The electric company here, Duke Energy, is offering the Google Nest thermostat for $50 off. Does anyone have one of these, do you like it, think it's saving you some $$, and would you recommend it or not? I don't have Alexa or any other smart device to tie this into so it'd be stand alone in that regard (until I make that leap and it's not on my radar). Thanks.
i have had a nest 3rd gen thermostat in 2 homes now. biggest perks, throwing away smart home features that you don't care for as of today:
- changing temp in app away from home. i love being able to set the heat on before i leave work so the house is already warm when i get home
- learns your habits and where you like it. after a month in my new house it knows i keep it cold at night so auto-sets to 67 degrees, re-sets to 70 by 8 am roughly
- eco mode auto-sets when you leave the house and keeps the house within a wide set of temps (my mins are 65/80)
- again, app use for me is awesome. peace of mind too when away from home because they send you alerts if it's too hot/cold. (outside your min/max)
- i have had these in my homes for pretty much the entire time i've lived in them, so can't compare, but i get monthly reports saying how much energy i saved compared to peers. my old house had crap insulation and it had to run a lot but my new house heats up real quick and my heat has only had to run for a total of 2-3 hours per day here. not bad at all.
if you invest in other smart home products it is really great. i am all google-based but use 3rd party smart plugs, bulbs, etc. all my non-fixture lights are automated at this point. just need to grab a few nest smoke detectors. i have 2 cameras, too.
i am a classic loser millennial who can't do crap and i've installed two of these myself. frankly you can get a Nest thermostat for cheaper on OfferUp/eBay than $50 off. if they are offering the newest model (aka the entry level one with no learning) then it's cheap enough to try it out IMO.