With fall already here and winter on the way, it is a perfect time to consider a smarter thermostat for your home if you don't have one already. Programmable thermostats have been around for years, but the latest iterations of this everyday fixture has gotten quite a makeover, as you can see in the example above. Take a look at several heating control options allowing homeowners to control their HVAC systems remotely and with more control than ever...
The newest of the smart thermostats comes from ex-Apple employees via a company called Nest. Besides being wi-fi enabled to allow control from the web or mobile applications, this thermostat learns your patterns to develop an energy efficient schedule. By using sensors, it can even tell when you have left the house so that it can adjust the system appropriately. ($250)
As one of the first home integrated, wi-fi enabled thermostats to reach the market, Ecobee set the bar high in terms of features. Users are able to monitor the entire HVAC system from the thermostat itself as well as get local weather information. This unit also has accompanying mobile apps along with a web portal that allows control of your system from anywhere. Unfortunately, being that this was the first thermostat of its kind, the price is rather high. ($400)
The Filtrete wi-fi thermostat has the least frills of the connected units but it doesn't lose much ground on its more expensive cousins. Besides being the standard seven day programmable thermostat, it too has web portal and mobile app support (see a trend there?). It is the least attractive of the bunch in our opinion, and there isn't a color screen, but covering a dual zone home won't break the bank either. ($100)
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For me the problem with most of these is aesthetics. Price point doesn't really matter because it's not really about saving money for me. Simplicity, functionality and style matter more. This is where Nest comes in. Mobile app etc is just a gimmick to have 'features' to brag about. The device like this needs to do one task and do it well.
My $0.02
I especially appreciate the simplicity (on the surface) of the Nest over the others. I currently have an old-school programmable thermostat that I've never learned to program. So we just mash buttons when we're hot or cold.
Looks like I could carry that sensibility to the Nest, and then it does all the dirty work of programming and scheduling for me. Or I could just keep cranking the dial up and down like I do now, and life would be no different.
Except that I'd love to see that little knob and display on the wall, as opposed to the "security-style" wall wart with all the buttons and flip-down door and incomprehensible LCD screen.
Save money? A bonus, if it happens. Good design? Well, it looks good anyway.
Personally I love the idea of a mobile app just for the fact I wouldn't have to leave my bed if it got too cold in my place. Aesthetically, the nest is perfect so as long as it does its job well, I'd be up for getting one.
I love the device.
I don't love the needless comparison to Apple. This isn't a "what if Apple designed X" situation. This is a real product not designed by apple. So don't say, "if apple . . ." when the truth is "Someone other than apple" has designed this product.
@adventrising funny thing is, it was designed by two ex-apple employees. So its kinda like that..
The Filtrete one doesn't look bad, but it requires power from HVAC to work on WiFi? How on earth do you do that? I'm a renter, and my programmable thermostat is battery powered.