How to save money when buying the nest thermostat

There are a few products in my life that I think are incredible money savers. We all know the Ooma phone is my personal favorite. Last Christmas, I gave my husband a Nest Learning Thermostat which I am hoping will make my short list of products that save us money.

To celebrate Earth Day, I thought it would be fun to dive in and see if the Nest is saving us money!

Background

Amanda recently reviewed How to Find the Best Deals on Electricity in a deregulated area. We don’t have that option, so our electricity and gas bill is dependent only on our energy use alone. We considered converting to Solar Panels, but could never justify the expense. As a money saver, I was excited when my husband put the Nest on his holiday list and jumped at the chance to get it for him!

What is the Nest Learning Thermostat?

It’s a programmable thermostat. But it programs itself! To focus on energy savings, the Nest learns the temperatures you like and develops an auto schedule. Then, it turns down the thermostat when it senses that you and your family aren’t home.

For a much better explanation, here are the product details about the nest from the manufacturer:

Your thermostat controls about 50% of your energy bill – that’s as much as the refrigerator, lighting, TVs, stereos and computers combined. Problem is, a lot of that energy is wasted heating and cooling an empty home. The Nest Learning Thermostat learns what temperatures you like, turns itself down when you’re away and can be controlled from anywhere over Wi-Fi. By programming itself, the Nest thermostat can save up to 20% on your heating and cooling bill. You just have to teach it well.

Programmable thermostats were supposed to help, but 89% of people don’t even bother to program them. They’re just too complicated. That’s why we made Nest simple. It’s so easy to use that 99% of Nests have custom schedules.

Nest in Action

We installed the Nest during the holidays, and our meter is checked at the beginning of the month, so you can see our usage compared to last year for February, March and April (when the Nest was installed):

As you can see from the graph, since we installed the Nest in the new year, our natural gas usage is up for 2013. Not very impressive! However, you have to factor in the weather, after all we do live in Wisconsin!

The electric company provides details with the heating degree days (how cold it was, the higher the number, the colder it is) and Therms/Degree Day (natural gas used per degree day). Take a look at the details:

I’m not an expert on interpreting all the details, but it appears by the look of the weather adjusted use, our gas used per degree day is lower than it was a year ago for all three months of the Nest use (February, March and April).

Of course, there are many other factors so it is very hard to isolate the actual impact. In addition, my sample size is way too small to draw any real conclusions.

The Nest Action Plan

We’ll continue to monitor our gas bill as the Nest learns our lifestyle. I’m curious to see how it will perform in the summer months! I’m also interested to see if the Nest thermostat will deliver on the promise to shave up to 20% off our heating and cooling bill.

Update: After a year of Nest use, here is our Nest Thermostat Review of Savings: One Year Later!

Do you have a Nest installed? What are your results so far?

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Comments to Does the Nest Learning Thermostat Really Save Money?

RE: ARTICLE ON THE NEST THERMOSTAT
I am also an energy nut and looked into the Nest over a year ago. We have a ground source heat pump system in our house and the Nest is not compatible with our system. Nest sent me the detail below;

Nest is compatible with the following systems:
– Forced air, radiant, heat pump, oil, gas and electric
– One or two stage conventional heating
– One stage conventional cooling
– One stage heat pumps with auxiliary heat or two stage heat pumps without
auxiliary heat 24 volt systems only (no common (C) wire required).

Note: Nest does not support conventional two-stage cooling or heat pumps with
two-stage heating and auxiliary heat. Nest is also not compatible with dual
fuel systems (also called hybrid or package systems).

I looked into the NEST a few years ago, and found that it basically did two things. 1) It learns your routine and 2) It has a motion sensor to determine if you are home. While the claims of large savings are there, here is the rub. If you look at the XX% saving, it is over a traditional dial thermostat, not a programmable one. Secondly, and in general, if you are creatures of habit, it will not save you money, but will save you money if you generally stay out late (going to happy hour, dinner out, etc.), but have your house warmed/cooled for when you get home from work at 6pm.

Point 1) being that the item learns your routine. While this is kind of cool to have you wake up daily and fudge with it, rather than just spend 5 minutes to program it, it is really a waste of time in my mind. A program and forget thermostat is there so that it works every day, and if you forget to wake up one day and mess with it, then your programming goes out the window. I can see how this is cool for people that are technophobes, but the programmable thermostat has been around for 30 years, and really not all that hard to operate.

Point 2) being the motion sensor. This is great if you have a room where you generally congregate, and the thermostat is in that room. My thermostat is in a room where I go in maybe once a month, my dining room. So this will never work as the only time the NEST would have seen me is when I did something to check it or turn it up/down. Which is too much work, I want a fire and forget solution.

What I am trying to say here, is that while you might see some savings over a traditional programmable thermostat, I would not get my hopes up too much. If you are replacing an old school one where you have to adjust it for any changes, then yes, you should see some changes in the positive for you. Good luck.

Craig Lloyd is a smarthome expert with nearly ten years of professional writing experience. His work has been published by iFixit, Lifehacker, Digital Trends, Slashgear, and GottaBeMobile. Read more.

The Nest Thermostat isn’t exactly cheap, but if you’ve been in the market for a smart thermostat for a while now and just don’t want to pay full price for one, here’s how you can save money when buying the Nest Thermostat.

One of the great features of smart thermostats is that they come with the ability to better manage your home’s heating and cooling, saving you money on your utility bills in the long run. However, the up-front costs can be a bit steep, with the latest third-generation Nest Thermostat priced at $250. And considering that you can get a basic thermostat for as low as $23, shelling out a couple hundred dollars for the Nest might seem a bit crazy.

The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to pay the full $250 to buy a Nest Thermostat, and there are a few ways you can save some money when you go shoppin–not just for a Nest, but any other smart thermostat as well.

Buy an Older Model

While the latest third-generation Nest Thermostat looks tempting, you can easily get away with an older model and still get most of the same benefits, for a lower price.

In fact, the biggest differences between the newer and older models are mostly in looks and design. For instance, the third-generation Nest Thermostat sits a whole 0.05-inches closer to the wall for a flush look, plus a 40% larger screen. The newer model also has a better motion sensor, which is able to detect people from farther distances. However, you can get a brand-new second-generation Nest Thermostat for $215 on Amazon right now.

The first-generation Nest Thermostat is the cheapest of them all, but it has a thicker body than the second- and third-generation models, as well as a visible sensor grille at the bottom, which really isn’t a big deal unless you care a lot about looks.

Unfortunately, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a brand-new first-generation Nest in stores, as it’s a much older model, but this is where you can scour the various used marketplaces for a good deal on any-generation Nest.

Buy a Used Model

No matter what generation you buy, you can save even more money by buying a used unit.

One of the best places to buy anything used is eBay, and searching for “Nest Thermostat” will land you hundreds of listings from people who no longer want the smart thermostat. Amazon also has a decent used marketplace, where you can find the third-generation Nest Thermostat for cheaper as well.

You’ll easily be able to find third-generation Nest Thermostats selling for less than $200, which is a really good price to pay, even if it’s been used. Thermostats aren’t as prone to wear and tear like smartphone and tablets are, since they just stay put on the wall out of harm’s way, so you should have an easy time finding one that’s in great condition.

I was even able to find second-generation models that sold for as low as $150, so if you want to save a lot of money, this is a great route to go.

Of course, it’s always a risk buying used stuff by only seeing the photos, but eBay has a really nice buyer protection program, so if you’re ever unhappy with a seller, eBay can usually help out. Just be sure to read the item description closely.

Set Up Deal Alerts

If you don’t want to buy a used Nest Thermostat, it might be a good idea to set up deal alerts so that you get notified whenever the thermostat goes on sale anywhere.

Slickdeals is one of the most popular deal sites on the internet, making it a great website for setting up deal alerts on. It has such a large community that if there’s some sort of deal to be had on anything, you’ll hear about it on Slickdeals. In fact, there was a deal on the Nest Thermostat recently for $150, but you probably didn’t hear about it.

You’ll need to create an account in order to set up deal alerts, but once you’re all set up, creating deal alerts is quick and easy. Just enter in a keyword, store name, or brand name. You can even receive alerts for every new deal that gets posted to a specific category. Check out our guide to creating deal alerts o Slickdeals for more.

Take Advantage of Utility Company Rebates

You may already know that some of your local utility companies offer rebates on various home appliances if it means that it will save them energy. Products like LED light bulbs, water-efficient shower heads, and even toilets can be bought at a discount if your utility company offers it.

However, what you may not know is that you can probably get a rebate on a new Nest Thermostat, too. By visiting Nest’s website and entering in your zip code, you’ll get a list of companies that offer discounts on the Nest.

For instance, Indiana Michigan Power customers in my region can buy up to two Nest Thermostats for $70 off each, but it will need to replace a non-programmable thermostat and be installed before December 14, 2016. In my area, ADT also offers a free Nest if you sign up for a security system. You get the idea.

You’ll see different offers depending on where you live, so give it a try and you might discover that you can save a lot of money on a Nest Thermostat with very little effort.

Craig Lloyd is a smarthome expert with nearly ten years of professional writing experience. His work has been published by iFixit, Lifehacker, Digital Trends, Slashgear, and GottaBeMobile. Read more.

Smart thermostats are not only convenient, but they also come with a handful of settings that can potentially save you money. The Nest Thermostat is one of the most popular options, and it comes with a whole handful of settings that you should take advantage of if you’re looking to dial down your utility bill.

Despite their marketing, smart thermostats won’t save you any more money than a regular programmable thermostat, but they are way easier to set up and program. The Nest Thermostat, in particular, is one of the easiest smart thermostats to use. But if you really want to save money with it, you’ll need to tweak these settings.

Enable Auto-Away & Home/Away Assist

The Nest Thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature based on whether or not you’re home. So if you consistently leave for work at 8:30am every weekday morning, your Nest will learn this and automatically turn down your thermostat. It can also tell when you aren’t home based on your phone’s location, which is handy.

We’ve gone over the differences between Auto-Away and Home/Away Assist in the past, as it can get a little confusing, and it also shows you how to enable these features so that you’ll rarely have to touch your thermostat. You find this by going into the settings and selecting “Home/Away Assist”.

Know How to Turn the Nest Thermostat Off

Sometimes you just don’t need to heating or cooling on in your house, especially if the weather outside is nice enough to have windows open. This is why it’s a good idea to know how to turn off your Nest Thermostat when you need to.

