Nest Learning Thermostat Back In Stock

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Looks like the coveted Nest learning thermostat ($249) is back in stock after the initial run sold out. Nest is the startup founded by a pair of Apple alumni to bring that a more modern design aesthetic and ease-of-use to what has largely remained a commoditized industry. (And at least one incumbent seems to take issue with Nest’s approach.)

A key Nest selling point is that aforementioned “learning” capability which attempts to detect and adjust to your household’s temperature preferences (via motion sensors and timer). While that sort of customization and the potential of saving energy is nice, I’m mostly attracted to the Nest’s sleek appearance and integrated WiFi. No, they’re not the first. Nor are they the cheapest. But they are certainly the most elegant. Plus, Nest kindly provides both the info and tools a home improvement novice such as myself will likely need to get it going without calling in the cavalry.

Sadly, we’re in a bit of a housing transition at the moment and now may not be the right time for us to partake. However, those of you prepared to take action and who added your name to the store waiting list may be pleased to discover an email invite similar to the one I received above.

12 thoughts on “Nest Learning Thermostat Back In Stock”

  1. Got mine last week. It’s pretty amazing for a thermostat. Going to contact Nest and see if they’ll sell me a second for the upstairs heating zone as well.

    My favorite things about it are the simple good looks and the phone app. It’s pricey, but if you can swing it, I doubt there’s a better option out there.

  3. It’s tempting to buy it just to spite Honeywell for suing Nest. Honeywell might have the patents, but they aren’t even remotely close to using them. The current Honeywell products look like they came out of the stone ages compared to the nest and they’re marginally reliable.

    Sadly the $250 is far too high for me. Hopefully they can get the cost down to about $100 a piece in a few years.

  4. I got my nest at the beginning of January. Unfortunately I only bought one at that time and have been waiting for them to be back in stock to purchase another one. Just waiting for my email.
    The weather here in Virginia has been mild this winter so I have not yet noticed any difference in my electric bill yet. I am hoping to see some change this summer.

    While it is expensive I am more conscious of what the temp is set to and the ability to se the Nest to “away” status from my phone or the web is handy as well.

  5. House transition already?

    Man they grant patents for the dumbest things…”displaying grammatically complete sentences while programming a thermostat”. So if their sentences are grammatically incorrect, they are ok?

    I’m good with my $100 3M/Radio tstats…I have been meaning to create a db to store data from them, but I haven’t gotten around to it. There is a decent community for them. And the company released an api.

  7. Just bought my first after I got the same email Dave. Looking forward to it. No I don’t expect to save any money as a result of using it, I just hate hate hate the POS Honeywell ‘touch screen’ product I upgraded to recently.

    All I wanted was a themostat that I could program so that it would save energy while we were away, then turn back on just before we returned, so the place wasn’t ice cold for a couple of hours after we got back. The Honeywell does do that I’ll admit.

    But the display is unreadable. It barely responds to touches. Its UI is horrid. Its ugly. Its hard to figure out. Its sad sad sad what decade we’re in and what crap they produce.

    There are a LOT of markets that need to be disrupted by stuff like this. Not just TVs or STBs.

    And yes, the iPhone app is interesting too.

    I’m motivated partly by the Honeywell lawsuit. I do wonder if the things are designed properly so that they’ll continue to function for years even if Nest goes out of business. But hey, somebody has to encourage them…

  8. My HVAC unit died this past December and I had to get a whole new unit installed. Unfortunately, Nest isn’t compatible with with the new unit (Nest doesn’t do humidifiers), so I have a big touchscreen Lennox thermostat. No online control yet.

  9. One question I have not seen answered — Can the Nest activate the furnace and the A/C without flipping a switch or other manual user intervention?

    There are days in Minnesota where it might be 40 degrees when I wake up, and want some heat, and 85 at dinner time, when I’d like some A/C. My second thermostat could do it, but it died, and my current programmable thermostat has a “Summer” program or a “Winter” program, and I have to manually flip a switch between the two.

    Also, while we don’t have a zoned heating system, I’d love to be able to have a second thermostat send commands to the “main” thermostat to change temperatures. For example, between 8 am and 10 pm, I’d like the “real” thermostat be the controlling point, but between 10 pm and 8 am, have a device upstairs that would drive the furnace or A/C. Can the Nest do anything like that?

  10. JohnO, I don’t know the extent of it’s learning capabilities but after adjusting it for awhile, and then based on time and activity in the house, it’ll try to match those temperatures. Something somewhat more sophisticated and intuitive than the traditional programmable thermostat. Perhaps some of the others who’ve installed Nest can comment more specifically. Regarding the second thermostat, I’m not sure units could work collaboratively like that… but maybe the iPhone app would effectively handle that for you.

  12. Jerry – Nice find!

    I’ll have to take a look. As cool as the Nest is, my current programmable is doing the job, with a few minor bumps. I’d rather not spend more than $100 to replace it.

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