“godfather” of the iPod invents world’s first learning thermostat

[TraumaRN]

This would actually work well for me given my shifts as a nurse. It's generally changing a lot. I only work 3 sometimes 4 days a week so this would be the perfect thing for me. I've got my current programmable thermostat set up as best I can given my schedule, but I'd be willing to bet I could shave another 5-10% off my heating bill in the winter with this, ditto in the summer time.

However...it needs to be no more then $125....at it's current price it's too expensive.

 

[FoBoT]

However...it needs to be no more then $125....at it's current price it's too expensive.

there will probably be a groupon for it, eventually

 

[Lithium381]

has potential, but too expensive for the moment.... my thermostat isn't programable, i don't have central air so i suppose it doesn't matter anyway

 

[KillerCharlie]

I've been thinking of that idea for quite a while, I'm surprised it took this long to come out. It seems like a pretty simple way to save energy. The whole benefit is that it's not stuck to a schedule. Some days I might come home 4-5 hours later than other days. Of course the energy savings is pretty small.

The price is way too high though.

 

[Howard]

WTF flathead screwdriver? For that money I should be getting at least a Robertson, Allen, or Torx drive.

 

[Rage187]

$249?

No dice.

$99 and I'll take one.

 

[Aharami]

WTF flathead screwdriver? For that money I should be getting at least a Robertson, Allen, or Torx drive.

hah...I was thinking along the same line. flatheads suck

 

[zinfamous]

I've been thinking of that idea for quite a while, I'm surprised it took this long to come out. It seems like a pretty simple way to save energy. The whole benefit is that it's not stuck to a schedule. Some days I might come home 4-5 hours later than other days. Of course the energy savings is pretty small.

The price is way too high though.

I don't get it. A friend in Switzerland, who has two other houses in the Borgogne region of France, has had all of his thermostats hooked up for remote connections for well over 10 years.

He would just phone it in before he arrives, to warm the house up. THis is basically that, with a nice GUI.

 

[zinfamous]

WTF flathead screwdriver? For that money I should be getting at least a Robertson, Allen, or Torx drive.

hah...I was thinking along the same line. flatheads suck

but it has a slick, elegant design. look at the bulb on the tool--it matches the thermostat!

also, those wi-fi's don't come cheap.

 

[Aikouka]

central air sucks anyway. ductless system ftw.

What sort of other setup can you use that would work better on a more "modular" (room) setup?

 

[pmv]

Who uses thermostats? I've never understood the point of them (other than in public buildings, I guess).

I turn the heating on when I can't bear the cold, then quickly turn it off again, after 20 minutes or as soon as I reckon I can stand it.

So far this year haven't had the heating on at all. Hoping to get away without it till Christmas at least.

Gas (or whatever you call it in the US to avoid confusion with petrol 'cos you call that "gas" right?) is far too expensive for messing around with automatic control. If I'm going to burn money I want it under my direct control, thanks.

 

[Doppel]

I find this "invention" extremely underwhelming.

Who uses thermostats? I've never understood the point of them (other than in public buildings, I guess).

I turn the heating on when I can't bear the cold, then quickly turn it off again, after 20 minutes or as soon as I reckon I can stand it.

So far this year haven't had the heating on at all. Hoping to get away without it till Christmas at least.

Gas (or whatever you call it in the US to avoid confusion with petrol 'cos you call that "gas" right?) is far too expensive for messing around with automatic control. If I'm going to burn money I want it under my direct control, thanks.

I guess people with houses? It's called natural gas in the US and there's so Fing much of it here it's pretty damn cheap Also, you won't make it to Christmas without heat in much of the US. While I'm at it, by golly, they are called flashlights, not torches. Torches have fire.

 

[Miramonti]

Who uses thermostats? I've never understood the point of them (other than in public buildings, I guess).

I turn the heating on when I can't bear the cold, then quickly turn it off again, after 20 minutes or as soon as I reckon I can stand it.

So far this year haven't had the heating on at all. Hoping to get away without it till Christmas at least.

Gas (or whatever you call it in the US to avoid confusion with petrol 'cos you call that "gas" right?) is far too expensive for messing around with automatic control. If I'm going to burn money I want it under my direct control, thanks.

Lemme guess...no wife...no kids...no visitors...

 

[Red Storm]

No Gorilla Glass or SD slot? No deal!

 

[rivan]

No Gorilla Glass or SD slot? No deal!

Totally. At this price I'd expect it to be able to stream MKVs. Even with the Wi-Fi.

 

[Eug]

A friend of mine sent me the site link.

Yeah, I told him the same thing. Total ripoff, and a solution looking to solve a problem that doesn't really exist, at least for 99% of the population. You'd do better with a $50 programmable thermostat.

 

[Blackjack200]

Ummm, so, people who are too stupid to program their thermostat to lower the temperature when they're not home are going to be able to figure out how to connect this with their wifi, set passwords, figure out how to magically connect to their thermostat while online from a remote location, and figure out how to run the software there to lower the temperature in their house. Then, when they get home, they're going to have to go online, and figure out how to warm the house back up.

Stupid people are going to fail at using this product to do anything useful.
Smart people are competent enough to be able to set a $25 thermostat appropriately.

I gave up programming my thermostat last year and now just set it to the same temperature 5 days a week; morning afternoon, evening, and night. Yes, I know how to program it, but my schedule is never the same two days in a row, so I just turn the heat/AC off when I leave the house and turn it back on when I get back.

I'd like a system that can track my position with my phone's GPS and keep track of my behavior so it can decide when I'm on my way home and start heating/cooling the house then. Probably years away from that though

 

[Jaskalas]

but is has Wi-Fi

Does it play Crisis?

 

[Wyndru]

The Nest thermostat adjusts its behavior dynamically to make sure users are comfortable when they’re at home while at the same time saving energy while they’re away—even if that time away wasn’t part of the thermostat’s programming.

Am I missing something? This device automatically knows when you aren't in the house for extended periods of time?

 

[FoBoT]

Am I missing something? This device automatically knows when you aren't in the house for extended periods of time?

yes, it has several sensors built in

Sensors

Temperature
Humidity
Proximity
Far-field activity
Near-field activity
Ambient light

 

[seepy83]

Am I missing something? This device automatically knows when you aren't in the house for extended periods of time?

http://support.nest.com/customer/portal/articles/178864-what-is-auto-away-



I started going through their website today to see if they have answers for a lot of the doubts that came to mind first. If you look through the various pages and the Support page, they have a lot of information about the device. You can set your own schedules on it, turn learning on and off, etc. The features and functions are nice, but the price is way too high.

I'm curious about what patents they hold for this device. If it creates a lot of buzz, I could see Honeywell and other thermostat manufacturers producing a very similar device at a lower price.

 

[FoBoT]

I'm curious about what patents they hold for this device. If it creates a lot of buzz, I could see Honeywell and other thermostat manufacturers producing a very similar device at a lower price.

or it could be a USB device you plug into your computer, the device would just contain the sensors and the 'smarts' would be software on your computer, why does it need to sit on the wall?

 

[Wyndru]

http://support.nest.com/customer/portal/articles/178864-what-is-auto-away-



I started going through their website today to see if they have answers for a lot of the doubts that came to mind first. If you look through the various pages and the Support page, they have a lot of information about the device. You can set your own schedules on it, turn learning on and off, etc. The features and functions are nice, but the price is way too high.

I'm curious about what patents they hold for this device. If it creates a lot of buzz, I could see Honeywell and other thermostat manufacturers producing a very similar device at a lower price.

Ahh, thanks, I figured it had to be some kind of motion/light sensor. I guess that means this thing needs to be placed in a location that people will be walking around in frequently to be effective.

 

[seepy83]

or it could be a USB device you plug into your computer, the device would just contain the sensors and the 'smarts' would be software on your computer, why does it need to sit on the wall?

I'm pretty sure that thermostats need to be located in specific areas so that the HVAC system can work correctly. For example, you don't want it located right next to a heating vent or radiator because it's going to detect a much higher temperature than what the ambient temp in the house actually is. Computers produce heat, so you really wouldn't want your thermostat to be plugged into a USB port.

Edit: Also, the thermostat need to be wired to the furnace, A/C, boiler, etc. At some point it need to send an electrical signal to tell the equipment to turn on the heat or cool the building.

 

[TwiceOver]

It would take over 10 years for me to save the initial investment. Not enough "cool" factor for me to pay out for something with that long of a return.