The Google Nest Learning Thermostat: One of Our Favorite Products

If you’re like most of us, you feel good when you’re able to cut down on your home energy use. It saves money, and it helps preserve the planet. But it can mean a lot of money up front if you want to tile your roof with solar panels or replace all those old drafty windows.

Thankfully, there are lots of great ways to save energy without busting the bank. This week, we’re looking at one of the best ways to do that: the Google Nest Learning Thermostat.

In the typical U.S. home, heating and cooling make up the biggest energy expense—about 50%. That’s more than double what all of a home’s electronics and appliances consume (21%).

But the Nest Learning Thermostat helps level the playing field, cutting up to 12% on heating and up to 15% on cooling, all by itself. And here’s how:

When you’re at home the first few days after your new thermostat has been installed, it learns the temperatures you like, based on your initial settings. Then it programs itself, turning the temperature up or down (depending on the season) when you’re not around to help save energy.

And it’s smart enough to understand your home, recognizing how long it takes to heat or cool. When it’s really cold out and you’ve been at work all day, for example, the Nest Learning Thermostat knows how long it needs to start heating to get your home comfy by the time you walk in the door. And it knows when to shut it off to keep your home in that optimal range.

It’s a pretty good teacher, too. With the Nest Leaf icon that appears on the thermostat’s display or on the Nest app, you’ll learn which settings are the most energy efficient. These are preset, so you can hit the ground running right after your thermostat is installed. Later, it’ll personalize these settings to your home after the thermostat has been working for a while. And did you know the thermostat’s display can even remind you when it’s time to change your HVAC system’s filter?

The Nest is easy to install. In most cases, it just takes a few minutes. And Google Nest has a great support site to help, should you need it. Or they’ll even help you find a Nest Pro to assist with installation if you’re having difficulty. And once it’s set up, you can control the thermostat from anywhere with your phone, laptop or tablet.