If you know me, I’m sure you’ve heard me rave about the Nest Thermostat. I’ve been raving about it from the moment I first read about it online. However, I was really disappointed when I couldn’t order one right away because they were sold out the minute Nest opened their online store it seemed like! I wouldn’t give up though, I had to have one. I put myself on a waiting list, and two days before Christmas I had received an email stating that I could order my very own Nest. Needless to say, I was elated. The unit arrived after only five days of waiting.
When I opened the box I was amazed to find beautiful, Apple-like packaging. It included everything I needed: labels for the wires, different plates to cover up any unsightly holes left by my old unit, and even a screw driver! The instructions were very easy to follow and their support team was unbelievable.
I was convinced that I would have problems installing the Nest, since I have boiler heat and my alarm company couldn’t get their brand thermostat installed, so I called my electrician buddy over to help me. By the time he got to my house, I basically had the unit up and configured already! I had a question about one wire, which I was able to contact support for. After doing what the support team advised, the unit quickly booted up.
The unit glowed with brilliant back lit color as I navigated the menus with the sleek dial. I was able to get it connected to the Wi-Fi in my house with no trouble at all and as I was finishing up the install, I asked my wife to set up the iPhone and online application to control it. I swear it must’ve only taken her two minutes to setup! Soon after, we were adjusting the temperature in our home from our iPhones and watching the green leaf come on to indicate when we were saving energy.
The Nest learns your habits, such as when you are sleeping or away at work, and turns the heat or air conditioning down, in turn saving you money on your energy bills. My wife and I are currently in the learning phase where we have to remember to turn it up or down so that it can gather enough information to run itself. Once a couple of months go by I will let you know the type of savings I’ve had.
What I Love!
The design of the Nest is absolutely amazing. It’s not just some dingy beige box like the typical thermostat; it has a full color digital display with a sleek silver dial and the whole unit is about the size (and shape) of a hockey puck. Best of all, I can control it from anywhere in the world using my iPhone, allowing me to change the temperature in my house while on vacation or away from the home. Most importantly, the Nest is super easy to install!
