Google's Nest is one of the most essential players in the smart heating market and is best known for its Nest Learning Thermostat, which will automatically adjust your heating schedule after learning how long it takes your home to heat up and cool down, with the goal of save money. energy and money.
However, it is also one of the most expensive smart thermostats on the market. If you can't justify the $XNUMX cost of the Nest Learning Thermostat, then Nest offers a more affordable alternative option. Simply called Nest Thermostat, it costs €XNUMX more accessible, but it looks and works in a similar way.
The Nest Thermostat is currently only available in the US, where it replaced the equally inexpensive Nest Thermostat E in November XNUMX. This model is still being sold as Nest's best value thermostat in the UK.
So how does the cheaper Nest stack up against other smart thermostats? Is it worth considering over its smarter, more expensive big brother?
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Read on to find out if you should buy the Google Nest Thermostat, or if you know which model you want to monitor your heating and air conditioning system, check out the best prices now.
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Cost is an essential factor when it comes to smart thermostats. Well, while its smarts, voice control, and smartphone app integration are helpful, the real reason to buy a smart thermostat is its ability to lower your energy bills.
As such, the cost of the device itself must be weighed against its potential to lower your heating and cooling bills; The more you spend upfront, the longer it will be before your thermostat pays for itself and you realize real savings.
All of this is to say that the $XNUMX saved by buying the $XNUMX Nest Thermostat over the Nest Learning Thermostat could be the key to whether or not it's worth it. Nest claims that the thermostat can save an average of XNUMX-XNUMX% on heating bills and XNUMX% on cooling bills.
Integrated
The Nest Thermostat has a nicer simple design. Round, with a free slim bezel in a range of colors to match the front panel, the thermostat has a modern, minimalist aesthetic that should suit most homes. This front panel houses a similarly simple display that shows the current temperature and the target temperature: the temperature your heating or cooling system is working at now.
The color options for the Nest Thermostat are called Snow, Sand, Lignite, and Mist. In English, these are white, copper, black, and pale green.
Only the thermostat itself is included in the box, plus a main plate to fix it to the wall and some screws; Nest claims that the DIY installation typically takes thirty minutes. You may need to purchase a separate trim plate from Google, which is designed to cover any holes or marks left by the removal of your old thermostat. Since the nest is quite small and doesn't have the usual square or quadrangular shape, a trim plate will probably be needed to hold everything, unless the wall has recently been plastered and painted.
Google sells trim kits for €14.99 and they come in the exact same 4 color options as the thermostat itself.
The device doesn't turn (like the Nest Learning Thermostat does), but the temperature is adjusted by swiping up or down on the side of the screen. Mode change and immersion in the thermostat's menu system is done by touching and then swiping sideways.
Features
Like other connected thermostats, the Nest can be monitored remotely, either through a smartphone app or by speaking to the Google Assistant from a nearby speaker or smart display. It can also be set to automatically turn the heating off when you leave home (based on your smartphone's location) and turn it back on when you return home. All of this is controlled by Google's "home and away routine" system, which is a part of the company's more extensive smart home platform, called Google Home.
You can also create a regular schedule to heat and cool your home to set temperatures for day by day of the week, and you can take control manually by adjusting your thermostat's target temperature, either through the Nest app, by talking to the 'Home Assistant' Google' or slide it on the device itself.
Another feature is how the thermostat monitors your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) system and then alerts you to potential issues. In this way, if the radiator takes longer than usual to heat up, there could be a problem with your boiler and heating system; the thermostat will notify you and give you the contact details of a professional to come and investigate. These notifications include early warnings of potential issues, such as urgent alarms when there appears to be a serious problem, such as when the heat is on but the temperature in the house drops.
The Nest Thermostat doesn't have the artificial intelligence of the Nest Learning Thermostat, nor does it work with the company's temperature sensor, so it only knows the temperature of the room it's in.
Should I buy the Google Nest thermostat?
The lower starting cost of the Nest Thermostat will appeal to those who find it quite difficult to justify the £XNUMX Nest Learning Thermostat. It will also appeal to buyers looking for an attractive piece of technology offered in a variety of colors designed to complement the aesthetics of their home.
If you already have Google or Nest smart home devices, this thermostat makes perfect sense. It will integrate seamlessly with your Google Home app and can be monitored by talking to the Google Assistant. There's also deep integration when it comes to Google's "routines" system, making it easy to integrate your heating and cooling system with the rest of your smart home.
However, if you're using Amazon's Alexa system and its Echo smart devices, it would make more sense to buy that company's thermostat or an assistant-agnostic alternative like Ecobee's.
Similarly, if you have a bigger budget, the Nest Learning Thermostat, with its artificial intelligence and longer battery life in your HVAC system, plus support for optional smart temperature sensors, might be more appealing.