my living room wall. My husband and I downloaded the Nest app on our smart phones, watched a short installation video on Nest’s site and then we were ready to get started. First, we headed down to the basement to turn off the power supply to the thermostat. Then we popped off the cover to the old thermostat, and labeled the wires with special stickers from the Nest installation guide. Next we disconnected the wires and unscrewed the base (the installation kit includes a sleek lit tle screwdriver.) Then it was time to screw on the Nest base, reconnect the wires and snap on the Nest display. It was a lot easier than we figured it would be. No arguing, just a feeling of satisfaction from seeing this snazzy thermostat on the wall. Even though the power was still disconnected, Nest turned on, thanks to a battery within the device. Then the thermostat prompted us with a series of questions about our home, daily routines and temperature preferences. And that was it. No blood, sweat, tears or spousal squabbles. Of course, those who shudder at the thought of setting up any device, can always hire a professional to do it. You can find a list of Nest professional installers at pro.nest.com. Since Nest is a learning thermostat, the longer you use it, the better it becomes at doing its job. “It takes about a week for Nest to become accustomed to your family’s routines,” Stagnoli said. In time, Nest will turn on the heat just before you get up, or turn the air conditioning on shortly before you come home from work. For now, we’re still getting to know our Nest while it’s getting to know us. It cools off the house before we get home from work, and, on those delicious summer days when we leave work early, we can use the app to crank the AC before we leave the office. But the best part might be never again having to worry about turning off the AC before we leave the house.