Programmable thermostats are awesome. Except you find yourself adjusting them a couple times a day anyway, beating the whole awesomeness of being programmable. That could be a thing of the past with the Nest Learning Thermostat, a smart temperature regulator that figures out how warm you like it inside and programs itself to accommodate that.
Designed by ex-Apple engineer Tony Fadell and his team, the device will work just like any regular thermostat when first installed. You can program it to maintain a certain temperature at various points of the day, then adjust throughout as necessary. Unlike other thermostats, though, it takes note of everything you do, gathering data as to how you like your indoor temperature the entire time.
After seven days of tracking, the Nest Learning Thermostat will begin setting its own program, creating a schedule based on how you used the thermostat the past week. You can still manually override it at any point, with any changes you make being taken into consideration for its updated programming. It doesn’t just go on your previous usage habits, either, pulling numbers from built-in activity sensors (150 feet distance) and online-sourced weather information (via the built-in WiFi), too.
Designed to facilitate ease of use, the thermostat can be controlled via the front panel, which can both be turned like a knob and pressed like a button. A round 1.75-inch color display (320 x 320 resolution) sits in front, showing the readings. No need to turn the thermostat off, either — the sensors will detect when the house has been empty for two hours and automatically shut off to stop wasting power.
The Nest Learning Thermostat comes with an accompanying iOS and Android app, where users can manage the settings and access their usage history. It will be available mid-November, priced at $249.
[Nest]