Google Nest Thermostat review: Affordable excellence

It’s been practically 10 years for the reason that first Nest Studying Thermostat was launched. In case you ask me, a refresh to the lineup was lengthy overdue. Not that the 2020 Nest Thermostat is revolutionary by any means, however the system’s new design and low-cost value level make this an general extra approachable good dwelling system — notably for many who are new to good thermostats.

Learn our full Google Nest Thermostat evaluate to see if it’s best for you.

About this Google Nest Thermostat evaluate: I used the Google Nest Thermostat for one week in my dwelling in Rockford, Illinois, operating software program model 1.0-16.

Replace: April 8, 2021: Google’s Nest Thermostat is on sale for $30 from most retailers for the following two weeks. In case you’ve been holding out for the worth to drop earlier than shopping for one, now’s your probability!

Google Nest Thermostat: What’s new?

The principle variations between the brand new and previous fashions are in design and Google’s cost-cutting measures. To be clear, the Nest Thermostat isn’t changing the Studying Thermostat. As a substitute, it’s the go-to inexpensive possibility now that Google is transitioning the Thermostat E to professional-only installs.

Design and show

Regardless of being manufactured from historically “cheaper” supplies, I desire the look of the brand new Nest Thermostat. The housing is manufactured from plastic, and it has a pleasant mirror-like end on the entrance. By means of that “mirror glass lens,” you’ll discover a 2.4-inch colour LCD with a decision of 240 x 320. You may see the show’s sq. cutout at sure angles, however it head-on, you’ll solely see the mirror end. I like the way in which it seems to be.

What I don’t love is the truth that it now solely exhibits your own home’s temperature and never the time. I suppose that is extra consistent with different conventional thermostats on the market, however it might’ve been good to have entry to a clock in that fairly show.

That is doubtless the prettiest good thermostat you should purchase.

Earlier Nest fashions had you rotate the housing to regulate temperature and scroll by way of menus, whereas a push-in would act as your choose button. The brand new Nest Thermostat solely has a touch-sensitive panel on the suitable facet to regulate the temperature. Tapping wherever on the suitable facet will act because the choose button.

I by no means bumped into points with navigating across the thermostat or altering temperature. I additionally by no means owned the unique Nest Studying Thermostat, which looks like it might be extra intuitive to manage.

You can not create or edit temperature schedules straight on the Nest Thermostat like you’ll be able to on the Studying Thermostat. I doubt many individuals use their Studying Thermostats to create full schedules anyway. Simply know that you simply’ll have to edit all of your schedules within the app and that your thermostat must be related to Wi-Fi to obtain these schedule modifications.

You’ll discover my Nest Thermostat has a pleasant trim plate behind the unit. Not like different Nest Thermostats, the 2020 mannequin doesn’t include one within the field. I wanted to buy this individually for $15 from the Google Retailer, however they’re additionally accessible from different retailers like Finest Purchase. That is an apparent cost-cutting measure on Google’s half.

Presence sensing

Keep in mind that Soli radar tech Google used within the Pixel 4 for gesture and presence sensing? It is probably not within the Pixel 5, however the firm included it within the new Nest Thermostat. It makes use of its low-power radar tech to sense once you’re close to it. It’ll present the show once you’re close to and switch off the show once you’re not. That is much like older Nest Thermostats’ Farsight characteristic that will mild up the show when it sensed you walked into the room.

In follow, this can be a good means for the thermostat to indicate you particulars once you want them and save energy once you don’t.

Proximity sensing isn’t the one means Soli is used right here. Mixed with its onboard sensors and your cellphone’s geofencing knowledge, the Nest Thermostat will have the ability to detect in case you are or aren’t dwelling. If it doesn’t sense anybody in your house, the thermostat will drop its settings right down to Eco mode in hopes of saving you some power. Older Nest Thermostats additionally do that, however the brand new mannequin is the one one to make use of Soli radar tech alongside your cellphone’s location parameters.

Google House app and good monitoring options

One of many greater modifications with this 12 months’s thermostat is its companion app. It now hooks as much as the Google House app as a substitute of the Nest app. We knew this variation was coming. You management Google’s good dwelling merchandise with the House app anyway, so it is smart to have your thermostat controls there too. No have to hook up your Nest account by way of the Google House app.

So far as I can inform, there’s no means to make use of the Nest app as a substitute of the Google House app. If your own home makes use of different Nest merchandise which might be solely suitable with the Nest app, you’ll now want to make use of each apps concurrently to manage your varied Nest gadgets.

This additionally means you get extra seamless integration with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It’s not new, however with the ability to ask your good speaker to set a sure temperature is tremendous handy.

Throughout the setup course of, the Google House app walks you thru a characteristic referred to as Fast Schedule. This allows you to set customized temperatures at completely different instances on every day of the week. You set your most well-liked heating and cooling temperatures for Consolation, Eco, and Sleep profiles, and the app creates a schedule for you primarily based on what it thinks you may like. You may change these instances and profiles round as you want.

This differs a bit from the Nest Studying Thermostat. That mannequin learns out of your utilization and adjusts your temperature primarily based in your habits over time. The Nest Thermostat doesn’t. You create schedules within the app and alter them all through the day if want be, however it doesn’t do a lot studying primarily based in your habits. It’s going to, nevertheless, nonetheless recommend little tweaks in your schedule the place it thinks it can save you some power. Nothing actually occurs routinely, although. These new to the good thermostat market (hiya!) will most likely be advantageous with this, however these coming from older, “smarter” thermostats may take subject.

As regards to temperature management, the brand new thermostat doesn’t help exterior temperature sensors. Which means it solely information the temperature from the unit itself. In case you have a giant home or your second flooring doesn’t get heat sufficient within the winter, this can be a difficulty. That is the place the Studying Thermostat and Thermostat E actually have a leg up on the brand new mannequin.