On most regular thermostats, there’s usually a physical switch that you control to turn the unit on and off, but on the Nest it’s a bit hidden. You’ll need to open up the app, select your thermostat, and tap on “Heat” or “Cool” (whichever one is displayed) in the bottom-left corner. From there, you can turn off your Nest. Check out the full guide for more information.

Of course, it might be best to keep the thermostat on and simply just set minimum and maximum temperatures, that way if it ever gets too hot or too cold in your house, your thermostat will kick in and keep the indoor temperature at bay. But if you ever need to just straight up turn it all off, you can do so.

Set Air Filter Reminders

Within the Nest app, you can set reminders to change out your HVAC system’s air filter every few months. And yes, this really can save you money. Just head into the settings within the Nest app, select “Equipment” and then tap on “Air filter reminder”.

A clogged and dirty air filter restricts airflow, making your heating and cooling system work harder in order to keep your house at the specified temperature. This in turn uses more energy, which means a higher utility bill that you have to pay. So by making sure that your air filter is nice and clean at all times, you can be reminded to change it out.

After you have reminders set up, your Nest Thermostat will remind you when it’s time to change the air filter which will vary depending on how often your HVAC system is used.

Set a Schedule

While the Nest will learn your habits over time, many people prefer to have mostly-full control over the temperature of their living space. For the more old school among you, setting a schedule is a good option.

You can tell your Nest Thermostat exactly when it should turn on and at what temperature it should cool your house to. You access this feature by opening up the app, selecting your thermostat, and tapping on “Schedule” at the bottom. Our full guide has more info on how to set it all up.

Set Up IFTTT Recipes

While the Nest Thermostat has a bunch of useful feature baked in, there’s even more you can do with it by hooking it up to a service called IFTTT. By creating some recipes for your Nest, you can save even more money on your energy costs.

For example, you can receive a text message or notification whenever your furnace or A/C breaks down. So if you know your thermostat is on, but the indoor temperature goes beyond a certain point, then you’ll know something is wrong with your system, and sometimes that can cost you a lot of money if it goes un-repaired for any significant amount of time.

Or you can have the Nest Thermostat automatically turn off whenever the weather is good enough to have windows open. You can also set up a recipe to remind you to open windows whenever this happens, that way you’re not needlessly cooling your house with A/C when you could just have the windows open.

Title image by Niyazz/Bigstock, Nest

Putting in new light bulbs. Efficient appliances. Unplugging everything when you leave. It saves energy, sure. But it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what a thermostat can do. Your thermostat controls half your energy bill. And it’s wasting energy.

Heating/AC 44%

Programmable thermostats claim savings on your energy bill. But they can’t prove it. They make you punch in every temperature change you want throughout the day, and usually you can only program 2 or 3 changes. It’s annoying and complicated – most people don’t even bother. So despite their claims, most programmed thermostats stay at the same temperature all day. And that wastes energy. Programming just doesn’t work. So Nest found a better way. And a whole new way: it learns.

Why should you have to figure out your thermostat? The Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E learn from you. Just turn it up and down for the first few days. It will get to know the temperatures you like and when you like them. Then it programs itself and creates a schedule for you. It even learns from your home and figures out how it heats or cools, because no two homes are exactly the same.

Turn it up and down.

Use it like a regular thermostat for a week. That’s how it gets to know your schedule.

It learns what you like.

Maybe it’s 72º at 6 a.m. Or 66º when you go to bed. It adjusts the temperature for you.

It knows when you’re away.

When you leave your house, it turns itself down. So you’re not heating or cooling an empty home.

It learns about your home.

How long does it take to heat up or cool down? How drafty is it? Nest Sense helps your home’s system work more efficiently.

Control it from anywhere.

With the Nest app, your thermostat is on your phone. Adjust the temperature from anywhere.

• Turn it up and down.
• It learns what you like.
• It knows when you’re away.
• It learns about your home.
• Control it from anywhere.

Because the Nest Learning Thermostat learns how and when to keep you comfortable, it knows how and when to save energy. To prove it, we looked at the energy bills of real people in 41 states before and after they got Nest Learning Thermostats. Then we watched the data roll in from two independent studies – from real homes with real families and real Learning thermostats. The results were clear: on average the Nest Learning Thermostat saved 10% to 12% on heating and 15% on cooling. Based on typical energy costs, we’ve estimated average savings of $131 to $145 a year. That means the Nest Learning Thermostat paid for itself in under two years.

$ 131 to $ 145 estimated average savings per year.

All the numbers are in our white paper. It explains in detail how we did our internal studies and what independent researchers found out.

In February 2017, the Nest Learning Thermostat became the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR certified by the EPA.
Their rigorous testing confirmed what we’ve been saying all along – the Nest Learning Thermostat saves energy.

That’s not the only study to show Nest’s energy savings are real. Check out what we learned about Seasonal Savings and Rush Hour Rewards, two programs offered by our energy partners. Learn more >

Seasonal Savings

The Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E fine-tune your schedule as the seasons change to help you save. We’ve seen Nest users save 5-10% with their new schedules.

Rush Hour Rewards

You can earn rewards from your energy company by using less energy when everyone else is using more. Like on hot summer days when everyone’s running the AC at the same time.

Nest’s kilowatt-hours (kWh) ticker features an estimate of how many kilowatt-hours all Nest Learning Thermostats have saved to date, since October 2011.

These energy savings are calculated based on the typical percentage of heating and cooling savings found in real-world studies of the Nest Learning Thermostat (download the energy savings research in PDF format). To calculate the total savings, we apply these savings percentages to the actual heating and cooling hours of all Nest Thermostat E and Nest Learning Thermostats.

For Nest’s kWh ticker, we calculate the current savings estimate from the total savings estimate at the end of the prior month, and increase that number going forward using the average rate of savings from the same month of last year (adjusting that rate downward by 25% to be conservative).

Energy savings are an estimate, not a guarantee that any individual user will save energy.

Saving Energy Starts with Your Thermostat

Let’s get to the point, does a Nest® Thermostat really save you money? YES!

According to Nest, their learning thermostat can help save up to 15-20% on electric costs by learning what temperature you like based on your settings, and then building a schedule around your habits. It also gives you the power to adjust the temperature in your home from anywhere using your smartphone, so you can set it to a cost-effective temperature when you aren’t home and view how often your HVAC system is running. With a Nest Thermostat you’re estimated to save on average, up to about $131 to $145 a year. Talk about savings!

Fun fact: Nest’s learning thermostat was the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR certified.

What Nest Can Do for Your Home

Nest offers many benefits to your home, so we thought we’d break them down:

• Nest learns what you like.
  • Use the Nest like a regular thermostat for a week and that’s how it gets to know your schedule.
• It learns about your home.
  • No two homes are the same, Nest learns from your home and figures out how it heats and cools. When you leave your house, it turns itself down so you are not wasting energy on heating or cooling an empty home.
• Control it from anywhere.
  • The Nest app allows you to control your thermostat on your phone so you can adjust the temperature from anywhere.

Put More Money in Your Pocket with Rush Hour Rewards

Buying a Nest Thermostat puts even more money in your pocket through our Rush Hour Rewards program. This program allows members to earn money for decreasing energy consumption during peak demand periods with their eligible Nest Thermostat—which also helps GVEC keep rates low.

GVEC will give members a one-time $85 bill credit for signing up for RHR and another $30 for every year they’re enrolled from May 31 through September 30 of that year. Members may sign up for RHR with each qualifying Nest Thermostat installed in their home, allowing identical rewards for each account. Program sign-up and the one-time $85 bill credit is open year-round. However, to receive the $30 annual credit, members must be signed up by May 31 and participate in the program through September 30 of the current year.

How a Rush Hour Works

During a Rush Hour, enrolled Nest Thermostats will automatically adjust temperatures before and during a Rush Hour to reduce the strain on the electrical grid. GVEC will schedule the Rush Hour events, so you don’t have to worry about remembering to adjust the temperature.

Get Special Pricing When You Purchase a Nest Thermostat from GVEC Home

Don’t Have a Nest Thermostat? You can buy one at special pricing, plus get exclusive savings on installation through GVEC Home. If you’re interested in purchasing a Nest Thermostat from GVEC Home, stop by any of our customer service offices or give us a call at 800.328.0630.

Save Big with Nest

The possibilities are endless when it comes to a Nest Thermostat. Visit Nest to learn more about the benefits of investing a Nest Thermostat. To learn more about Rush Hour Reward and how to sign up visit our Rush Hour Rewards page.

Keep The Savings – How to Program Your Thermostat to Save Money

It’s a beautiful 65 degrees in Kennesaw, Ga. But to you there is still quite a chill as you wake. You go to the thermostat and crank up the temperature so the heat kicks on as you take a shower and get ready for your day. 1 hour later with coffee in hand you are headed out the door on your way to start your day. Meanwhile, your heat is still on, while no one is home.

Sounds familiar? You just wasted energy and paid for it. Finding the right thermostat for your home and programming it to the schedule of your family is easy! Studies show that monitoring the temperature in your home can save you 5-15% on your energy bills, per the Department of Energy. Now’s the time to start thinking of ways to program your thermostat to save money.

The “set it and forget it” concept works great with a programmable thermostat to save you time, money and keep you comfortable. Here’s what an average schedule looks like in many homes:

6:30 a.m.- Wake up time to prepare for the day

7:45 a.m – Everyone is out of the house to school and work

3:30 p.m. – Children or 1 adult arrives home.

5:30 p.m.- The whole family is home and preparing for evening activities

6:00 p.m.- Sports practices, dinner, evening meetings/activities

8:00 p.m Home and preparing for the next day/bedtime

10:00 p.m. Time to wind down and sleep/prepare for sleep

Does this schedule look somewhat familiar?

If you have a standard thermostat then you are turning your system on and off, and running it for hours at a time. However, you can see that there may be gaps in your schedule that don’t require the use of energy to heat/cool your home when it is vacant. Here’s where to start:

1. Make a rough daily schedule of when your home is occupied or vacant.
2. Review the various options and perks of a programmable thermostat. Do you you want regular reports? Sleek styling? Do you want your thermostat to communicate with your HVAC equipment and smoke detectors?
3. Once you have decided on the type of thermostat you are looking for, and had your professional HVAC experts install it, it is time to get to programming.

Here is what a program would look like in relation to the schedule above during the winter months:

6:15 – turn the temp to 68 degrees (or your personal comfortable temp)

7:45 – the temp goes down to 60 degrees

3:15 p.m. – the temp is programmed back up to a comfortable 68 degrees (or your personal comfortable temp)

5:45 p.m – the temp goes down to 60 degrees

7:45 p.m.- the temp goes back up to 70 degrees

10:00 p.m. – the temp goes down to 65 degrees (or your comfortable sleeping temp)

How Does a Program Save Your Money?

