Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating – The Nest thermostat is an advanced thermostat with lots of nerdy bells and whistles built into it. At first glance, it is definitely not for everyone.  With its simple yet sleek display, looks can be deceiving.

Inside this little is a medley of features that would make the average consumer’s head spin. While some of these features are not unique, the Nest is unique all on its very own. In previous times I would caution people about using such technology simply because of simplicity.

However, Nest does its best to cut through the techno-garble and make things understandable. At least for those who will read the literature that Nest provides. I have found that many people are curious about how things work but when you start discussing it with them in the manner of trying to explain technical details to them you will lose them if you don’t keep it in plain simple terms.

At first glance, Nest attempts to do that and they have succeeded with me. The last thing I want when explaining something technical to someone is for them to get bleary-eyed and zone out of the conversation. Keeping things simple is the best way, IMHO, to prevent that.

Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

The Nest thermostat offers lots of bells and whistles for a thermostat however many of these bells and whistles are inside the thermostat and work automatically. No need to program the Nest, it does this all by itself and it does it intelligently going further than the average thermostat. No confusing menus to sift through to set a schedule if you are in Eco mode. Simply change the temperature when you go to bed, wake up, or go to work.

The thermostat will remember what you did and the time and temperature you set. After a few days, it will remember and change the setting automatically for you. There is also an app for a smartphone where you can change settings and set your own manual schedule when it’s not in Eco mode.

It also has alert features to alert you to malfunctioning HVAC equipment such as a furnace not working on a very cold day. So you are not at home and the furnace fails to turn on you won’t come home to frozen pipes.

As an added benefit, if you use Amazon Alexa, the 2nd and 3rd generation Nest works with that as well. There are many other added features and additional products you can get with the Nest but for now, we will keep it simple (as noted above) and only focus on the thermostat and its vast features that will help you maintain comfort and save money.

Pros and Cons - Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

We will start with the cons first:

• If you are a Luddite or technophobe then this thermostat is probably not for you.
• This kind of applies to the first one but if you are elderly and don’t understand technology then this is not for you unless you want to learn it. It really isn’t that difficult to learn how to use, in fact, some of the settings will take care of themselves in the right mode. The matter is set up and then finding your way through the settings. Unless Grandma is technically savvy then this is probably not the thermostat for her. Otherwise, she will likely be calling you when she gets lost in the menu. I don’t mind going to help granny out at 3 a.m. but not for this reason. Sorry, granny.
• I did not see anything about thermostat wire colors on the Nest website. Good thing High Performance HVAC gives you details on thermostat wire colors.

Nest Thermostat Technical Review - Now the Nest pros:

• It looks good and has a minimal footprint anywhere where it is installed in the house.
• Reading through all the literature on the Nest website this is a smart thermostat and when set properly it can save you money on your utility bills. Even without the right settings, it can save you money on your utility bills. It has a sensor that senses occupancy and shuts things down when the house is unoccupied.
• It has an app to connect to your smartphone. In the app, you can adjust all the settings and schedules.
• The thermostat will alert you to potential problems when temperatures get way out of whack.
• The thermostat has technical features inside it to take care of things like temperature “swing”. This offers precise control for your heat and cooling system. This of a wave where the waves are really big. The top of the wave represents high temperatures and the valley represents lower temperatures. This thermostat will make the waves smaller meaning the temperature will be more steady and constant.
• It has predictive learning capability that learns your house, your HVAC equipment, and how long it will take to bring the temperature to desired levels based on the outside air temperature. This means, for example, if it is 40° F. outside and you set the temperature at 55° F when you are sleeping but you want the temperature to be 70° F when you wake up the Nest knows when to turn on your HVAC system to bring the temperature up to what you desire at that particular time.

Industry Opinion and Wiring - Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

I spend a lot of time looking up technical information for various HVAC components and equipment including thermostats. In doing so, I am a member of several HVAC groups and forums so I am privy to information about various products and whether they work or don’t work, and the best features in the products from the opinion of others who work in the industry.

I have seen many reports about the NEST sub-bases causing problems because they seem to be cheaply made. A few of the comments I’ve seen have led other professionals to completely give up on a NEST for that reason. They want to sell a quality product to their customers without the hassle of having trouble calls from those customers because of a product they recommended. I am including this information in this review because I think it’s only fair for you to know as a consumer.

Additionally, trying not to be too critical of a NEST, I found the information for installing a new thermostat to be either non-existent or not there at all. Have no fear because you have this site that has many articles on how to wire a thermostat or thermostat wiring color codes. We also have articles on how to wire an air conditioner thermostat for control (5-wires) that includes heating and heat pump thermostat wiring diagrams and air conditioner thermostat wire diagrams.

The point is, you don’t have to worry about it because we’ve got you covered when it comes to technical information, especially for wiring thermostats. Our thermostat category is replete with many articles to help with wiring a thermostat.

Conclusion - Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

Nest has other devices you can purchase to make it better such as remote sensors for temperature in other rooms. I didn’t really read about any of those other devices so I won’t try to wing it about these devices. Other devices include cameras and extra room sensors.

I’m sure these have something to do with comfort and security including being able to keep an eye on things at your house using the Nest app. I am only surmising. Check with the Nest website if you are interested in these other Nest products.

Don’t forget to give us a review of the Nest thermostat to let others know your experience with it and whether you are satisfied, ecstatic about it, or disappointed.

Nest Thermostat Technical Review | Consumer Rating

Technical Resource: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology