This is a We Own it review!
Nest learning thermostat is the flagship product of Nest. It is now part of Alphabet, the same company that own Google.
They first launched the learning thermostat in 2011 and it is now on its 2nd generation in the UK. The UK. version of Nest is different to the American due to the way heating systems work here. For example we normally don’t have cooling functions.
Nest has three gadgets in the Nest family (Nest Protect / NestCam / Nest Outdoor Cam), in this review were only looking at the Nest Thermostat.
What does the Nest Learning Thermostat do?
Nest Thermostat is a modern thermostat, if you already have one this replaces it.
One of the the first thing to say about Nest is the stunning design. It was designed by Fred Bould the same designer who designed the first iPod, hence the beauty and tactile nature, you can tell thy have really thought about how users will interact with it.
Form wise it is a metal and glass disc with a screen that’s either wall mounted or stands in its stand:
It connects to your internet and then allows you to control your heating from your phone.
It also goes one step further by learning what temperature you like your house, how long it takes to heat your house, a feature they call True Radiant, and monitoring when you are in and not.
It then creates your optimal heating schedule for you – much easier than any other heating controller we have ever seen. You can of course edit this if it get it slightly wrong – this can be done via the app or on the Nest itself.
A recent update added weather checking functionality – so if it’s hot tomorrow the heating is adjusted.
All this intelligence means more energy efficiently so saving money on your heating.
It also has built in gamification and awards green leafs when you turn down your heating. It emails you a monthly report showing your usage against a benchmark as well as how many leafs you have been awarded that month.
Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Generation
How does it work and What is the tech?
Nest learning thermostat comes in 2 parts:
- Nest Thermostat – Is the disc you control
- Nest Heat Link – That connects to your boiler
Nest does not offer zones and the temperature is for the entire house, at present the only solution is to have a nest in each room you want to separately control, not a cheap option!
You also need additional Nests for different heat sources, we have underfloor water heating and a combi boiler so have two.
How easy is it to set up?
You need a qualified person to connect the heat link to the boiler. We had ours installed for £75 but price depends on your installation – ours was simple as a new boiler.
What’s the connectivity?
The connectivity is brilliant – connecting to:
- IFTTT
- STRINGIFY
- NEST PROTECT
- NEST CAMERAS
See their full program of connectivity here: https://workswith.nest.com/uk/
How much does it cost?
£200 plus installation (Installation is approx £75)
What’s it like living with it?
We really like it! We have had one annoying fault where True Radiant meant the heating came on at 3am so the house got very hot!
We made a call to the customer service and impressively they could see what caused it and fixed it with me. For them to access my account I had to pass security and all they can see is heating on, off times and settings.
One nice feature is Family – allowing you to add family members to the App so they can have their own login and fully control it. They also get their own copy of the monthly report.
What are our final thoughts?
There is nothing nicer than being able to turn on your heating on your way home, especially cold evening. That combined with saving money and energy efficiency we a big fans of Nest. The only drawback is the lack of zones, meaning one nest controls the house not rooms – there is a solution it’s just not cheap.