By setting the thermostat back for 8+ hours a day, you can save anywhere from 5-25% on your energy costs. The common misconception is that bringing your home up to a temperature is where the energy costs are. In actuality, keeping your home at a set temperature for hours of the day is where your system is utilizing the most costs. Turning your temperature down to where it uses minimal energy is the best way to save.

Don’t forget to change your program as your schedules change. For example, during school breaks or changes in your work life. This will assure you stay comfortable while keeping extra funds in your wallet.

Rule of Thumb

• Set your thermostat back 10-15 degrees during the times that you are not home.
• Program each day
• Don’t forget to change your program as your schedule changes
• Set the thermostat to turn on 15 minutes before your arrival so your home is comfortable when you arrive
• Don’t forget to review your energy bills before the replacement of your thermostat.
• For 8 hours of lowered temp time – You can expect 1% per 1 degree of lowered temperature.
  • Ex) 8 hours temperature is reduced from 70 degrees to 60 degrees should save you 10% on your energy costs
• Goal: winter set high temp 68 degrees / summer set cool temp 75 degrees

Which Programmable Thermostat is Best?

There are a variety of great options to installing a programmable thermostat option. Some are more complicated to set, others have a handy phone app that allows you to quickly program your schedule. More basic options strictly run the program while others can be connected to your carbon monoxide and fire alarms. This allows them to shut down your gas furnace if there is a potential carbon monoxide hazard present.

We favor the nest thermostat. As a nest Pro, we are fully skilled at installing the nest line of products. One of our favorite features is the connectivity and functionality. The nest thermostat is easy to program via your app. What’s the best part? It connects to your cell phone and knows when you are home and LEARNS your schedule. It is a learning thermostat! For the first week or two you manually program the thermostat each time you come home to your temperature. The nest thermostat learns your schedule and makes a program based off of it. It knows when you arrive via bluetooth connection.

What’s even better than a learning thermostat? The nest line of products can connect with one another. For example, the nest Protect is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. If you have the nest thermostat and the Protect and carbon monoxide gas is detected, the nest products “speak” to each other and turn of your gas furnace. What a great feature to keep you and your family safe!Regular reports are sent to your email or phone app and the nest Protect tests itself repeatedly throughout the day!

Take Advantage of the Cost Savings

Maybe a high tech option is too robust or complicated for your needs? No worry! Guardian offers our Cobb County customers a variety of programmable thermostats that will fit your wants and needs. Our HVAC experts provide Guardian customers with guaranteed 5 star service, affordable pricing, and even go above and beyond by teaching you how to use your thermostat!

Contact us today at 770-727-1888 or schedule online to get your programmable thermostat installed.

Select is editorially independent. Our editors selected these deals and items because we think you will enjoy them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.

If you’re looking to upgrade your home with smart devices, it’s worth considering a smart thermostat in the winter months, when high heating bills and air quality become a concern. And with new products frequently hitting the market, there are plenty of devices to choose from: In September 2021, for instance, Amazon announced a slew of new smart home devices, one of which is the Amazon Smart Thermostat, designed with Honeywell technology. In mid-2022, an endeavor known as Matter is expected to connect all of your smart devices, regardless of who makes them.

Smart thermostats work with smartphone apps so that you can be on your way to the airport and still dial down your central heating, conserving energy when you’re not around. But some of the biggest savings roll in during everyday use: You can program specific times for the thermostat to automatically set back heating or cooling while you’re away or at work and also when you’re asleep. Advanced thermostat models will learn your schedule over time to automatically set optimal temperatures while minimizing energy consumption. But with various thermostats options out there, which is the right one for you? We consulted technology and energy experts to suss out the best smart thermostats to shop.

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Learning thermostats versus manual thermostats

The first thing you’ll want to decide is how you plan to program your smart thermostat. After all, you may be content with an internet-connected, manual thermostat. The Honeywell Home Programmable Thermostat, for example, allows you to set temperatures using an app over Wi-Fi and is relatively more affordable than the smart thermostats we’ll be describing below.

If you want more of a hands-off experience, a smart thermostat might be a better option for you. This type of Wi-Fi-enabled device “can automatically adjust heating and cooling temperature settings for optimal performance,” explained Tim Carroll, deputy press secretary for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also noted that many of these thermostats offer geofencing, “which allows your smart thermostat to know when you’re on the way home and automatically adjusts your home’s temperature to your liking.”

In contrast to a manual thermostat, learning thermostats are more costly, often clocking in at more than $200. And while some are more DIY-friendly to connect to your home’s electrical wiring, others may require professional installation.

The best smart thermostats in 2022

Since we don’t test smart thermostats ourselves, we rely on expert guidance and recommendations to guide our recommendations. The experts we spoke to agreed that the best smart thermostats are certified by Energy Star — in order to receive that certification, the thermostats are “independently certified, based on actual field data to deliver energy savings,” according to Carroll. Below, we rounded up highly rated smart thermostats, all of which have earned the Energy Star label.

Honeywell Home T9 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat

If you live in an older home without a C-wire, that’s not a dealbreaker for the T9: It comes with a C-wire power adapter that you can install alongside the thermostat. (More on C-wires below.) It uses occupancy, humidity and temperature to regulate the indoor climate, while an automatic changeover mode automatically switches between heating and cooling systems. “The ability to detect occupancy in the home is key to the savings potential of Energy Star certified smart thermostats,” Carroll explained. “Certified smart thermostats will use an occupancy detector to figure out if the home is vacant. If no one is home, the smart thermostat will raise or lower the temperature setting so the heating/cooling system runs less, saving energy.”“

The thermostat supports additional remote sensors, which have a 200-foot range and can detect the temperature, occupancy and humidity in different rooms to help control heating and cooling. A seven-day heating schedule can be manually programmed to turn on and off, or you can allow the system to automatically kick-start systems when it detects your smartphone approaching.

Smart technology can make everyday tasks easier, safer – and sometimes even more environmentally friendly! If you own a Nest thermostat, this article will show you a few ways to reduce your energy bill and your environmental impact.

By the end, you’ll have mastered Nest’s Eco Temperature mode and devised a heating schedule that delivers maximum savings while reducing the environmental cost.

1. Teaching your Nest: set a good example

Nest is an eager pupil! As soon as you set up your thermostat, it’ll start learning your routines. Nest is always learning and will constantly refine its heating schedule to ensure your home remains at a comfortable temperature for a minimal cost.

To start, identify times when your home could be cooler without impacting your comfort levels. Obvious examples include the hours when you’re usually asleep or out of the house. When identifying these times, you may need to take your home’s other inhabitants into consideration. If you share your house with any pets, or even plants, then low temperatures may have a negative impact on their health and happiness.

Depending on your location, it may even be dangerous to leave your property unheated for a significant amount of time. For example, the water in your pipes may freeze, resulting in burst pipes and water damage. It’s best to make your adjustments slowly and monitor the results.

To train Nest to lower the temperature during specific periods, spend a few days manually changing the thermostat to reflect your desired changes. This may involve turning the thermostat down before heading to bed or going to work in the morning. Repeat this behavior a few times, and Nest will take notice and adjust its schedule accordingly.

This process may take some trial and error as you find a reasonable trade-off between energy savings and comfort. You may successfully reduce your energy bill but decide that waking up to a freezing cold home is too high a price to pay!

When finding this sweet spot between comfort and cost-savings, it helps to know exactly how much you’re saving.

Also read: How to Manage your Finances with Ledger Mode in Emacs

2. Monitor your energy usage with Home Report

Every month, Nest will email you a summary of your energy usage. However, you can analyze your energy usage right now using Nest’s Home Report.

To check your Home Report, launch the Nest application on your smartphone or tablet. You can then select the thermostat that you want to analyze.

In the bottom right of the screen, tap “History.”

This screen displays a ten-day summary of the selected thermostat’s energy usage.

You can view more information about the energy usage for a particular day by giving that day a tap.

The orange bar shows the time when the heating system was heating, and the number indicates how long the system was on during the selected day. The numbers that appear along the bar are the target temperatures as set in your schedule.

For some days, you may receive the coveted Nest leaf icon. This leaf indicates that you successfully reduced your energy consumption on this particular day.

To the right of the screen, you’ll see icons representing the main reasons why your energy usage increased or decreased on this particular day. Some of these icons can be confusing, but if you’re unsure, tap the icon and Nest will display a tooltip with more information about the selected icon.

This report can be particularly useful for comparing and contrasting your energy usage for different days, including identifying factors that significantly increase or decrease your overall energy bill.

Nest’s Home Report can also be useful when you’re experimenting with different schedules and target temperatures, as you can clearly see the impact of each change. By using this report, you can continuously refine your energy usage until you’re as cost-effective and environmentally-friendly as possible.

3. Nest Eco Mode

Your Nest thermostat can detect whether you’re at home using its activity sensors, your phone’s location, and sensor data from any other available Google Nest products.

When your Nest determines that no one’s home, it’ll activate Eco Temperatures mode automatically. This mode is designed to help reduce your energy bill by maintaining lower temperatures when Nest is home alone. When you return, your Nest will resume its regular schedule.

You can also manually activate Eco Temperatures at any time. If you don’t mind being a little cooler than usual, then manually activating Eco Temperatures can help reduce your energy usage.

To manually activate Eco Temperatures mode:

1. Launch the Nest application on your smartphone or tablet.

2. Select the thermostat where you want to use Eco Temperatures mode.

3. Along the bottom of the screen, tap “Eco.”

This thermostat will now switch to Eco Temperatures mode.

If you haven’t already, you should check your Eco Temperatures range, as modifying these settings can deliver greater cost savings:

1. Launch the Nest application on your smartphone.

2. Select the thermostat you want to configure.

3. In the upper-right corner, tap the “Settings” icon.

4. Find the “Eco Temperatures” section and tap to expand.

5. You can now adjust your Eco Temperatures range, by dragging the slider. The Nest Leaf will appear when you select a temperature that can help reduce your energy bill.

Finding the most effective Eco Temperature may take some trial and error. Decreasing your Eco Temperature will save you money, but no one wants to come home to a freezing cold house!

While you’re experimenting, it can help to keep a close eye on your Home Report, as this enables you to see the impact of your Eco Temperature adjustments.

To further save money on your energy bill, you may want to use a laptop rather than a desktop PC, as it is more energy-efficient.

