In a bid to help people further save energy at home, Google has launched a new Nest Thermostat — an easy to use, energy-saving thermostat that people can control from anywhere with the Google Home app.
It can even monitor heating and cooling systems and detect potential issues early, all for just $129, the company said in a statement late on Monday.
“Saving energy is the biggest reason people consider upgrading from a programmable thermostat, and the new Nest Thermostat can help find ways to save that aren’t possible with your traditional one,” said Ruchi Desai, Senior Product Manager, Google Nest.
Quick Schedule (in Home app) will help users set a custom temperature at different times and on different days.
It offers suggested pre-set temperatures that balance comfort and energy saving.
With the ‘Savings Finder’ feature, Nest Thermostat is constantly looking for small optimizations that will help people save energy at home.
“It proactively suggests small tweaks to your schedule that you can accept using the Home app. For example, it might suggest a small change to your sleep temperature to help aid sleep while saving you more on energy,” Desai said.
The Nest Thermostat uses ‘Soli’ technology for motion sensing and phone’s location to check if you’ve left the house and automatically sets itself to an Eco temperature so you don’t waste energy when you’re not there.
“You can install your own Nest Thermostat in 30 minutes or less. It works in the majority of houses, and you can check if it works in your home before purchasing with our online Compatibility Checker,” Desai informed.
In addition to the Home app, one can also control the thermostat with voice using Google Assistant on your Nest speaker or display, or with Alexa on other smart devices.
If your Nest Thermostat notices that something’s not right, it sends an alert via the Home app or email. This feature will start rolling out to all eligible Nest thermostats in the US and Canada later this month.