Household thermostats aren’t exactly the coolest gadget around; in fact, they are pretty boring. However, one company has decided to change that with the launch of Nest, a thermostat that can learn your habits.
The Nest is the work of Nest Labs and Tony Fadell, who was the former chief architect at Apple. While at Apple, he led the development of the iPod and the iPhone. He left Apple a couple of years ago to start up Nest Labs.
As you can see from the photo, there are no buttons on the Nest thermostat, and it displays the current temperature. The color changes depending on the temperature setting, providing a visual cue that makes it easy to understand at a glance.
Innovative Features of the Nest Thermostat
The Nest thermostat features a touchscreen interface, making it user-friendly and modern. One of its standout features is its ability to learn from your habits. After a couple of weeks of use, the Nest will set the heating to match your patterns over the last few weeks. This means that if you tend to turn down the heat at night and turn it up in the morning, the Nest will start doing this automatically for you.
Additionally, the Nest can be connected to your computer by WiFi or smartphone. This connectivity allows you to control the thermostat remotely, which is particularly useful if you forget to adjust the settings before leaving the house. The Nest app provides detailed information on your energy usage, telling you how much you are spending per month to heat your home and how much energy you are saving. This feature can help you make more informed decisions about your energy consumption and potentially save money on your utility bills.
Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
One of the primary benefits of the Nest thermostat is its potential to improve energy efficiency in your home. By learning your habits and adjusting the temperature accordingly, the Nest can help reduce unnecessary heating and cooling, which can lead to significant cost savings over time. For example, if the Nest detects that you are not home during certain hours, it can automatically lower the temperature to save energy.
Moreover, the Nest provides energy reports that give you insights into your usage patterns. These reports can highlight areas where you can make adjustments to further reduce your energy consumption. For instance, if the report shows that you are using more energy during certain times of the day, you can take steps to modify your habits or settings to be more efficient.
The Nest thermostat also includes a feature called “Airwave,” which can help save energy by turning off the AC a few minutes before reaching the desired temperature. The fan continues to run, circulating the cool air already produced, which can reduce energy usage without compromising comfort.
The Nest will retail for $249 and it will go on sale in the US next month. You can find out more information over at Nest Labs.
Source Gizmodo
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