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Welcome to my first READER REQUEST. I love ideas for new posts, especially from readers. This is my inaugural reader request, and I hope to do many more going forward. A big thanks for the inspiration…

In this ROI analysis, I’m going to take a quick look at whether or not a smart thermostat such as the Nest Learning Thermostat can save you money.

Table of Contents

What Are Smart Thermostats?

For those that don’t know, smart thermostats like Nest try to save you money by reducing your heating and cooling costs. They learn your daily schedule and turn the heat down when you aren’t in the house, and, on the flip side, they have everything all nice and toasty when you get back from work (vice versa with cooling in the summer too). Additionally, you can control the thermostat remotely from your smartphone (everything is getting smart these days). So say you forgot to turn the heat down when you left for vacation. No problem, just adjust it during your layover.

Smart thermostats are part of a broader category of stuff called the Internet of Things, which basically just means that you have more and more devices talking to and coordinating with each other over the internet. Another “Internet of Things” gadget is the Fitbit activity monitor bracelet that measures your steps, sleep, and other activity. The name might be sort of lame and the industry / movement might still be in its infancy, but the Internet of Things seems like it will have a major impact on our lives in the future.

And for budget geeks like me, that future is potentially now. Enter the Nest Thermostat. According to Nest’s sexy little website (former Apple guys or something… go figure [as noted in comments below, Nest is owned by google now even though it was started by former Apple employees), heating and cooling costs account for roughly 50% of a household’s utility expenses.

The Numbers

This is how much you would save on energy costs by switching to a smart thermostat. I got my numbers from Nest.com. More on that in a second.

• 10-Year NPV: $1,181
• 10-Year ROI: 454%
• 10-Year Payback: 2.6 years

Investing in a smart thermostat is worth about $1,200 over 10 years for the average U.S. household in the average U.S. climate. The investment doesn’t pay for itself until halfway through the second year because the Nest Thermostat is pretty expensive at $250 per unit. This means that the nest probably is a shakier investment if you rent or aren’t sure where you’ll be living in the next few years, but then again, you might be able to take it with you or, in the case of homeowners, it might actually be a selling point (as noted in comments below).

I’ll go into the methodology below, but the important thing to note here is that these numbers assume you aren’t already using an older-generation programmable thermostat.

This example assumes you mostly keep the heat or AC at a constant level all day, even when people aren’t in the house. We use an older programmable thermostat at my house already, so the savings would probably be a lot smaller. However, apparently we are the exception, because according to Nest.com, 89% of households with programmable thermostats don’t actually program them.

Another thing to consider is that some heating and cooling systems such as heat pumps, don’t save as much money with the Nest Thermostat because it takes more energy to bring the temperature back up to normal than to have never let it drop in the first place. I also think this could also be an issue with homes that rely heavily on thermal mass to regulate temperature, but from what I have read, Nest software can handle this kind of thing.

Long story short, for the average home that doesn’t already use a programmable thermostat, a smart thermostat can probably save you a nice chunk of money.

In addition to the Nest Thermostat, there are two other smart thermostats that also get mentioned a lot… the Honeywell Smart Thermostat, and the Ecobee Smart Thermostat. Apparently they operate on different algorithms which can sometimes save more money, but if you are looking to keep things simple, Nest seems like the best bet (think Apple).

Methodology

I’ll come clean immediately and admit to using Nest.com’s energy savings calculator. The first thing I did was to determine what cities have the most representative climate of the U.S. From this list of 100 city climates, it turns out that Baltimore, Maryland is the most typical (minimum cumulative deviation from indexed variable averages). Close behind were Wilmington, Delaware, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Then I figured out what the average square foot size of a U.S. house is these days. I made an educated guess of 1,500 square feet based on information from the National Resources Defense Council. Inputting these two variables and assuming the house has central AC, Nest’s calculator said I would save between $60 and $250 every year, or about an average of $155. Because I’m a little skeptical of Nest trying to sell me, I multiplied by 80% to be more conservative, which gave me a final average annual savings of $125.

And that’s the basic gist of it. If you don’t already use a programmable thermostat, get after it!

As well as turning off your hot water or boiler as you leave home, some can offer to heat only rooms that need it

Installing a Google Nest smart thermostat is one way to cut your energy bills. Photograph: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Rex/Shutterstock

Installing a Google Nest smart thermostat is one way to cut your energy bills. Photograph: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Rex/Shutterstock

W ith the return to the office in full swing and fuel prices rocketing, smart thermostats offer one relatively easy way to help reduce your energy use without big changes to your central heating system.

These are direct replacements for traditional timers and thermostats that give your boiler a hi-tech upgrade without cancelling out any of its features.

Most work with a large range of gas, LPG, oil or electric boilers, including those with hot water tanks, and many will work with biomass or heat pumps, too.

The majority consist of a control unit that is wired to your boiler and a wired or wireless thermostat that you place in the centre of your home. Many also require a hub that is wired into your router for online or phone-based functions.

Smart thermostats come in all shapes, sizes, prices and capabilities from a range of different manufacturers.

What can a smart thermostat do?

While features vary depending on the model and manufacturer, most give you more control over your heating, hot water and boiler than comes with a standard system.

On the Nest app you can create a schedule of when you want the heating to go on and off. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

You can adjust their temperature setting, set timings and turn the heating on and off via an app on your phone or using Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant smart speakers. It is a lot easier to create a detailed schedule of when you want the heating to go on and off in an app than it is on the pokey display of a traditional timer but most smart models will also allow you to adjust their schedules directly on the thermostat’s screen.

Some, such as Google’s Nest thermostats, can learn your habits and automatically adjust your heating schedule to save energy when you don’t need it. Many learn how fast your home heats up, too, so they can turn on at the right moment to hit a certain temperature at a set time. The best models also take into account the outside temperature and the impact of the sun on your building, so you don’t end up paying to heat your home when you don’t need to.

Automatically turns off when you leave home

One of the best features of a smart thermostat is the ability to automatically turn off the heating if you are not home. Most can use your phone to track where you are, if you opt in, and can turn the heating off automatically or send you a prompt to do so when you leave home and back on when you return.

A Hive heating thermostat.
Photograph: Kay Roxby/Alamy

Some also offer presence-sensing directly on the thermostat – it will detect if anyone walks past it, which helps to avoid the heating turning off if someone is still home even if you are not. Others can be linked to smart door and window sensors, so the heating is turned off if a window is open or you have exited through a door.

Heating history

Another useful feature is the ability to see a history of your heating use during the day, week or month, and to view it in charts comparing your use with the outside temperature. Some allow you to tell it your energy tariff, which allows it to show roughly how much money you have used on heating to help budgeting.

However, some manufacturers, such as Hive, charge a monthly or yearly subscription for access to view your data.

Zonal heating

Some of the smart thermostats can be linked up with smart thermostatic radiator valves to let you control the temperature of individual rooms. They turn each radiator up and down as required and can fire up the boiler when needed.

They promise to increase comfort but also energy efficiency by heating only the rooms that need it. But these smart TRVs are not cheap at £40-60 each and need to be fitted to every radiator, meaning the costs quickly add up.

How much do they cost?

There are lots of smart thermostats to choose from, and most cost between £100 and £200 without professional installation. Hive’s latest Thermostat Mini is one of the cheapest, at £119, including the hub that connects to your router. Installation by Hive costs £100.

Google’s DIY Nest Thermostat E costs £199 or less from third-party retailers for only heating, or the main Nest thermostat for hot water tank control, too, costs £219. Installation costs under £100.

Tado’s wireless Smart Thermostat V3 costs £200, with installation costing under £100.

Make sure to check the compatibility with your central heating system on the thermostat manufacturer’s site if buying for DIY installation.

How do I get one?

Most models can be bought direct from the manufacturer, from online retailers such as Amazon or through DIY shops such as Screwfix and Toolstation. But for people requiring installation, too, many small local and large national heating firms offer the service.

Can they save me fuel and money?

In theory, yes. Google’s Nest estimates that UK customers can save between 8.4 and 16.5% of their heating’s energy use, Tado estimates up to 31%, while Hive says up to £110 worth at pre-crisis prices.

Simply being aware of the current temperature and heating history can help you save the most money

However, in practice it depends on what it replaces, how you use it and how much energy you currently use.

Being able to automatically pause a heating schedule when you leave your home can save considerable amounts of energy if your schedule is unpredictable. Systems that identify when you can turn down the heat and save money without affecting comfort too much can also help.

Simply being aware of the current temperature and heating history can help you save the most money, as turning down the thermostat is still the most effective way of reducing fuel use without modifying your home.

Created On: October 11, 2015 &nbsp| Updated: October 11, 2015 | 3 Comments

Links may be partner or affiliate links including Amazon Associates.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Living in Las Vegas, our electric bills to run our air conditioner in the summer are crazy high. I have friends whose bills in the summer run up around $500 each month. I’m pretty proud of the fact that I manage to keep our bills under $100/month on the equal payment plan our electric company offers. Our highest bill in the middle of the summer is under $200. We have our air conditioning unit serviced regularly and a few years ago the technician told me that our thermostat was on it’s way out. It was a 10 year old builder grade (read: CHEAP) thermostat so I wasn’t too surprised. So I was super excited to receive a Nest thermostat a few weeks ago to replace the old one.

We received a new 3rd generation Nest, which is thinner, sleeker in design, and allows for a bigger, crisper display than the prior generation version. Nest provides alerts and reminders for peace of mind. It monitors your heating/cooling equipment, and tells you if anything is not working correctly. You can also be alerted if your home’s temperature goes above or below limits you set. Nest provides your energy usage, tracking how much you’ve used and provides tips that will help you conserve. Make an energy-saving temperature adjustment and the Nest Leaf will notify you immediately. Some local utility companies even offer rebates – find out about available rebates online at the URL provided above.

My husband installed the Nest and it took him all of about 15 minutes. Most of that time was trying to figure out which circuit we needed to turn off. The Nest walks you through the set up steps right on the unit. You can set it to accommodate your schedule and temperature preferences, but there is no need to set preferences because within a week, the Nest learning thermostat starts programming itself. It learns your habits and adjusts automatically, regulating your home’s temperature based on your schedule – which can save you energy and money.

When you’re not at home (the “Away” mode), it will automatically switch to an energy-efficient temperature. In independent studies, the Nest saved an average of 10-12% on heating and 15% on cooling bills. I can’t wait to see if I can get our bills even lower with Nest.

One of the most annoying features of our home is that the thermostat is upstairs. So every time we needed to adjust the thermostat, someone had to run upstairs. No more thanks to Nest! We connected the Nest to our existing home’s Wi Fi network and downloaded the free app.

