"Nest" thermostat - recent thread? OR?

[Marty Gulseth]

I would have made a small wager that there was a recent thread about the "Nest" thermostat, but I did a search and cannot find anything. Can someone tell me if I am remembering correctly or just hallucinating?

OR -

If anyone has one, I'd appreciate comments. I'm considering installing one. Maybe useless info - 3k sq ft house, 2 levels ("daylight basement" with one side at grade) both of us generally out of the house during the day, no kiddos at home, 90% (+) efficient gas heat, no A/C.

Thanks, regards,
Marty

[Myk Rian]

This thread?
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?197697-Is-There-an-Ideal-Thermostat-Setting

[Dick Phillip]

I bought one a couple of weeks ago. It was not difficult to set up. It is too early to tell if there are any savings. There are less expensive options out there and it was an impulse buy on my part.

[Phil Thien]

My friend bought one and said the payback (from savings) is supposed to come in pretty short order. He just got his, so I figured I'd wait a while and make sure he is happy before getting one.

[Marty Gulseth]

This thread?
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?197697-Is-There-an-Ideal-Thermostat-Setting

Thanks, Myk, but the one I seem to recall was more specific to the Nest. Must have been on one of the other boards where I lurk.
Regards, Marty

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

First, check if it compatible with your unit. On "Nest" webpage you can find compatibility list by wires ( W,K,G and .....) Unit was not compatible with two-stage heat pump, at least when I try one. It is a lot of very good ( expensive) thermostats on the market. Major difference between "Nest" and any other - form factor or WOW factor. Nice looking, very easy to setup. All saving options, WIFI, Internet setting you can find on any expensive thermostat units from Honeywell, AprilAire. Check review for all of them on Amazon.
Ed.

[glenn bradley]

I'll try to dig up the article that stated that any appropriate use of a decent programmable thermostat will yield similar results for your wallet. The easy demonstration of savings stems from the generally inappropriate programming (or just not programming) people's current units. For folks who have very fundamental thermostats, a more sophisticated unit (the Nest being a really cool one) will lead to savings. The trick is to get folks in the house to keep their pinkies off of it after any decently programmable unit has been setup :D.

[Jason Roehl]

I'll try to dig up the article that stated that any appropriate use of a decent programmable thermostat will yield similar results for your wallet. The easy demonstration of savings stems from the generally inappropriate programming (or just not programming) people's current units. For folks who have very fundamental thermostats, a more sophisticated unit (the Nest being a really cool one) will lead to savings. The trick is to get folks in the house to keep their pinkies off of it after any decently programmable unit has been setup :D.

I agree fully. I had looked into a Nest a while back, and the reviews I found online were pretty bad overall. I know there is a new version out now that is supposed to have addressed many of those issues. However, what remains to be seen is if they fixed one of the biggest complaints--customer non-service.

[Dick Mahany]

I installed one 6 months ago to replace a programmable unit that was acting up. I really liked the WiFi network connectivity and didn't need that 5th "common" wire that many others use, and would have to be pulled separately which wasn't practical in my case. It works very well, but I don't see any real savings relative to my old unit because I had my old one programmed properly. The Nest is VERY convenient to program for heating and cooling and I like being able to monitor or adjust the temp from a mobile device if I want to. I have the original version and it was super easy to install. Nest upgraded the firmware online autmatically and I haven't had any problems. Is it worth the additional cost ?? Probably not if you have a well programmed thermostat already. On the other hand, if you like sleek well built gadgets and super easy WiFi network cnnectivity, simple programming, and don't mind paying the premium, then it probably is.

[Brian Elfert]

Where can one get more information on properly setting up a programmable thermostat? I suspect I might be setting my thermostat too low. I have zoned heat so the first floor is set to be at 69 degrees from only 4 pm to 10 pm. The rest of the time the 1st floor is set to 55 degrees. I was home early on Friday around 1 pm and it was 60 degrees on the first floor.

The big deal with the Nest over other WI-FI thermostats is supposed to be the learning feature. I have no idea what that means. My ordinary programmable thermostat knows over time approximately how long it will take to bring the temp back to normal.

[Jason Roehl]

Brian, there's nothing "improper" about your setup--you're trying to not heat an area when it's not in use. Due to the way houses are constructed, that doesn't work perfectly. That is, it's your exterior walls that are insulated and roughly air tight. So, interior "zones" will still take on some of the heat from the other "zones", regardless of where you set the thermostat. UNLESS, you were to set it to A/C to get it to that 55ºF, or the thermostat were "smart" enough to switch to A/C to force it to that temperature (obviously not a desired approach).

Basically, you have a tradeoff between price and comfort. If your comfort level is far from the outside temperature, it's going to be expensive. Also, setting the temp too low while you're gone can mean that you have a greater chance of freezing pipes--that is, the lower the temperature, the less buffer you have if the furnace goes out, or the less buffer you have if the temps are so low the furnace cannot keep up with the exterior cooling load and keep all areas with pipes above freezing.

[Brian Elfert]

55 degrees is the minimum temperature the house would get before the heat kicked in. I'm certainly not using A/C to get the temp down to 55 degrees. The lowest temp I have seen when it was below zero F outside was 60 degrees inside during normal operation. If I'm gone for a few days during the winter I will set the temp to 55 degrees while I am gone. I've heard that a house should be kept between 50 and 55 degrees to keep from freezing. My house is 10 years old and is well insulated, and sealed against air leaks as much as possible.

I thought I read somewhere that the ideal setback when not home is about 5 or 6 degrees. I heat my 2nd floor between 4 pm and 8 am on weekdays. The 1st floor heat is set to 55 degrees at night and during the day up to 4 pm. It is definitely much cooler on the 1st floor when I leave in the morning. Certainly my zoning is not perfect and some heat still gets to the 1st floor at night.