Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation, Copper - Smart Thermostat - A Brighter Way To Save Energy

Nest is one of those rare products that is impeccable in its design, functionality, quality and ease of use. All things considered, it is also extremely good value for money as well. However, like me, you will might only realise that once you have started using Nest. The positive experience of Nest actually starts on unpacking the product, the quality of the product is evident in every detail. Even the screws for attaching the product to the wall have a certain quality about them which just is not there in a normal screw.Prior to installing Nest, for years my house has been either too hot or too cold and rarely at just the right temperature. Now, less than two days after installation, with Nest, I can accurately control the temperature inside my house so that it feels comfortable all the time.I have no hesitation in recommending Nest as a new or replacement thermostat / timer. It has certainly given my old boiler a new lease of life, which in its last life was simply controlled by a programmable clock and the thermostatic valves on the radiators. For those interested, the boiler which I fitted Nest to, is the IMI / Range / Baxi / Potterton - Powermax 185 (yes, the boiler was sold and sold again from company to company like a hot potato!). This type of boiler has a chequered history due to a lack of knowledge amongst most heating engineers on the correct maintenance and repair but despite that, like Nest, I consider it to be a design classic!! If Nest can fit this old boiler and give it a new lease of life, then it will probably fit any boiler out there. But do your own research and check the compatibility for yourself. if you are not confident to fit Nest yourself then it is worthwhile getting a Nest installation professional to fit it for you.The installation process took me approximately 2 hours. I prepared well by having my boiler installation manual to hand as well as lengths of power cable and a variety of tools such as a cable stripper, drill, tape measure, electrical screwdriver, pencil etc. I also watched a few YouTube videos on how to install. One important safety point to remember is to switch off the bolier and isolate it from the mains during installation.Following installation, I can see, at a glance, the actual temperature inside the house and also when the boiler is due to be triggered to run and when it is not. When I walk past Nest, the built-in motion sensor wakens so that Nest displays the actual temperature and the temperature that the boiler has been set to come on at. This allows Nest to be setup and adjusted very accurately for each individuals requirements. Adjustment is made by either making adjustments on the Nest display itself or by using the Nest App on your phone.I have setup Nest to operate to a pre-determined schedule because I have a pretty standard routine, however, Nest has been designed to learn your home life patters and adjusts to suit and save energy when you are out. You will need to research this a bit yourself to decide if you want to simply set a schedule or let nest learn and react to your movements.When I am away from the house, I can check the Nest App on my phone to see how much the temperature is dropping throughout the day when the house is empty and Nest has been set to a low temperature, so as not to switch the boiler on unnecessarily. In my case this confirmed that the installation of the loft insulation which was upgraded a few years ago was actually worthwhile! There being a minimal drop in temperature throughout the day.In its history file, Nest stores the boiler's operation details which allows me to check how long the boiler has had to run for each day to maintain the desired temperatures throughout the day and night. This will prove to be helpful in adjusting the Nest settings so as to be as energy efficient as possible or for monitoring the benefits of other energy saving upgrades such as the installation of upgraded windows or loft insulation etc.On researching the possibilities of Nest further, it is apparent that the integration of Nest with other household products will limited only by the ingenuity of Nest's designers (which is obviously there in abundance) and the ingenuity and foresight of designers of other products.It was a pleasant surprise to find that Nest was already able to seamlessly integrate with my Logitech Ultimate remote control. As soon as I realised that this was a possibility, it was done using the Nest App on my phone.I would have never thought that a mere thermostat could be such a joy to use and into the bargain actually provide the very precise boiler control which is necessary to make the living environment as comfortable as possible. With Nest, the days of turning thermostats up and down to control the temperature or adjusting difficult to set time settings on wall mounted programmers are gone. Nest is an absolute pleasure to use and helps us to create a very comfortable living environment, which can only be a good thing.There are not many products on the market that I would take the time to review as most are here today and gone tomorrow. However, Nest is one of those products that stands out and I have no doubt will be here to stay for a very long time. Nest has clearly been designed and brought to market by skilled and enthusiastic designers and others with a vision who are passionate and determined in their efforts. Nest has created a product which can actually help to improve our everyday lives in more ways than you could ever imagine that a thermostat could.I did my research before purchasing and watched a few YouTube videos on the installation but I still felt uncertain about it whether Nest would work with my boiler. Having now bought, installed and used Nest, I would say its a no-brainer! I hope that this review helps a few people in their research prior to making their purchase.

Bought the thermostat along with the stand recently. My main reasons for buying were to gain the ability to control my heating remotely from my phone/tablet, but also because it looks fantastic.Yes it's expensive for sure... I'd previously invested in a z-Wave wireless thermostat, and while in theory that should have been controllable remotely as part of an overall z-wave system I couldn't ever get it to work. But that's another story.The actual thermostat is a beautiful piece of engineering, excellent design, with a lovely feel to the movement when you rotate the outer ring to make adjustments - it's also heavy, it feels substantial, which is good. I've since learned that the people who founded the company previously worked for Apple - and it shows in the design in my opinion. Everything from the way the item is packaged and presented in the box to the way the software works is kinda like a high-end smart phone!The package consists of the thermostat and also a boiler switch which needs to be placed near your boiler and wired in to your existing set-up - I consider myself reasonably competent with electrics and managed to wire it in myself - but they do recommend professional installation. Considering that part of the install is likely to involve modifying mains voltage cabling it's worth considering if you're not confident with this kind of thing. The two parts communicate via wireless and there doesn't have to be a cabled connection between the two.However the thermostat does need power - I don't think that's made clear in the fancy marketing pictures showing the thing hovering nicely on a wall - the options are either to power it using a 12v supply provided by the boiler switch or use the included USB lead and "charger" which is exactly the same as you'd use to charge a phone!To power it via the boiler switch you need to use existing wires which would be present if you're replacing an existing wired set-up, or run wires to your new location somehow. Using the alternative of the USB lead is easier, but harder to hide the cable! As I'm using mine with the stand it's on a shelf and I've managed to get the connection cable hidden in some existing trunking.I'm only controlling heating as I have a combi-boiler and therefore no hot water tank, so I can't comment on the hot-water side of things.The thermostat needs to "see" your room - it needs to point in to the room - when it senses you are walking around the display comes on and shows in large figures the temperature it's set to - if you walk right up to it the display changes to show more details, which is neat. If no movement is sensed the display turns off completely.The "learning" element is that after a few days it figures out when you usually turn the heat up and down - ie. what time you usually turn it up in the morning, down at night, etc. and then starts to adjust the temperature itself. If you have a reasonably regular routine like our house this seems to work quite well - although we do have an issue where is switches on way ahead of time in the morning to get the house "up to temperature" by the switch on time which results in the house getting too hot in the middle of the night - apparently there are adjustments that can be made to fix this, but at the moment I've resorted to switching it off manually at bedtime!The phone app, iPhone in my case, is easy to configure and link and works easily - if gives a display very similar to the thermostat itself. Being able to adjust the heating when leaving work, or from the couch, is fantastic. The app can also help the system figure out when you're not home - and the heating will turn itself down, how effective that is I don't know yet.It's also worth noting that the boiler switch isn't a standard size and won't mount over a UK 1 or 2 gang socket box - that's a shame and made it a little harder to modify my existing system - I've included "before" and "after" modification pictures to demonstrate what I had to do.Overall it's a fantastic system - likely to need some fine tuning to get it just right, certainly expensive, but with lots of nice features I'd definitely recommend it!