If you are concerned that your WiFi is not exactly up to par to handle another device, check out Netgear’s Nighthawk DST AC 1900 DST router with DST adapter. Basically, the Dead Spot Terminator makes sure there are no WiFi dead spots in your home. We have our router upstairs and often the internet speed downstairs is super slow. With this Nighthawk router, we plug in the DST adapter downstairs and our WiFi is up to speed! You can purchase additional adapters to put throughout your home – and near your Nest – so you’re sure to be hooked up no matter where you are. No worries about hooking the router up either, it’s available exclusively at Best Buy and comes with Geek Squad Set Up and Support.

After two weeks of use, we’re loving our new Nest thermostat and Netgear WiFi router. I’m looking forward to saving even more on our energy bills in the months to come.

Reader Interactions

Comments

James Grayston says

That is an incredible achievement to keep your energy bill so low in comparison to some of your friends. It will be very interesting to see the cost of your bills over the next few months. Living in places like Las Vegas, I would hope that your utility company would consider a rebate- as you are living on the front line! Have you programmed your Nest or has it automatically learned your likes and dislikes?!

A little of both!

I bet you will be really happy with your purchase by the time you get your electric bill for the month. Especially where you are living, something like the Nest is going to do wonders for you! Glad to hear you like it.

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Last winter, I purchased two Nest Learning Thermostats for our house. At $250 a piece, they are not cheap. Fortunately, each of them qualify for a $100 rebate from my electric company (rebates vary by company and by state). At $150, they are a lot more affordable. Even better, I got an extremely rare discounted price of $229 on Amazon, which combined with 5% rewards on my Chase Freedom card for that quarter. When all was said and done, they cost me around $120 a piece.

At that $120 price, I could justify adding a little design, especially if was going to save me money over my previous non-programmable thermostat. (What were the previous owners thinking?)

I recently read a study that said you should get the bad news out first and finish with the good news. I’m going to give that a shot here, because the bad news is fairly mild.

The Disadvantage with NEST

Last winter we were renovating our home to add air conditioning, when I saw the deal on the NEST and jumped on it. (Side rant: I have no idea what the “genius” building our house was thinking 20 years ago when he decided not to include central air. New England summers can get extremely hot and humid.) Because our house lacks the ducts used for central air, the renovation was a bit of interesting mixture of technologies.

In the attic we have a typical central air system that blows the cool air down to the second floor. On the first floor we have ductless mini-split air conditioning (they go by many names, I’m not sure what it is officially called). This Frankenstein monster of an air condition system has its advantages… different cooling zones. We mostly spend our time upstairs sleeping, so we only have to cool it down some of the time. When we are downstairs, we can cool the room we are in through the ductless mini-splits.

It’s perfect, except for the fact, that mini-splits don’t work with a thermostat. Every brand of ductless air condition has it’s own proprietary technology. So while they come with fancy remote controls that can seemingly do everything… they can’t talk with my NEST. Only the upstairs, the “real” central air (for lack of a better term), can do that.

In practice this limitation isn’t actually that bad. With the upstairs on NEST it knows to cool down at night. The fancy remotes with our mini-splits downstairs are in the room with us making that easy to control. It’s just disappointing that it isn’t all tied together.

The Big Advantages with NEST

I was tempted to write about how awesome NEST is after the first month. I stopped myself realizing that the review would be better if I’ve used it for months. Not coincidentally, October is a good time to thinking about programmable thermostats. Winter is coming (I couldn’t resist).

The first thing that most people will say is that a simple programmable thermostat will give you 80% of the advantages at 20% of the cost. I would completely agree with that. I’d just say that some programmable thermostats are very complex and their screens aren’t terrible user interfaces. Setting different schedules for a weekend vs. a weekday does get difficult. I also don’t need another device that doesn’t understand daylight savings time.

The NEST is different in that it observes how you control it over time and programs itself based on your actions. If you don’t like how it sets itself up, the web interface for adjusting it is far more user friendly than the cheap characters on most programmable thermostats.

The programming itself is one of the biggest draws, but there are some other useful features. The NEST realizes when you are not home (I’m scared to learn out how) and puts itself it in Auto-Away mode, conserving energy. There is of course the obligatory NEST application for most smart phones. It gives you all the features on the thermostat itself, but for the most part you’d use it to raise and lower the temperature remotely.

Finally, NEST gives you monthly reports that allow you to compare your use against others in your state and the United States overall. It might not seem like much, but I set it as a goal to be in the top 80 percentile… and most months I’ve been able to do it.

Quality Control Problems Slip In?

One of NEST’s selling points is that the average person can install it themselves in a few minutes. However, since I had the aforementioned air conditioning system renovation, it was easy to say, “Can you put these NEST thermostats in too?” Upon installation, the installer told me that one of them was defective.

I took his word for it and got a replacement from Amazon, with zero hassle. They even paid for shipping both ways. The installer had no problem with the replacement.

I’m hesitant to say that there’s a quality control problem. Thousands of reviewers on Amazon don’t seem to think so. It may be a case where I got the one bad one in a million, or maybe my installer did something wrong. In any case, I mention it more for how Amazon took care of the issue quick and easy, than to point out a problem with NEST.

Does the NEST Save You Money?

According to Energy Star, programmable thermostats will likely save you $180 per year. The question is whether a NEST will save you more to offset the cost of the product itself. I can see a NEST saving an extra $25 a year through it’s features such as Auto-Away and smart phone access. That’s just my estimate. If you don’t live in a state with a rebate, it may take a 6 years for it to pay for itself. When you add in the convenience of programming, the monthly reports, and the aesthetics, I think the NEST adds a lot of intangibles that provide a lot of value.

I wish I could say that NEST saved me $X, but with the addition of the air conditioning system, I knew my expenses were going to go up in the summer. Also the switch from a non-programmable to a programmable thermostat was going to yield some savings, but savings that aren’t unique to NESTs features in general. I don’t feel I could make an apples-to-apples comparison, so I’ll simply avoid a comparison altogether.

There are cheaper Wifi thermostats out there, but I stand by the value of NEST. You can price-compare to try to find a bargain on NEST, but like the pricing of Apple products, it will be a long time coming… if ever. They simply stick at their price. Yes, at the beginning I mentioned that I got a discount, but I hadn’t seen one before or since… a span of a few years now.

Given my experience with the return, I highly recommend buying the Nest Learning Thermostats at Amazon, if you decide it is right for you.

Aug 2018 • 5 min read

Find out how smart tech is a smart move for cutting your energy bill

Have you been thinking about getting a smart thermostat? But not sure if you should make the switch. Not only does smart tech bring cool features to your home, it can help you save energy and money. The EPA reports that you could save roughly $180 a year by using a programmable thermostat. And it’s even easier with a smart thermostat that does all the thinking for you.

Here’s how the savings adds up. If you set your thermostat 1 or 2 degrees higher or lower than your usual number, you’ll see a 1 to 3 percent savings in your energy bill. Take it to the next level by setting it back 10 to 15 degrees for the 8 hours you’re at work and your savings jumps to nearly 10 percent.

Of course, you can adjust your settings manually with a traditional programmable thermostat. The problem is most people forget to actually do it. One study discovered that nearly 50% of households with programmable thermostats don’t set them up. Enter the smart thermostat. It never forgets, learns your habits and actually cares about saving you money.

3 Ways Smart Thermostats Help You Save Money

1. They Learn Your Behaviors
   This is what makes smart thermostats so smart. You initially program your ideal temperatures and settings. Then over time, your thermostat will observe your behavior and learn when you come and go, as well as what temperatures you prefer at certain times of the day. Your system can automatically adjust your settings to make sure your home is the perfect temp when you get home. Some thermostats even make adjustments based on humidity levels.

They Monitor Your Usage
Two-way communicating smart thermostats are always monitoring your usage, collecting data and sharing it with you 24/7. Their remote interfaces show how much energy you’re using and can even estimate your costs. From there you can make manual adjustments to your program or let your thermostat handle it. The magic lies in the data. The more you know, the easier it is to tweak your temps and see how it affects your energy bill. Smart thermostats give you the information you need to make smart decisions to improve your energy-efficiency and savings .

How Can You Save Even More?

Savings is different for each smart thermostat user. Factors like climate and your energy rates impact how much you save. Check out a few scenarios where you’re most likely to save the most.

Homes with zoned HVAC systems have more control over the temperature in different rooms and where they’re spending their energy dollars.

Regions with higher energy rates or extremely hot or cold weather will see a larger percentage of savings with a smart thermostat.

You can certainly save money on energy costs with a traditional programmable thermostat , but using a smart thermostat takes a lot less effort. You’ll quit wasting money heating or cooling an empty home and it’ll be easier for you track your energy efficiency and savings — right from your smartphone.

Talk to your local Trane dealer about how a Trane ComfortLink™ thermostat can make a difference in your monthly heating and cooling bill.

At Best Buy, we’re committed to offering products that help our customers reduce their carbon footprints while saving money on their utility bills.

For the average household, more than half of the energy used is for heating and cooling₁. A great way to control, monitor and reduce energy used at home is by installing a smart thermostat.

To help our customers save energy and money, we’re partnering with Google to offer deals on Nest smart thermostats this month.

From now through May 31:

Save more with utility rebates

Many utility companies offer rebates for devices that help save energy. Rebates can range from $30-$100 for smart home products, so when you combine the rebate with this month’s offer, you can get an even better deal.

Use Best Buy’s rebate finder to find rebates available in your area.

Save energy with Nest thermostats

As the first smart thermostat to become ENERGY STAR® certified, the Nest Learning Thermostat is engineered to learn your habits to heat and cool your home on a schedule so it knows the best time to save energy. Small daily adjustments can add up to big savings on your utility bill. In fact, a Nest thermostat can save 15% on cooling bills and 10%-12% on heating bills.

As we enter the summer months and higher cooling costs, now is a great time to control and monitor your energy with a smart thermostat — especially since we’re spending more time at home this year. You can easily track your daily energy usage in your monthly Nest Home Report email.

Click here to shop for Nest thermostats.

Advertiser Disclosure: At Slickdeals, we work hard to find the best deals. Some products in our articles are from partners who may provide us with compensation, but this doesn’t change our opinions.

