My Google Nest thermostat made me a believer in smart home tech

There’s a common TV trope surrounding the thermostat in Western media. It shows up in The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and animated shows like SpongeBob SquarePants.

Even if you didn’t watch those shows, I bet you know what I’m talking about from personal experience. That’s right, the fight over the thermostat temperature.

So, when I moved into my new home that already had one installed, I braced for the upcoming arguments with my significant other over the cost and usage of the air conditioning.

Spoilers: they never happened.

The many features of my Google Nest thermostat gave us control over the temperature we had never had before.

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Posts By  Chris Thomas

Temperature changes anytime, anywhere

You don’t even need to leave your bed

The summer is quickly approaching, which means two things for me: hot weather and trips to the cottage.

Last year, after a long weekend in cottage country, I packed up my car and got ready for the two-hour trip home. It was an intense heatwave, so the house had been baking for days without me there.

I was driving and reminding my significant other to turn on the air conditioning as soon as we arrived home. After all, it would likely take time to cool the whole house, and I don’t want my dog to sit in the heat.

It dawns on us, “Why don’t we just start the air conditioning now from our phone so it’s ready when we get there?”

We opened our Google Home app, set the temperature, and a few hours later, we walked into a perfectly cool house. It was peak comfort.

It was like an “aha!” moment for us; we can control the temperature without physically being inside the house.

Set it and forget it

I want my nights cold but my days warm

I don’t know about you, but I am very sensitive to temperatures.

This is especially true at night. I want the room to be frigid when I get to bed so I can stay cozy under my comforter. But not during my work hours, that’s when I want cozy, slightly warmer temperatures.

This is where my favorite two features of my Google Nest thermostat come in: the scheduler and the automations.

The scheduler is exactly what it sounds like. You schedule times for your thermostat to change without having to touch anything.

You can set it like a calendar event, choosing the days, times, and temperatures you like.

For example, I have a temperature preset labeled “work” that only applies Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.

The automations are really neat. These are similar to the scheduler but a bit more “smart.” You can input certain conditions to meet for changing temperatures.

For example, I have one set for “everyone away”. My Google Home is connected to my family’s phones, and when it knows we are all out of the house, it will adjust the temperature accordingly.

Make decisions based on analytics, not vibes

I’m a sucker for a good graph

Money is tight for many people, and energy bills can be no joke.

Imagine the stereotypical dad of the house telling you not to touch the thermostat but instead to put on or take off more layers of clothes. Sound familiar?

No need to wait until the physical bill arrives in the mail to check your usage against your family’s claims! The information is available live straight from your app.

Jokes aside, this is a cool feature. I like seeing how hard my air conditioning or heating system was working over different periods of time. This is great for monitoring usage and cutting it off when you feel like it’s been working too hard.

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Being able to point to solid data and make an informed decision that affects your monthly bills is a huge plus.

An old-fashioned thermostat might be all you need for now

All homes aren’t heated and cooled equally

As much as I have been enjoying my Google Nest thermostat, I can’t recommend it to everyone.

If you live in a home with a large floor plan or several floors, you’ll benefit from a smart thermostat, no question. But if you live in a smaller condo or apartment, I’m not sure that you’ll see the value.

It takes a lot of time and energy to heat and cool larger places, but if your home is small and only takes a few minutes to change temperature, your old-fashioned thermostat will probably do just fine.

If you love graphs and automation, this smart home tech is right up your alley. Otherwise, I’d give it a pass.

Visualizing the temperature changes and pre-cooling the house made it worth it

I’ve really enjoyed the features of a smart thermostat. Being able to check and change it from afar is great for comfort and essential if you have pets at home.

If you love getting into the statistics and customization of your home, you’ll enjoy this upgrade, but even if you just want a bit more comfort and ease of use, you’ll still find it worth the money.

Google Nest Thermostat

Brand
Google Nest
Integrations
Google, Alexa
C-Wire Required
No
Sensor Support
Sold separately
Heat Pump Compatible
Yes, via adapter

This easy-to-use Smart Thermostat integrates seamlessly with your Google Home app on your phone. You'll be able to change it anywhere, create scheduled pre-sets, and check on your usage with ease.

$130 at Amazon $130 at Best Buy
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