The Photographer's Wife Parenting, Disney, Travel, Reviews & Other Randomness
Two summers ago, over the course of several weeks, we often found ourselves unusually hot or cold, even though we had the temperature set to the same degree we always do. This was right after Trent was born, so we needed to constantly adjust the thermostat to keep it at a comfortable level for our new baby. After seeing a higher than average electricity bill, we decided that something wasn’t right. Since the main unit was fairly new, we figured there was a problem with our thermostat not being able to accurately detect the temperature of the house.
We purchased a replacement, but just as it arrived in the mail, our local electric co-operative announced that they were giving away Nest thermostats to the first 1,000 people in our area to sign up for one in order to improve efficiency and reduce usage. Free stuff - Woot!
We signed up and returned the thermostat we had just received (Thank you AMAZING Amazon return policy!). Within a couple of weeks, someone came out to install the thermostat (even though most people could probably install it themselves relatively easily, they just wanted to make sure everyone’s units were properly connected).
We absolutely love it. Not only does it look sleek and modern, but we haven’t had any issues with temperatures in the house ever since we got it, other than the occasional disparities between the first and second floor, which is typical for a 2-story house anyway. It’s easy to program and offers some pretty neat features.
-It learns your habits. Over time, the Nest learns what temperatures you like at what time and will adjust itself automatically. For example, if you turn the temperature to 70 degrees around 10pm before you go to sleep every night, the Nest will learn that and turn to that temperature automatically. You can adjust what the Nest has learned if you want it to do something different (like if you wanted it to change at 9:30pm instead of 10pm). You can also pause the learning if you are going on vacation or changing your habits temporarily so that it doesn’t learn a random schedule.
-It senses when you walk by and the screen turns on so you can see the temperature and current settings without having to press a button. Yep, I’m lazy.
-You can set a range of temperatures, not just cool or heat. Florida temperatures are super wonky, especially in the winter. One day it’s 55 and the next it’s 80, I love it and hate it at the same time. You can set the temperature to a range, such as 69-75, so that the heat kicks on if it goes below the range and the cool kicks on if it goes above the range. You don’t have to flip the switch from one type to another. Score another point for us lazy people!
-You can set an Away temperature. We like to use less heat or a/c when we aren’t in the house, whether it be a trip to the grocery store or a week-long vacation, we set an away temperature that we are comfortable with given that time of year. You can either set the Nest to Away, or it will set itself to Away if it hasn’t sensed any movement in some time. You can turn this feature off if needed.
-You can view everything and adjust anything from your Apple or Android device. This is one of our favorite features. If we forgot to set it to Away and we don’t want to wait for it to set itself, we can go onto the app and set it to Away, or we can change the temperature when we know we’ll be home soon. We are extremely forgetful, so the app gets used quite a bit, and this saves us money because we would have otherwise had to let the temperature remain where it was instead of using less while we’re gone. And yes, we have changed the temperature from our phones on the couch or in bed with the thermostat just a few feet away. Don’t judge me. 
-You get emails detailing your monthly usage and efficiency. Instead of just relying on what the electricity bill says, we get to see what the Nest reported, including reasons for why we might have used more or less than usual, as well as suggestions for improving usage next month. They use a “leaf” to signify if you are being efficient given the outside temperature.
We have definitely noticed a difference since the Nest was installed. We feel like the temperature is what it says it is and not unnecessarily turning on or off like our old one. Of course, with Brett home all day instead of away at work, our bill has stayed slightly increased, but has decreased from us being able to utilize the extra features, like the automatic adjustments and away feature.
Also, since I have been extremely hot this pregnancy, I want to reiterate how much I love being able to turn the air down from my phone while laying in bed at 2 in the morning.
Here’s their official video which gives you a preview of what it has to offer:
Buy a Nest Learning Thermostat on Amazon!
I was not paid or perked for writing this review. I did receive the product for free, but as part of a local resident efficiency program. I just wanted to share our honest take on a product we personally have and love. 