Bonus Alert

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a new sign-up bonus worth $1,000 when redeemed towards travel

Smart thermostats can add another level of comfort and convenience to your humble abode. But more importantly, these futuristic gadgets can actually save you a decent amount of money too. A popular choice for lowering energy bills in the long run is the Google Nest Thermostat.
In celebration of the upcoming Earth Day, Google is giving the goods to go greener. From 4/7 to 4/24, nearly 100 utility companies across the nation have teamed up with the tech company to provide rebates, rewards, and offers on both the Google Nest Thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat models.
So if you’ve been looking for an opportunity to make the switch, this is it! Making the transition to a smart thermostat is virtually painless. And Nest Thermostats offer so many peace-of-mind features that, even at retail value, they can be well worth the cost.

Find Your Nest Thermostat Deal

Examples from around the Nation

These are a few of the deals available in some U.S. states:

• New Jersey – Get a Google Nest Thermostat valued at $129 for $0 plus shipping in taxes from PSE&G.
• Iowa – Get a Nest Learning Thermostat valued at $249 for $49 plus shipping and taxes from Alliant Energy.
• Massachusetts– Get a Google Nest Thermostat for $9.99 plus shipping and taxes from MassSave.
• Missouri – Get a Nest Learning Thermostat for $60 plus shipping and taxes from Evergy with enrollment in the Thermostat Program.
• Washington – Get a Google Nest Thermostat for $24.99 plus shipping and taxes from Puget Sound Energy.
• Arizona – Get a Google Nest Thermostat for $0 plus shipping and taxes from APS with enrollment in Cool Rewards or SRP if you sign up for the BYOT program.

Gain Control of Your Energy Savings

*Independent studies showed that Nest thermostats saved people an average of 10% to 12% on heating and 15% on cooling. Individual savings are not guaranteed. Learn more at

Author

Our editors strive to ensure that the information in this article is accurate as of the date published, but please keep in mind that offers can change. We encourage you to verify all terms and conditions of any product before you apply.

Two of Google’s smart thermostats are on sale for up to 23% off as June 24:

GOOGLE NEST THERMOSTAT: $99.98 — save $30.01 at Amazon and Walmart

GOOGLE NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT (3RD GEN): $199 — save $50 at Amazon and Walmart

No one talks about how Hot Girl Summer is only one 90-degree day away from being a Sweaty Girl Summer, and eventually a High Energy Bill Girl Summer. (That’s a thing, right?)

If you plan on blasting your air conditioning with abandon for the next few months, simply updating your HVAC system with a programmable smart thermostat can be a total game-changer: Google’s popular Nest models, at least, have been found to save their households an average of 10 to 12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills. They basically pay for themselves over time, when you think about it.

Coincidentally, Walmart and Amazon had two of them on sale just in time for July (the month when most parts of the contiguous U.S. have their hottest day of the year) — get the recently revamped Nest Thermostat for just under $100, or upgrade to the Nest Learning Thermostat for about $200.

We’ve got the scoop on both below, in case you’re not sure which one to get:

Google Nest Thermostat

The No. 1 bestseller in Amazon’s “Home Programmable Thermostats” category, Google’s standard Nest Thermostat was refreshed in fall 2020 with motion-sensing Soli technology, touch controls, additional energy features — including a schedule-analyzing Savings Finder — and a mirrored design in four sleek styles. (There’s a dark gray Charcoal, a white/light gray Snow, a peachy/rose gold Sand, and the greenish-gray Fog.)

It was still sitting at its Prime Day price the last time we checked — snag one from either Amazon or Walmart for only $99.98, or 23% off its $129.99 MSRP. (Note: The Fog and Snow ones are currently out of stock on Amazon, but you still have the option of placing an order now to lock in this sale pricing.)

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

The third-gen Google Nest Learning Thermostat (which is Amazon’s second-bestselling programmable thermostat, FWIW) is a slightly fancier model that’ll start making automatic adjustments to its temperature schedule based on your routine and changing seasons after just a week of use. This one sports a high-res digital display with Farsight, a feature that lights up its screen with time, temperature, and weather info when it detects your presence in the room.

Typically $249, Amazon and Walmart both had it on sale for $199 at the time of writing — a 20% savings — in your choice of six shiny finishes: Brass, Copper, Mirror Black, Polished Steel, Stainless Steel, and White.

Stay warm this winter with this discounted programmable thermostat.

There’s no time like the winter to invest in a smart home thermostat. Luckily, Google’s programmable Nest Thermostat is on sale for $89.99 (Opens in a new window) from Walmart. Get your cozy on and save $40 on this PCMag Editors’ Choice for affordable smart thermostats.

Control your home’s heating and cooling system, set temperature schedules, and remotely monitor energy consumption using just your phone or voice. And, like its more expensive predecessor, the Nest Thermostat features HVAC system alerts and the ability to turn itself down when you leave your home. It does not, however, learn your temperature preferences or automatically set up a schedule.

The thermostat comes in four colors—Snow, Sand, Fog, or Charcoal is compatible with 85% of 24V heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, oil, forced air, variable speed, heat pump, and radiant. Nest says it’s designed to work without a C (common) wire, which many older homes lack. The circular mirrored touch display shows the target and current temperatures, and whether it’s in active heating or cooling mode.

Thanks to its Energy Star certification, the Nest Thermostat can help save folks an average up to 12% on heating and 15% on cooling costs. Control it via the device itself, the Google Home app, or Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice commands through a phone or smart speaker. In place of a touch screen, a side-mounted touch bar lets you navigate the interface, quickly adjust temperature, and see various features like indoor humidity level and a menu.

In the market for a smart thermostat that looks good and won’t break the bank? The Nest Thermostat is a top choice, and it’s available for just $89.99 (Opens in a new window) —$39.99 off the $129.98 retail price.

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Based on three studies, Nest on Monday revealed average savings of $131 to $145 per year.

The Nest Learning Thermostat saves U.S. customers about 10 to 15 percent on heating and cooling bills, according to new reports.

Based on two independent studies and one internal one, Nest on Monday touted the positive results (Opens in a new window) , revealing average savings of $131 to $145 per year.

“[W]hich means the Nest Thermostat paid for itself in under two years,” founder Matt Rogers wrote in a blog post (Opens in a new window) .

Nest’s own study pulled before-and-after energy data from homeowners across America; two independently funded, designed, and evaluated studies looked at families in Oregon and Indiana.

“Nest is constantly improving,” Rogers said. “And that’s why we decided to do something no other thermostat maker has done: find out how much our thermostat saves. In real homes. For real families. Across the country.

“Some saved less on their energy bills, some saved more,” Rogers continued, “and many likely experienced events—like long vacations or new babies—that affected their energy bills more than switching thermostats ever could. But on average, after people installed Nest they saw real savings.”

Reminiscent of an iPod classic click wheel, the Nest Thermostat launched in October 2011, picking up speed by the spring of 2012, when the device hit the online Apple Store for $250. It later went on sale in Canada and the U.K.

As its name suggests, Nest learns over time, getting better at saving energy the longer you own it. Over the last three years, the developers have updated their thermostat more than 30 times, adding new features for even more savings.

“[C]ustomers can feel even more confident about investing in a Nest Thermostat,” Ben Bixby, general manager of energy services, said in a statement. “And our energy partners can be assured that energy-efficiency programs involving Nest will have an impact.”

For more, see PCMag’s review of the Nest Learning Thermostat and the slideshow above.

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How to Save Electricity on Central AC Units

A homemaker is similar to a corporate CEO, COO and CFO all rolled into one. The person who keeps a hearth and home is often responsible for the family finances, home repairs, major purchases and other critical aspects of household’s upkeep. Just like a corporate accountant, a homemaker needs to control spending. Using common sense and tried-and-true methods, a homemaker can save money in a variety of ways.

Budget

The first step a homemaker can take to saving money is to create a budget. A budget allows you to see your actual financial picture, including the effect that discretionary spending, such as dining out or entertainment purchases, can have on your finances. Seeing exactly how much — or little — money you have is key to avoiding overspending.

Electricity and Gas

Small adjustments to your power usage can provide big savings. Raising your thermostat during the summer and lowering it during the winter by even a few degrees can result in considerable savings, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Use fans, changing the blade rotation twice a year to bring warm air toward the ceiling during hot months and push cool air down during warm months. Change your temperature by 10 to 15 degrees when you’re sleeping or out of the house for eight hours or more and you can cut your electric bill by 10 percent. Turn your water heater down by a few degrees and use cold water to wash clothes to reduce heating bills even further. Changing air filters every three months will help your system operate more efficiently and reduce your costs. Unplug phone chargers, iPods and other electronic items when you aren’t using them to prevent these “energy vampires” from sucking money out of your electrical sockets.

Water

Cutting water consumption is another easy way to reduce a monthly bill. Fix a dripping faucet, which can leak as much as 100 gallons per day, or 3,000 gallons per month. Check to see if your municipality offers a rebate on low-flow toilets. If you can’t afford one, take a liter soda bottle, fill it with water and place it in your tank to reduce water use each flush. Run the dishwasher and do laundry only with full loads.

Food can take a big bite out of your budget. Smart shopping, bulk buying, couponing and learning to cook are all ways homeowners keep food costs down. Join a buying club, learn to coupon without buying products you normally wouldn’t and learn basic recipes that are nutritious and don’t rely on expensive, processed foods. Start vegetable seeds indoors to give yourself a head start on the outdoor gardening season, and jar vegetables, soups and sauces for year-round use.

Clothing and Household Goods

Shopping for second-hand goods at thrift stores is an excellent way to get high-quality merchandise at low prices. Many affluent people donate clothes, furniture, household goods and a range of other items to organizations such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, as well as local charities and individual small businesses. Finding collectible treasures as well as designer goods at a fraction of the retail cost makes second-hand shopping fun as well as thrifty.

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Weekly Grocery List for Healthy Living for Family on a Budget →

During transitional seasons, your thermostat runs a number of “sprints,” per se, in order to heat or cool your home on particularly hot or cold days. However, when winter comes around, your thermostat jumps into “marathon” mode, running on a daily basis to keep its inhabitants comfortable.

Although it’s comforting to keep your home at a steady 70 degrees day after day (who wants to wear a blanket around the house to keep warm?), it’s not economically practical. Instead, you should program your thermostat to raise or lower the temperature of your home when you’re sleeping or away.

Program in the savings

By programming your thermostat, you could save about $173 a year, according to Nest’s website.

Taking programmable thermostats to the next level, third-party manufacturers like Nest have developed “smart” thermostats that can learn your schedule so that they can heat or cool your home in the most energy-efficient way. For instance, if you leave the house at 7 a.m. every weekday and get home at 5 p.m., the Nest will learn to lower the heat or AC while you’re away. By using Nest’s “auto-schedule” feature, you can save about 20 percent on your heating and cooling bill , Nest reports.

