NestPAD - New Thermostat from IPOD creator

[strider3700]

Artificial Intelligence, Web accessible, great looking, sensors to know if you're home or not,... I want one. Maybe this should be my christmas gift.

Brave New Thermostat: How the iPod’s Creator Is Making Home Heating Sexy | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

I wonder if it will work with my heatpump correctly

and here's the company site
http://www.nest.com/

$250 isn't cheap and will take a long while to payback for me since I'm already hardcore about my thermostat programming but still it's sexy.

[trikkonceptz]

It's a thing of beauty ...

I want one !! LOL

[TimJFowler]

Assuming that this follows the iPod product release & pricing model I'll just wait for the 2nd or 3rd generation model which will be cheaper, thinner and sexier.



Tim

[strider3700]

thinking it over I need a version which has a remote sensor/display that I can put in my living room since the current tstat is in the hallway by the bedrooms. It would decide we're never home since we barely ever walk by there.

[TimJFowler]

I hate to admit it ... but all the buzz and pretty pictures got to me. Yes, I'm just another victim of shiny new gadgets and marketing hype. I gave in and bought a $25 programmable thermostat.

$25 Thermostat vs. $250 Thermostat | EcoDaddyo.com

The fact that our old mechanical, mercury-switch thermostat was acting up and short-cycling the furnace finally pushed me to buy an electronic thermostat. I saw a $25 programmable thermostat in a sale flyer for a local hardware store, did some quick internet research and bought it.

The thermostat has a 5/2 day, 4 daily heat/cool period capability. It also has an adjustable temperature swing (+/- from set temp.) and anti-short-cycling feature. Installation was simple, two screws and two wires, and programming it was straightforward. So far it works fine, although we are still fine-tuning the settings.

After I get our January bill I'll post a comparison of natural gas used per heating degree day (I have a few years of data for the same time period). Given that the old thermostat was short-cycling the furnace I think we'll see an improvement.

Tim

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by TimJFowler

Given that the old thermostat was short-cycling the furnace I think we'll see an improvement.

I think that the electronic programmable T-stats are just great. The early ones had a fairly wide swing, but all of the newer ones are pretty fine tuned.

I have been picking up the bling-less T-stats from Goodwill (or other thrift stores) for $2 to $5.

I've wired them up to a duplex box (I did a post about it) and used that to be the T-stat for electric heaters, when I use one of those things. They are much more comfortable to use, they go right to the temp you want and stay there, no fuss.

You can also use the same setup to make a temperature-controlled box fan for summertime. You may have to use connect different terminal screws for your T-stat output, it depends.

Great device.

Great price.

-AC_Hacker

[Daox]

Some of the thermostats allow you to change the temperature swing. Mine isn't anything fancy but it allows you to change it. Just read the manual and see if its possible.

I also think you'll like it. It never forgets to turn the temperature down at night, and always ensures its warm when you get home.

[strider3700]

You'll love it.

at my old house I went from baseboards with individual knobs on each heater to 1 programmable t- stat controlling the majority of them. My spreadsheet shows a 38% savings for the entire heating season year over year. I saved $82 on the first bi-monthly bill profiting $40. Best bang for the buck I've ever made on improvements.

[TimJFowler]

We just received our Jan/Feb Natural Gas Bill and I was able to calculate how much of a difference the new programmable thermostat made.

'Dumb' Thermostat Natural Gas Usage

• Jan 12 - Feb 9, 2011 (28 days)
• Natural Gas used = 60.8 Therms @ $58.37
• Heating Degree Days = 1029
• Therms per Heating Degree Day = 0.0590

Programmable Thermostat Natural Gas Usage

• Jan 10 - Feb 8, 2012 (29 days)
• Natural Gas used = 51 Therms @ $47.03
• Heating Degree Days = 911
• Therms per Heating Degree Day = 0.0559
• 5.1% Reduction in Natural Gas Used

While a 5% reduction may not seem like much, I work from home and don't set the heat back during the day. The payback period on the programmable thermostat ($25 +tax) should be about 1.5 years.

All told, we have cut our Natural Gas used for space heating by 49%. Not bad for a few insulation and air-sealing projects on our 'normal' suburban home. I've gone into more detail on the results here: A Thermostat That's Smarter by Half | EcoDaddyo.com

Step by step,
Tim

[Daox]

I just installed a programmable thermostat in a friends house this past weekend. They had been keeping the temperature at 72 around the clock!