Google’s temperature sensors are solely accessible in choose areas, so this is probably not a giant draw back when you reside outdoors North America.

Google launched a collection of HVAC monitoring options with the brand new Nest Thermostat. Since HVAC points may be fairly costly for owners, these may actually turn out to be useful. Your Nest will warn you if it senses one thing’s off along with your system, like if it’s taking longer than regular to chill your own home or in case your furnace shuts off when it shouldn’t. It’ll additionally inform you when to switch your air filter. From there, you’ll be able to both name an HVAC technician of your selecting or undergo Google’s companion Helpful to arrange an appointment.

HVAC monitoring rolled out in late October to the Nest Thermostat, Studying Thermostat, and Thermostat E. It’s solely accessible within the US and components of Canada for now and requires a forced-air system.

Set up

The set up course of actually couldn’t be any simpler. Google says it takes about half-hour to put in by yourself, however there are alternatives to get knowledgeable to put in it for $99.99. I went the previous route to avoid wasting money. Total, the method took about 30-45 minutes, minus the time it took me to fill some holes left by my previous thermostat.

The simplest technique to arrange your thermostat is thru the Google House app. Hit the + button, choose “arrange system,” then choose the “thermostat” possibility. After scanning a QR code on the again of your thermostat, you’re prepared to put in. The Google House app does a beautiful job of strolling you thru the method step-by-step. In case you want extra help, Google has assist pages and video walkthroughs as nicely.

I received’t stroll you thru the complete setup course of, however right here are some things I realized from going by way of the method myself.

Initially, you should definitely verify Nest’s compatibility web site earlier than you go shopping for a thermostat for your self. My colleague C. Scott Brown came upon the onerous means that his system doesn’t have a typical wire (or “C wire”), so he couldn’t use the brand new Nest Thermostat with out putting in one. My system had a C wire accessible, however it wasn’t connected. But, the Google House app gave me zero points through the setup course of. In keeping with Google’s web site, hooking up the C wire could be a safer wager, however apparently, it’s not one thing I want. In case you want a C wire put in in your house, Google’s professional installers can do this for you.

Are you able to inform I’m not an electrician?

The brand new Nest Thermostat helps as much as six wires, whereas the Nest Studying Thermostat helps as much as 10. That’s doubtless the place the 85-95% compatibility discrepancy takes place. In case your system has greater than six wires, chances are you’ll have to look into the Studying Thermostat as a substitute of the brand new hotness.

As soon as your home is suitable with a Nest system, you will get began. Flip off the facility on the breaker field, take away your previous thermostat, and ensure to take pictures of the wiring so you’ll be able to refer again to it later. That is tremendous necessary. My wires weren’t labeled earlier than I arrange the Nest, and referring again to a photograph of the previous setup was extraordinarily useful.

The one different a part of the method I remotely struggled with was mounting the bottom plate to my wall. The home’s earlier house owners didn’t suppose it was obligatory to put in the previous thermostat neatly, so I had some holes to patch earlier than I continued — no huge deal. I truly ordered the trim plate after I came upon the wall was a multitude. I’d advocate ordering one simply in case and returning it when you don’t want it.

Specs

Value and competitors

The worth is without doubt one of the essential causes I bought a unit for myself. It’s accessible outright for $129.99 from the Google Retailer, Finest Purchase, House Depot, and different retailers. Nevertheless, since this thermostat (like all different Nests) is Power Star licensed, your power firm will doubtless provide an instantaneous rebate along with your buy. My power supplier supplied a $75 rebate with new Nest Thermostat purchases, so I solely wanted to pay $55.

The brand new Nest Thermostat is supposed to reside alongside the third-gen Studying Thermostat, which remains to be sitting at $250. Now that the Thermostat E — Google’s beforehand least expensive possibility — is obtainable for skilled installs solely, the brand new mannequin is the best technique to get a Google-made good thermostat in your house.

However there are different rivals to bear in mind. The brand new Nest Thermostat barely undercuts the $170 Ecobee 3 Lite, which is rising somewhat lengthy within the tooth at this level. Ecobee’s $250 flagship Good Thermostat is smarter and comes with a distant sensor, however it’s probably not in the identical value vary. Though, you do get onboard Amazon Alexa help with that possibility.

It’s additionally extra inexpensive, smarter, and a hell of loads higher trying than the $150 Honeywell House T5 Plus thermostat.

Google Nest Thermostat evaluate: The decision

It’s clear by the Nest Thermostat’s characteristic set and new aesthetics that Google needs this to be the good thermostat for everybody. It’s low-cost, fairly, and works with most techniques. Like most Google merchandise this 12 months (Pixel 5, Nest Audio, Chromecast with Google TV), the Nest Thermostat is approachable and received’t break the financial institution. It’s excellent for somebody who needs to get happening their good dwelling or somebody who needs one thing rather less cheesy than different good thermostats.

The Nest Thermostat is ideal for these new to the good dwelling.

There are downsides. The shortage of help for exterior temperature sensors is the large one, and I’m shocked there aren’t extra “studying” options as you get with older Nest fashions.

And though the $130 price ticket is sweet, good thermostats are supposed to prevent cash. They’re solely definitely worth the funding and can doubtless pay for themselves over just a few years’ time. Thus, it’s troublesome to say whether or not or not it’s best to spend your cash right here or on the Studying Thermostat. If you will get a good rebate and have the additional money to spend on the higher-end mannequin, it may be price it.

But when Google’s newest and biggest is what you need, you’ll be getting a nice-looking, completely succesful — albeit somewhat primary — good thermostat on a budget.