However, for homeowners whose schedules change from day to day, Nest’s “auto-schedule” feature might not be the most practical option. Instead, they can manually turn the heat down when they leave, or control their thermostats from their mobile devices while they’re away in order to save. Turning your thermostat down just 1 degree can save up to 5 percent on your energy usage , according to Nest.

Although many people might associate “smart” controls like the Nest with forced-air heating and cooling, they can also be used in conjunction with in-floor radiant heating. WarmlyYours offers Integration Kits so that you can easily pair your heated floors with third-party controls, including the Nest thermostat.

By integrating with the Nest, WarmlyYours customers can reap all of the control’s benefits and gain full control over the way they heat their homes.

Energy efficiency in action

To see the integration in action, WarmlyYours observed a single-family home in Kildeer, Ill., heated entirely with in-floor radiant heat. Every room in the home features a Nest thermostat that controls the heated floor.

Between Feb. 11 and March 10, 2013, the average outside temperature was 28.8 degrees. During that time period, the Kildeer home’s 505-square-foot basement consumed almost 5 hours worth of electric radiant heating per day in order to reach 70 degrees. This equates to about $3 a day. Between March 11 and April 7, 2013, the average temperature rose to 34.8 degrees, and the radiant heat ran for nearly an hour less to heat the basement to 70 degrees. This equates to about $0.50 less a day in electricity costs.

Similarly, radiant heating in the 240-square-foot living room ran for nearly 7 hours between Feb. 11 and March 10, 2013, which equates to $1.64 a day. When the average temperature rose to 34.8 degrees, it only ran for 3.25 hours to reach 70 degrees. This equates to less than $1 a day.

In these instances, the home was able to save energy and money mostly because the temperature outside rose. However, heating each room in the home with radiant heat offers an additional advantage.

By using radiant heat as the primary heat source with a thermostat in each room, homeowners can simply boost the heat in the rooms in which they are spending the most time instead of having to turn up the heat throughout the entire house. In other words, if the upstairs is only used at night, the homeowner can keep the thermostat setting low throughout the day and boost it to a comfortable temperature about an hour before the family typically goes to bed.

By comparison, with gas heat, if you want to heat one room, you have to heat the entire home unless you go from room to room closing vents as needed. And who wants to do that?

To determine if your home is a good candidate for using radiant heat as a primary heating source, check out the WarmlyYours Heat Loss Calculator. Even if you’re only using in-floor heating for supplemental heat, integrating with third-party controls can help you save significant energy and money throughout the entire “marathon” of winter.

• The Nest Learning Thermostat is well-designed, easy to use, and offers plenty of great features.
• The device can be controlled through your phone, and will learn your routine as it goes.
• For a limited time, the thermostat is on sale for $70 off at Best Buy, so you’ll pay $199.99 instead of $269.99.
• You’ll also get an external temperature sensor as part of the deal.

The Nest Learning Thermostat is considered by many to be the best thermostat you can buy, thanks to its stunning design, range of smart features, and easy-to-use interface. For a limited time, you can get the Nest Learning Thermostat with an external temperature sensor for $70 off at Best Buy.

There are a ton of things that make the Nest Learning Thermostat such a great device. For starters, the thermostat is super well-designed. It’s available in a range of different colors, and features a beautiful stainless steel ring around a glass face, which displays the temperature of your home. You’ll use the ring around the edge to control the device’s software and raise or lower the temperature.

The Nest replaces your existing thermostat and can intelligently control your home’s heating and cooling setup automatically, so you often don’t have to do anything. On top of that, you’ll also be able to control the smart thermostat straight from your phone, and it’ll learn your routine so that it can adjust the temperature on its own.

This particular bundle also comes with an external temperature sensor, which can be set up in another room. External sensors are particular helpful in multi-level homes, and they allow users to set the temperature based on where they are in the home – rather than just a temperature overall.

Get the Nest Learning Thermostat with temperature sensor from Best Buy, $199.99 (originally $269.99) [You save $70]

Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.

Google’s Nest Renew program aims to teach your thermostat when to use cheaper, cleaner energy

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Select Nest thermostats will soon be able to tell you when you are using green energy. Image: Google Nest

Google has announced several new features for its Nest thermostats centered around helping the smart home become a bigger partner in the battle against climate change. These features are wrapped up in a new service called Nest Renew.

The service will use intelligent automation to allow the thermostats to communicate with energy providers and make it easier for Nest users to know when there is cleaner and / or cheaper energy on their local power grid. The device will then automatically adjust to use that energy at optimal times without you having to do a thing.

Nest Renew is the “First program of its kind,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and it is entirely opt-in. It includes six main features:

• Energy Shift — automatic shifting of heating and cooling to times when energy is cheaper and / or cleaner
• Online dashboard — a rundown of how clean the energy a home is using is, based on time of day, so people can adjust when they use non-connected devices to take advantage of clean energy
• Monthly Impact Reports — these track the impact using clean energy is having
• Energy Impact Program — an option to gamify your eco-friendly choices. Users collect Nest’s green leaves to earn a vote in how Nest directs funds to clean energy nonprofits
• Clean Energy Match — the ability to match estimated fossil fuel electricity use at home with renewable energy credits (RECs) from US solar and wind plants
• Schedule Tuneups — a new version of the existing Seasonal Savings feature that makes small adjustments to your HVAC schedule based on the time of year to optimize energy use

Nest’s existing demand-side response program, Rush Hour Rewards, which is an energy-saving program where the utility company can remotely adjust a household’s thermostat to relieve pressure on the grid, will continue as a separate service. People can choose to run both services on their thermostat simultaneously, with the Rush Hour program taking priority.

Nest Renew will work on Nest’s newest thermostats, which are the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, the Nest Thermostat E, and the Nest Thermostat. Visual indicators on the thermostat, emails, and activity summaries will tell Nest users when the various functions are active.

There are two levels to Nest Renew: Renew Basic, which is free and will be available across the continental US, and Renew Premium, which costs $10 a month and is limited to select markets at launch (Google didn’t say which). The premium tier adds two features for $10 a month; the Clean Energy Match, which is a way to match the fossil fuel energy used with renewable energy certificates that come from solar and wind plants in the US, and the option to pay utility bills through Nest Renew.

The main feature of Nest Renew is Energy Shift, and this is available in both the paid and free plans. This will automatically shift heating and cooling energy use to times when energy is cleaner and / or cheaper. Ben Brown, director of Product Management at Nest, explained that it will use small shifts — such as pre-cooling a house five or 10 minutes before the wind starts dying down or new demand spikes causing new energy plants to come online. “It will be just small coordinations based upon the needs of the grid that don’t sacrifice comfort at all,” he said. Nest customers will be able to manually adjust their thermostats if at any given moment they decide they’d rather be more comfortable than more green.

Depending on where you live and who your energy provider is, the power coming to your home could be generated by fossil fuels during one part of the day and wind or solar at another. Google says Energy Shift uses intelligent automation to make adjustments based on forecasts of the type of power on the grid. It then adapts energy use to prioritize clean energy. The company partnered with the non-profit WattTime, which has developed algorithms to determine the marginal emissions rates of the grid in real time.

Energy Shift can also adjust around any “time-of-use” charges your energy provider might have. Time-of-use charges are when you are charged more for using electricity at, say, 7PM — when everyone is home cooking dinner and watching Netflix — than you would be if you did those activities at, say, 2AM. Time-of-use charging is prevalent in Europe and the UK but not so common in the US — yet. But it is coming. Energy providers see it as a way to incentivize people to use energy when there is less demand, helping them better balance demand on the grid.

Nest says Energy Shift is a way its customers can navigate this change. “Certain regions are making it mandatory to move over to time-of-use plans — California and Michigan, for example,” said Brown. “Nest Renew will empower customers to manage their consumption against these time-of-use plans to make sure they can minimize their energy bills.”

Nest Renew works with a near real-time dashboard to help users see the type of energy on their local grid at certain times of day, allowing them to adjust their use in response. Image: Google

Time-of-use rates can be tricky to navigate. Running your HVAC system, for example, isn’t as easy to time as, say, running the dishwasher — which is something you can put off. Having a smart thermostat manage those calculations could make it easier.

Nest says it’s hoping to roll out Nest Renew to more household devices in the future, tying in with its smart displays and Google Home ecosystem. “We want to look at opportunities to empower other devices to coordinate with the needs of the grid; a good example would be electric vehicles,” said Brown.

RMI, a nonprofit working to accelerate the country’s transition to clean energy, analyzed the Nest Renew program and concluded that products like this could reduce around 50 million metric tons of CO2 per year if 10 million households participate. That’s approximately 7 percent of the gap between today’s level of household emissions and the US’s current target, which aims to cut emissions in half by 2030. With close to 123 million households in the US, the impact smart, connected homes could have on the climate change challenge will be even greater if even more people participate.

Nest Renew will start in an invitation-only preview in the coming weeks. Sign up at nestrenew.google.com to join the list.

Correction, October 6th, 11:35 am: An earlier version of this article said that Monthly Impact Reports provided a rundown of how clean the energy a home is using is. After publication, a Nest spokesperson reached out to clarify that the Monthly Impact Reports track the impact of the service and a different feature, the online dashboard, is how users can see when clean energy is powering their homes.

At Greensaver, we deliver two Ontario-wide energy conservation programs that offer smart thermostats free of charge to eligible participants: the Home Winterproofing Program and the Energy Affordability Program. But how, exactly, do smart thermostats work and save you money?

What is a Smart Thermostat?

A smart thermostat is a thermostat that you can control remotely through internet-connected devices such as phones, tablets, and smart speakers. Smart thermostats allow you to schedule and modify the temperature of your home remotely.

Smart thermostats are an upgrade on standard thermostats – which you have to set manually – and programmable thermostats – which can be set to change throughout the day, but not remotely.

What are the Main Types of Smart Thermostats?

There are three main types of smart thermostats available.

Learning Thermostats

Learning thermostats are smart thermostats that learn when the home is likely to be occupied based on occupants’ behaviour. The thermostat then heats and cools the house automatically, stopping heating and cooling systems from being left on too long and ensuring the home is comfortable when occupants arrive.

Zoned Systems

Zoned systems smart thermostats work by controlling the temperature in individual rooms instead of merely the whole home.

Learning Zoned Systems

Learning zone systems are the most advanced smart thermostats available. These thermostats learn the heating and cooling patterns of each room and then automatically adjust to meet needs.

How Do Smart Thermostats Work?

Smart thermostats connect to the HVAC system, like standard thermostats. However, they are also connected to your home’s wifi and your electronic devices such as phones and tablets. This connection to wifi and electronic devices allows you to control your home’s temperature remotely.

How Can Smart Thermostats Save You Money?

There are various ways that smart thermostats save you money.

Only Heat and Cool as Much as You Need It

Smart thermostats allow you to change your home’s temperature remotely. This remote function means that if you forget to turn the heating or cooling down when you leave, you can still do it later and avoid wasting energy.

High-Tech Smart Thermostats Learn From Your Behaviour

Advanced smart thermostats work by learning from your behaviour and predicting when you will leave home and return. Such thermostats will turn on and off the heating and cooling systems automatically, which again avoids you wasting energy by accidentally leaving the thermostat on.В

Some smart thermostats also useВ geofencingВ technology, which turns off the thermostat when you leave your immediate geographic area, for example, on a trip.В

Smart Thermostats Monitor Your Heating and Cooling Usage

Smart thermostats can provide you detailed reports on your heating and cooling patterns. Having access to such information helps you understand where you can make energy savings.

Customize Each Room

If you place separate smart thermostats in individual rooms in your home, you can heat and cool them differently. The advantage of this is that it avoids unnecessarily heating or cooling rooms that you do not use often.

To do this, you have to have anВ HVAC zoning system, which can redirect air to specific home areas.

Some Smart Thermostats Can Connect to Smart Speakers

To make it even easier to keep your thermostat at the correct temperature and not waste energy, you can pair most smart thermostats with smart speakers. Doing so means you only need to ask your speaker to change the temperature for you.

How Much Can Smart Thermostats Save You?

It is undeniable that purchasing a smart thermostat will save you energy. However, there are numerous factors to consider when estimating just how much energy you would save by buying one.В

Firstly, homes with separate smart thermostats in each room and an HVAC zoning system will save more energy, as you can customize the temperature for each room in your home.

Secondly, the colder the winter and the warmer the summer, the more you have to use your heating and cooling to maintain a comfortable home temperature. If you accidentally leave your HVAC system on in such climates, there will be a large amount of energy wasted, meaning that avoiding this type of wastage with the help of a smart thermostat will save you a lot of money. Therefore, smart thermostats are more effective in freezing winters and hot summers, such as in Canada.В

With all of this in mind, estimates vary as to exactly how much energy a smart thermostat will save you. Nest – one of the leading smart thermostat companies – states that, on average, their smart thermostatsВ lower heating bills by 10-12% and cooling bills by 15% a year.В Ecobee, Canada’s largest smart thermostat company, goes even further, estimating that their products save you up toВ 23% a year on your energy bills.В

Is it Worth Buying a Smart Thermostat?

Smart thermostats are a significant inventment up-front, costing between $250 and $350. However, they eventually pay for themselves, with Nest claiming that their thermostats’ payback period isВ two years.В

Therefore, we only recommend buying a smart thermostat if you plan to stay in your current home for at least two years. If you rent your home, you can still install a smart thermostat, but you will have to get permission from your landlord first.В

Bear in mind that you can achieve the same savings with a programmable thermostat. However, it takes a great deal of effort to adjust the schedule and thermostat settings constantly. Therefore, we recommend a smart thermostat as it is a more flexible and simple option, saving you time and eliminating the potential for human error leading to energy waste.

Conclusion: Smart Thermostats are Good for the Environment and Your Wallet

In conclusion, it is clear that smart thermostats are good for the environment and save you money. While they are a significant up-front investment, they pay for themselves relatively quickly and make your home life that little bit easier.В

Remember that the Home Winterproofing Program, which we deliver on behalf of Enbridge Gas, offers Smart Thermostats free of charge to eligible participants.

For new content, be sure to check out ourВ insightsВ page regularly. Also, follow us onВ Facebook,В LinkedIn, andВ Twitter, and sign up for ourВ newsletter.

Don’t let winter drive up your heating bills! A smart energy-saving thermostat makes it easy to keep your home warm and cozy without spending a fortune in utility bills.

Plus, because you use less energy with a smart energy-saving thermostat, you’ll shrink your carbon footprint (yay!) and do your part to stop climate change.

Installing your thermostat before the weather turns too cold will help you save money and energy well before winter hits. In fact, autumn is the perfect time to do it. Here’s how.

How to Choose a Smart Energy-Saving Thermostat

It can be confusing to figure out what kind of smart energy-saving thermostat to buy. EPA’s Energy Star program has established standards for efficiency and performance to help you get the best possible thermostat to meet your needs. Follow their “buying guidance” when you shop.

MONEY TIP: Worried about paying for a new thermostat? Almost half of the annual energy bill of an average American household goes to heating and cooling. That can amount to more than $900 a year. Purchasing a smart energy-saving thermostat will pay for itself in energy savings in no time, then keep on saving you money, year after year.

Smart Energy-Saving Thermostat Buying Guidance

We’re showcasing a few Energy Star-rated Smart Thermostats to give you an idea of what’s available. We may receive a teeny tiny commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. These commissions help us provide you with the expertise you need to lead the greener life you want – and keep our site ad-free!

√ Make It Compatible – Make sure the smart thermostat you purchase is compatible with your heating and cooling (HVAC) system. Know what kind of system you have (size; efficiency level; manufacturer; age; etc.) as you get ready to shop.

√ Contact Your HVAC Manufacturer – Most HVAC systems come with a thermostat. Contact the manufacturer to find out how “smart” the standard thermostat is. Ask if they have a smart thermostat for their system you can upgrade to. If not, ask for their recommendations on which smart thermostat will work best with the system you have.

√ Look for the Energy Star on the Label – The Energy Star means that the thermostat has met EPA’s standards for efficiency and performance. It provides quality assurance that your purchase will do the job.

√ Contact Your Utility Company – Find out if they have any programs that help you connect your smart energy-saving thermostat with their systems to manage reliability.

√ Don’t Get One That’s “Too” Smart – It’s tempting to buy all the “bells and whistles” when buying new technology. But do you need it all? Smart thermostats can be voice activated, remote controlled, controlled from your mobile device or…none of the above. Start with the minimum of what you need, and add additional features if they make sense for your lifestyle.

√ Make Sure It’s Easy to Program – At the least, you want a thermostat you can set to raise and lower heating (and cooling, in summer) when you most and least need it. For example, you can set it to turn down the heat when you go to sleep, and then turn it back up a half-hour before you normally wake up. You can tweak the settings when you go on vacation. If you’re back to work outside your home, you can set the thermostat to turn down during the 8 or 10 hours you’re gone for the day.

√ Be Able To Locate It Near Your WIFI Router – This will maximize overall connectivity and prevent periodic disconnections.

√ Know the Limits for Heat Pumps, Electric Resistance Heating, Steam Heat, and Radiant Floor Heating – You will need thermostats for each of these heating systems that are different from a thermostat for an electric whole-house HVAC system. Do your research before you buy.

√ Read Reviews and Ratings – What do other consumers have to say about the thermostat you’re considering buying? How easy was it to install? How easy is it to use? Take a minute to read the reviews and ratings. Look for those living in similar circumstances as yours.

What is “Geofencing”? The “Geofencing” feature allows your thermostat to detect when you’ve left for the day and “set back” your HVAC system and save money on your heating or AC bill. If you’re on the way home, the thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature to ensure you arrive to a comfortable home.

Have you bought a smart thermostat? How is it working for you? Help everyone else by sharing your experience at the Big Green Purse Facebook Page.

Also, please share this article on your own Facebook page.

When you’re looking to save money on home energy bills, one of the best ways to do that is to invest in a Nest Thermostat. So, taking advantage of a Nest Thermostat sale, or better yet, finding a Nest Thermostat price drop, is of utmost importance.

And, the good news for you is that you’ve found all of the Nest Thermostat deals on the internet all listed right here in one spot!

If you have the Nest Learning Thermostat on your list and are looking to gran a Nest Thermostat on sale, first head over to The Home Depot . Specifically if you are looking for a Nest Thermostat 3rd generation sale.

There are several rebates available on the Nest thermostats that will give you some really nice additional savings on the Nest.

To quickly see the rebates available for your area, head here to HomeDepot.com and press on “check rebate availability” on the style you’d like to buy. I am seeing rebates of up to $125 – How’s that for a price drop?! 🙂

You will see the Nest rebates that are available under the product if there is a rebate available. Press the blue “check rebate availability” to see if there is a rebate available in your area. (see below)

More Nest Thermostat On Sale Deals

Another place to get a deal on the Nest Thermostat is Amazon.com here . Sometimes Amazon does offer the best price for a Nest thermostat.

As you probably know, Amazon changes their prices quite often, and frequently spotlight different products on sale, so it’s very likely that you’ll find a Nest Thermostat price drop on Amazon. The name of the game here is being diligent in checking the site often (I recommend daily, or every other day).

A Top Tip for Finding Nest Thermostat Deals

A great way to save money on pricey electronics like smart thermostats are to buy open box items.

Amazon has a huge list of the Nest Learning Thermostats here that are in great condition but are just opened, which is no big deal, as in most cases you’ll be opening the box yourself, too. See the selection here .

What is the Average Nest Thermostat Price?

When looking for a great deal on the Nest Thermostat you’ll find that the average price is around $250. Although, when you’re able to submit for a rebate you’ll save $25-$50 when you get a prepaid Visa card back, so that will save you a little more money.

But, at the end of the day, the average price will be $200-$250. The savings will add up over time, but the real savings comes with the convenience of not having to worry about turning up the air, or turning down the heat because the Nest is a smart home device. The Nest knows when you commonly come and go and can adjust to that within 7 days.

What Other Perks are there to the Nest Besides Finding a Nest Sale?

Like I mentioned earlier, the Nest learns the temperatures you like for different times/days and programs itself, automatically turning itself down when you’re away to avoid heating or cooling an empty home. And, that means that when you come home the house will feel good.

A non-money saving plus to the Nest is that it learns how your home warms up and keeps an eye on the weather to get you the temperature you want when you want it. It’s like having someone at home watching the temperature inside without having someone at home. That’s awesome!

And, if carbon monoxide is a concern for you, the nest thermostat works with nest protect. If nest protect detects dangerous carbon monoxide gas, it can tell the nest thermostat to turn off the furnace – a common source of CO leaks, keeping you and your family safe from a dangerous situation.

OK, it’s time to sound off! What is it that you want most when looking for a Nest Thermostat on sale?

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HEY THERE! I’m Kate, a busy wife and mom of two who loves saving money, cooking easy dinners and hanging with friends and family. I’m glad you’re here, take a look around!

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